K.C. Boyd is the 2022 School Librarian of the Year.

As the librarian at Jefferson Middle School Academy in Washington, DC, Boyd has transformed a collection to reflect the student body, created a culture of reading, foregrounded media literacy, introduced a maker space, and developed programs to meet her students’ academic and social-emotional needs. A tireless advocate for her students and fellow librarians, Boyd became one of the biggest voices fighting to keep a librarian in every District of Columbia Public Schools building and, through savvy use of social media, has become an influential voice in school librarianship across the country.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be named School Librarian of the Year by SLJ and Scholastic,” says Boyd. “ I’ve read the stories of previous winners over the last couple of years and marveled over their grit and determination to provide stellar library programming for their students. I’m humbled by this honor and to join the ranks of librarians I’ve admired for years.”

This year, two School Librarian of the Year finalists were also named: Pia Alliende, district librarian for Redmond (OR) School District and library technician at Elton Gregory Middle School in Redmond; and Andy Spinks, school library media specialist at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA.

“SLJ is privileged to honor these stellar educators, who apply creativity and passion in serving students and imbuing their school communities with a spirit of curiosity and joyful learning—and that’s something we need now more than ever,” says SLJ editor in chief Kathy Ishizuka. “Exemplars of the profession, the School Librarian of the Year Award winners underscore the important work librarians do nationwide fostering knowledge and skills across the spectrum of literacy.”

The annual award, presented by SLJ and sponsored by Scholastic, recognizes the outstanding work of K–12 library professionals who have consistently demonstrated exceptional use of technology and print materials to not only successfully engage students in learning but also spark new ideas within their school and community.

This year’s winners were chosen by 2021 School Librarian of the Year Amanda Jones, Tuscaloosa (AL) City Schools superintendent Mike Daria, SLJ editors, and a Scholastic Trade Publishing representative.

School Librarian of the Year is the latest recognition for Boyd, whose accolades include being inducted into the Chicago Public Schools “Librarian Hall of Fame” in 2014, being named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2015, and winning the District of Columbia Library Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2020.