APL Honors Delaware Area Neighborhood Association with Community Partner Award
Albany Public Library is proud to honor the Delaware Area Neighborhood Association (DANA) with the 2022 Community Partner Award. The award presentation will take place at the Literary Legends Gala hosted by the Friends and Foundation of Albany Public Library (FFAPL) on Oct. 1.
“The Delaware Area Neighborhood Association and Albany Public Library have a long history of partnership, and DANA has been an especially strong advocate for our Delaware Branch,” said Andrea Nicolay, APL’s executive director. “DANA members are active patrons and were instrumental in getting a new library branch built in their neighborhood. APL and DANA are program partners with the popular Delaware Neighborhood Farmers Market, which is held seasonally in the Delaware Branch’s backyard. Albany Public Library is proud to honor the Delaware Area Neighborhood Association with this year’s Community Partner Award.”
Louise McNeilly, longtime board chair of DANA, said, “The Albany Public Library and the Delaware Area Neighborhood Association have a partnership that plays a critical role in our community life. Our neighborhood worked to keep a branch here, and the library’s investment continues to provide our community and city with the dividends. The Delaware library branch is where our civic life is centered, where our very diverse community gathers to learn, to discuss, and to separate fact from fiction in an age of disinformation. We are honored to be recognized and to salute the Albany Public Library in turn!”
The APL Community Partner Award recognizes the contributions of schools, businesses, agencies, and organizations that make the work of the library possible. Previous honorees are: Youth FX, CDTA, University at Albany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County.
DANA will receive the award at FFAPL’s annual Literary Legends Gala on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Delaware Branch library. The event recognizes outstanding local authors, illustrators, and publishers. The gala serves as a fundraiser for the foundation, which supports special programs and projects at the library. Tickets for the Literary Legends Gala are $75 per person and can be purchased online and at the door the evening of the event. The gala includes the awards ceremony, remarks by the honorees, a silent auction, plus hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
This year’s Literary Legends event honors Albany writers Sylvie Kantorovitz and Edward Schwarzschild. Kantorovitz has illustrated many wonderful picture books including Zig and the Magic Umbrella and The Very Tiny Baby, both of which she also wrote. Her latest book, Sylvie, is a graphic-novel memoir about her unique childhood in France and path to becoming an artist. She is also known in Albany for creating the whimsical animal mural on Green St. between Hudson St. and Beaver St. Schwarzschild has authored several terrific works, including the novels In Security and Responsible Men and a story collection titled The Family Diamond. His new nonfiction book, Job Security, is about the expanding world of security labor in the United States. He is also a professor of English, the director of creative writing, and a fellow of the New York State Writers Institute, all at the University at Albany.
Past Literary Legends honorees are: William Kennedy, Paul Grondahl, Amy Biancolli, Gregory Maguire, Barbara Smith, Marion Roach-Smith, Leonard Slade, Athena Lord, Frankie Bailey, Alice Green, Peter Goldon, Lyn Lifshin, Dan Wilcox, Elisa Albert, Lydia Davis, and Eugene Mirabelli.
Stephanie Simon
Stephanie Simon is manager of APL's Communication and Creative Services Department, which provides content and information for the library's website, social media, publications, videos, podcasts, and other outlets. Stephanie also manages APL's public relations and marketing efforts.