CRANFORD — The American Library Association has announced the 2026 winners of the annual I Love My Librarian Award, including Christine Szeluga from Cranford High School. The highly-prestigious award recognizes the outstanding public service contributions of librarians working in public, school, college, community college or university libraries across the country.
Christine Szeluga, librarian at Cranford High School since 2019, has nurtured the school’s library into a dynamic hub for learning and student engagement. She secured grants to create a makerspace, local history archive and podcast studio, boosting library circulation by 300%. In 2024, she led the Cranford Dixie Giants project, guiding students in researching and sharing the history of Cranford’s early 20th century all Black semiprofessional baseball team through articles and podcasts. The project earned national recognition with the American Association of School Librarians’ Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award in 2025.
The 10 honorees were nominated by community members for their expertise, dedication and profound impact on the people in their communities. With more than 1,300 nominations received this year, it’s clear the public values the transformative power of libraries and the people who dedicate their lives to serving others
Szeluga, along with other honorees, will be formally celebrated at the I Love My Librarian Award Ceremony at the 2026 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago from June 25 to 29.
Christine Szeluga – ‘For the heart of our schools’
Between overseeing the school’s newspaper and literary magazine and advising student council and podcast club, Szeluga stays busy supporting the 1,200 students at Cranford High School in New Jersey. And through her leadership as the school’s librarian, the library has flourished as a dynamic hub for academic support and student engagement.
In 2024, Szeluga spearheaded the Cranford Dixie Giants project, a project that was recognized nationally with the Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award from the American Association of School Librarians in 2025.
“The library is the heart of our school community,” one of her nominators wrote, “and Mrs. Szeluga is at the center. As a leader in the school, she inspires students through her love of learning, and her infectious enthusiasm for reading often helps to see themselves as lifelong readers.”
Photo Courtesy of American Library Association
