Libraries abroad: “Librarian of the Year” named in the USA

Craig Buthod, director of the Louisville Free Public Library system, has been named “Librarian of the Year 2010” by trade publication Library Journal. Buthod will receive his award at the annual American Library Association Conference in Boston.

He was nominated by industry peers throughout the country, according to a news release. Buthod was recognized for his commitment to the library’s capital expansion plan, which included the opening of a library branch in Newburg; his response to the Aug. 4 flood that caused more than $7 million in damage to the main branch and his efforts to create the Student Power Plus Card program, which provides students with access to library services, as well as bus service, after school activities, and GED (General Educational Development) and SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) test preparation activities.

Buthod came to the Louisville Free Public Library system from the Seattle Public Library in 1998. He began his career in his home city of Tulsa, Okla., where he worked for 17 years in the Tulsa City-County Library System.