East Brunswick Public Library Librarian Wins National Award

Chances are, if you have attended a program at East Brunswick Public Library, it was coordinated by Melissa Hozik, an Adult Programming Librarian. Her work has been recognized by the American Library Association’s Reference and User Services Association.

The group announced her the winner of the 2026 Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award. “Melissa’s decade-long commitment to innovative, inclusive adult programming at East Brunswick Public Library exemplifies the excellence this award honors,” the group said in a statement. “RUSA celebrates her achievements and the lasting impact she brings to the profession.”

According to RUSA, her work at East Brunswick Public Library directly advances the group’s mission by demonstrating the transformative potential of adult library services when practiced with creativity, rigor, and sustained community investment. “As a programming librarian, I strive to bring events and projects that will engage different members of our community. Whether it is helping them learn about our impacts on the environment; tapping creativity that may have been dormant since childhood; or welcoming everyone inside our library’s doors, using programming to connect adults remains an important part of public librarianship, said Hozik.

“I look forward to continuing this important work in keeping the library an important third space in my community.”

Her flagship Option Green Lecture Series, launched in 2017, has grown to more than fifty programs addressing environmental literacy and civic responsibility, earning three Environmental Achievement Awards from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions. In 2020, the series was selected for the American Library Association’s Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change initiative, extending her programming model across a cohort of seven public libraries.

Hozik’s WeCycle recycling series received additional recognition through a 2026 New Jersey Library Association Innovative Program Award. The award recognizes program series that engage their communities in an innovative and creative way.

“We were honored to win our second statewide award for the WeCycle series,” she said. “The program series promotes sustainability and highlights environmental issues.”

The WeCycle program series addressed several topics, including changes to recycling practices and the impact of international policies. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Middlesex County’s Solid Waste Management and Environmental Division were featured guests.

Since 2017, the partnership between the East Brunswick Public Library, Friends of the East Brunswick Environment Commission and other local partners have been collaborating to promote environmental education and sustainability through the Option Green program series.

Hozik’s programming consistently prioritizes underserved populations. Her Memory Café for individuals experiencing early-stage dementia, her support for the East Brunswick Astronomy Club, Repair Café series, and Welcoming Week initiatives collectively demonstrate her ability to position the library as a genuine civic hub serving adults across lines of age, background, and ability.

In 2024, she coordinated 138 programs drawing 3,740 attendees, and her contributions supported East Brunswick Public Library’s recognition as a 2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Services finalist. Through sustained award-winning programming and active professional leadership, Hozik represents adult services librarianship at its highest level, and her recognition affirms RUSA’s commitment to practitioners who elevate the profession through measurable, community-centered impact.