Montclair Librarian Earns Award: ‘Full Of Ideas And Good Cheer’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It’s one thing to be full of “ideas and good cheer.” But when you also have the drive to follow through with those ideas, it adds up to a big win to the community, according to Kristen Comeaux’s peers at the Montclair Public Library.

Comeaux was recently named as the 2023 recipient of the Margery Quigley Award, which is given annually to a Montclair Public Library staff member who has demonstrated the same “dedication, innovation and passion” as the award’s namesake.

Comeaux, who has served as the manager of the Bellevue Avenue Branch Library since February 2022, received the surprise award at a library reception that also recognized the other nominees and the hard work and dedication of the staff as a whole.

According to a news release from the Montclair Public Library Foundation:

“Ms. Comeaux exemplifies the spirit of Margery Quigley who, with the publication of her book ‘Portrait of a Library’ (1936) and later a documentary film of the same name, helped make the Montclair Public Library one of the best known American suburban libraries in the world.”

Comeaux’s peers had some kind words to say about the dedicated librarian. They included:

• “Kristen’s reimagining of how a Carnegie Library can function has greatly inspired her colleagues to be daring with the use of the public's library spaces and has even spilled over with her initiative to launch a Library of Things at both buildings. Kristen is also freely kind and caring with the public and her colleagues, and is always welcoming and supportive in collaborative endeavors and in mentoring Bellevue Avenue Branch staff.”
• “Kristen has made the branch a destination! She tries new program ideas and takes the feedback of parents and children to inform her decisions. She is full of ideas, good cheer, and has the initiative to follow through until fruition.”
• “Kristen is happy to go where the people are: Brookdale Park, for example. Her librarian skills and her commitment to public library values are deep: those early literacy kits, the seed library and the Library of Things are reflections of what she thinks a library should be. Besides being smart and creative, she maintains a positive attitude and good humor.”

The Margery Quigley Award has been organized and sponsored annually by the Montclair Public Library Foundation since 2021.

• See Related: Way Beyond Books: Borrow From Montclair's 'Library Of Things'

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