Brooklyn, Queens Librarian Named Best In The Country

BROOKLYN, NY — Two New York librarians — one right here in Brooklyn — have been chosen for a national honor that has been celebrating the work of local librarians for more than 30 years, Brooklyn Public Libraries announced this week.

Lauren Comito, who works at BPL's Leonard branch, was one of two librarians named "Librarian of the Year 2020" by the Library Journal, a historic publication that has been around 140 years and doling out the award for three decades.

Comito, a Queens Public Library alum, was given the honor with Christian Zabriskie, a former New York City librarian who now works in upstate New York libraries. Together, Comito and Zabriskie founded Urban Librarians Unite, an organization that advocates for city librarians and a variety of other causes, according to the Library Journal's announcement.

“Lauren and Christian’s dedication to libraries, librarians, and all those who support our institution is beyond bounds,” said Nick Buron, chief librarian and senior vice president of Queens Public Library (QPL), who hired Zabriskie for his first QPL position and indirectly supervised both.

“For ten years, I have witnessed them spending long nights, rallying in the rain, and literally using a megaphone to scream the values and necessity of libraries and their dedicated workers," Buron said.

Comito, originally an art major, got her master's in library science from Queens College and started as a librarian trainee at QPL. She moved through the ranks for 11 years in the borough, working as a Young Adult librarian, doing outreach for the library’s Job and Business Academy and serving as an assistant branch manager, according to Library Journal.

She moved to Brooklyn's library system in 2017 and currently serves as Neighborhood Library Supervisor at the Leonard Library.

Zabriskie started his career in publishing and sales, but switched to library services when living in Florida. He earned his mater's of library science at Florida State University and worked at libraries in Florida and Bermuda before moving to New York, according to the outlet.

Like Cormito, Zabriskie worked in YA services at QPL and then as assistant branch manager for three different locations. He was administrator of the Yonkers Public Library’s Grinton I from 2016 until recently and will soon be executive director of Onondaga County Public Libraries in upstate New York.

The two started the ULU organization in 2007 as a way for city librarians to get together with one another, but quickly turned to advocacy during mass layoffs during the Great Recession in 2010, Library Journal said.

Their Save NYC Libraries campaign works to secure city funding for all three New York City library systems, including a 24-hour Read In, a "mass zombie shuffle" over the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall on Halloween and a "flashmob mass hug" of the Schwarzman Building organized in 2011.

ULU has also helped those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, created a Libraries Serve Refugees (LSR) program and the Unaccompanied Minors Book Drive.

Read the full profile about Cormito and Zabriskie's work here.