Jennifer Lohmann (MSLS '06) was recently named Librarian of the Year by the Romance Writers of America (RWA), a professional organization consisting of over 10,000 romance writers and publishing professionals whose work is closely tied to the romance book industry. Selected from a competitive pool of candidates from across the country, Lohmann was given the award for demonstrating "outstanding support of romance authors and the romance genre," according to RWA's Web site.
Currently a librarian for the Durham County Library in Durham, North Carolina, Lohmann is deeply committed to the task of readers' advisory and the challenges associated with helping her patrons find just the right book on any given occasion. She teaches on romance to readers' advisory classes and other library staff, including NoveList database catalogers and promotes romance in her own public library system by writing about the genre in print publications associated with the Durham County Library. She hosts an annual romance tea with local romance authors and now runs a popular romance book club. Just last week, Lohmann also visited Professor Barbara Moran's "Popular Materials" course, providing the students with a whirlwind tour of the romance genre's history, intrigue and future potential.
Lohmann described receiving the 2010 RWA Librarian of the Year Award as "totally awesome . . . it's hard to describe how pleased I am . . . . I'm planning ways to use the award to do more promotion of the genre, including a romance tea and a book club."
RWA presented Lohmann with her award on July 30, 2010, at the association's 30th annual conference in Orlando, Florida.
Photo pose is Jennifer with her husband Lars taken from What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss.
Photograph by Hitoko Burke, graphic designer at the Durham County Library.
