After poring over more than 450 nominations, BookPage selected Claire Rose of the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, Michigan, as the winner of our second annual Spotlight Award. Once again, it was clear that BookPage readers love and value their public library workers-the enthusiastic nominations credited hard-working librarians from Maine to California with inspiring a love of reading in patrons and creating cultural centers for their communities.

As winner of the Spotlight Award, which was created in 2007 by BookPage to recognize library professionals who "never seek the spotlight, but certainly deserve it," Claire Rose will receive $2,500. The Peter White Public Library, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, will receive $250. Rose was nominated by Library Friends group member Theresa Brodowski Scram, who described Rose as a librarian with "passion for her work and a mission to provide for the good of the community," as well as a talent for grant writing.

When contacted with news of the award, Rose said she realized she had been nominated, but added, "I didn't expect to hear from you! I'm very honored. . . . I'm humbled, too." Rose has been with the Peter White Public Library for 18 years and is currently serving as its Deputy Director.

Rose's many successful grant applications included a $300,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant, which jump-started the library's expansion project. Thanks to this effort, the library, housed in a lovely Beaux Arts building that was constructed in 1900, now features a computer lab, an Arts and Culture center and a café. Also added to the library were a community room that seats 150 people theater style and two other smaller meeting rooms. More than 100 community groups now use these spaces for regular meetings.

"Without the $300,000 grant that Claire received, our rural community would not have been able to initiate the matching funds for the expansion project," Scram noted in her nomination, pointing out that use of the library has increased "tremendously" since the building project was completed. "Last year a count of visitors to the library was 355,000. That's amazing for a county that has only about 55,000 residents and only about 20,000 actually live in the city of Marquette. What an outstanding job Claire has done and continues to do."

Scram said she and her family "feel blessed because of all the cultural activities that are now available at the library. Often times it is difficult to make a choice as to which event we have time to attend, because there are so many cultural events available!" She added, "It is so rewarding and an honor to be part of the library which has become the informational, educational, cultural and recreational center of the community through Claire's brilliant grant writing."

Library director Pamela Christensen agreed, saying that Rose "combines creativity, an appreciation of arts and literature and an attention to detail to not only obtain funding for the Peter White Public Library, but also to provide quality and valuable programs that meet the needs of our community." Christensen noted that Rose's vision has benefited not only the Peter White Public Library but other libraries in the Upper Peninsula. "She is always willing to share her expertise and encourage others to write proposals and seek support of library programs. Claire is very deserving of the Spotlight Award from BookPage and we are proud that she has been honored in this way," the library director said.

The 2008 Spotlight Award was presented at the ALA annual conference in Anaheim, California, where Michigan Library System representative Elaine Harrison accepted on behalf of Claire Rose. Last year's winner was Blair Tom of the John McIntire Library in Zanesville, Ohio.

Do you have a library professional in your area who deserves a little recognition? Keep an eye out next spring, when we'll open up nominations for the 2009 BookPage Spotlight Award.