Ronald Chan Wins 1999 Maher Stern Award for Outstanding Service as a Librarian

Chatham Square Branch Librarian Cited for Community Leadership

Ronald Chan, Supervising Librarian at the Chatham Square Regional Branch Library in Chinatown, was presented with The New York Public Library's Maher Stern Award by Library President Paul LeClerc and Allison Maher Stern on Tuesday, June 15 at 10:00 a.m. at the Seward Park Branch Library, 192 East Broadway.

The $1,000 Maher Stern Award, which is given to further enhance the quality of a branch's service, honors a librarian for excellence in community service and staff team work. Mrs. Stern and her husband Leonard Stern have endowed this award for a ten-year period.

Chatham Square Regional Branch Library is a key fixture of the Chinatown neighborhood, and is currently undergoing a full renovation (scheduled reopening in Spring 2000). During renovation, the nearby Seward Park Branch is open for extended hours and provides materials in Chinese and English for all ages of readers.

Mr. Chan facilitated an unprecedented era of outreach to the Chatham Square community, providing continual service efforts to adult groups, with a special emphasis on those who speak languages other than English. With his welcoming approach, he has wholeheartedly supported new projects, encouraging his Senior Adult Librarian to organize and oversee the “Reading Aloud at Nursing Homes” project in the Lower East Side Region.

Mr. Chan also supported the outreach efforts of his staff to young adults (YA) and children. For young adults, programs have included classes for Special Education, mentally disabled and ESL teens, dance workshops and AIDS workshops in Cantonese. The children's librarians have conducted a huge number of classes, programs and outreach efforts, forging close working relationships with local teachers. Saturday programs for children are a staple at Chatham Square and attract large numbers of children from around the whole area. These and the many adult programs often highlight Chinese art and culture.

Mr. Chan's relationship with his branch staff has been exemplary, and through his leadership and management, the rest of the branch employees have followed in his footsteps. Under his guidance, the clerical staff has also become involved in the branch outreach campaigns. The senior clerk reads aloud in the nursing home and other clerks conduct YA and children's origami and paper cutting workshops. Even the pages (part-time student employees) reach out to patrons, often serving as translators.
 
Ronald Chan is involved with his community and its leaders and has served them exceptionally well for many years. He has often served as a spokesperson for the Library to the Chinese community. Mr. Chan works closely with elected officials to get support for and to promote library services in the Chatham community. He also reaches out to local businesses to get support for additional materials in Chinese. The Maher Stern Award Committee is confident that he is worthy of this recognition and exemplifies the criteria of the award.

rchurchill:pro:6/15/99