The New Jersey Library Association's Conference Committee and Honors and Awards Working Group has awarded Kellyanne Healey MI'23 a 2026 Innovative Program Award.
Healey, a three-time Rutgers alumna (SAS‘11, GSE‘13, and SC&I'23), is the Children's Librarian at the Parsippany Library, Lake Hiawatha Branch, in Lake Hiawatha, NJ. She received the award for the International Children's Book Week project she created, organizes, and runs annually at the library. This year, the event will be held from Monday, April 6 through Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Healey will receive the award at the NJLA Honors and Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday, February 18, during the 2026 NJLA Conference.
The Innovative Program Award, according to the NJLA, "recognizes a program or program series that engages its community or meets a community need in an innovative and creative way." The NJLA judges the entries "on originality and creativity of the program(s) content and presentation, effectiveness of community engagement, and the demonstrated impact on the community, taking into consideration the library operating budget, the total cost of the program, and program attendance."
Based on International Children's Book Day, which is celebrated globally every April, Healey said her International Children's Book Week project "showcases both native language and translated books from all over the world through interactive displays, dual language story times, and activities."
The goals of the event, Healey explained, are to:
- Present and celebrate reading and books to children in an unstructured, ungraded, enjoyable, and memorable way.
- Showcase a diverse collection that represents our culturally and linguistically rich community.
- Introduce patrons of all ages to different perspectives and varying languages.
- Fulfill our branch’s mission of building and maintaining a safe, welcoming community space where everyone can explore their interests, curiosities, or have fun and appreciate the library’s resources.
A full Wakelet folder of the project from its inception at Rutgers through last year's event can be accessed here.
Tracing the origins of her project back to her years as a SC&I MI student, Healey said, "Now going into its fourth year, this event was originally created as a day-long program for the Schoen Research Fellowship at SC&I. Originally inspired by my advisor, Dr. Marc Aronson's International Youth Literature course, I worked closely with him and Dr. Brenda Boyer, my fellowship advisor, over the course of the 2022-2023 academic year. Also underpinning the event is "Jersey Roots, Global Reach," Rutgers' tagline during my undergraduate degree. My MEd, literacy development background, and prior work with Graduate School of Education Distinguished Professor Dr. Lesley Morrow supported my initial research and currently helps me design programs and activities rooted in family literacy."
Noting her many impressive achievements, Aronson said, "Kellyanne took the ideas about international youth literature from our class and has turn them into a multi-award-winning program that is the delight of her library. It is such a pleasure so see her growth and her success."
This award is not the first Healey has received for her International Book Week project. Last year, she received the Bridge to Understanding Award from the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY).
Learn more about the Master of Information degree program at the School of Communication and Information on the website.
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