Renee Grassi to receive the Alexander J. Skrzypek Award

Renee Grassi

Renee Grassi, co-founder of SNAILS, friend, and mentor to many of our members, has been selected to receive the 2017 Alexander J. Skrzypek Award!

Presented by the Illinois Library Association and the Illinois State Library in honor of Alexander J. Skrzypek (1905-1976) -- the first librarian for the blind at the Chicago Public Library -- the award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library services for the blind or physically disabled in Illinois.

We know first hand how Renee's work has impacted libraries and communities across the state of Illinois, so we nominated her for the award! Read ILA's press release to learn about Renee's award-winning efforts to make Illinois libraries more inclusive to children with disabilities.

Renee's word cloud

The Alexander J. Skrzypek Award Award will be presented to Renee at the Awards Luncheon held on Tuesday, October 10, during the 2017 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference in Tinley Park. If you are going to ILA this year, be sure to keep an eye out for Renee to congratulate her.

Renee will receive a certificate and have her name added to the plaque at the Illinois State Library. Even though she has moved to Minnesota, she will forever be a part of Illinois library history!