Guynell Williams is the recipient of the South Carolina Library Association’s (SCLA) 2006 Outstanding Librarian Award.  The award honors a librarian who has initiated or developed an imaginative or creative program, service, or work of enduring value for the effective use of or increased interest in libraries or a particular library.

Williams was honored for her diligent management of federal grant monies awarded to South Carolina by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  Since 2003, she has coordinated the administration of millions in funding that supports statewide library initiatives and sub grants involving literacy, technology, outreach to underserved rural and urban communities, continuing education for public library staffs and more.   

Elizabeth Sudduth, Chair of the SCLA Awards Committee, presented the award during the 2006 SCLA Conference held in Hilton Head, S.C.   Sudduth stated that Williams was also being recognized for her past work as director of the agency’s Talking Books program for the blind and visually impaired, for which she is a past recipient of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina’s Distinguish Service Award and the American Council of the Blind of South Carolina’s Professional of the Year Award.   

Employed by the South Carolina State Library since 1986, Williams began her career as a senior reference librarian and has also served as the agency’s Deputy Director.  Currently, she is the Federal Grant Coordinator and is also responsible for assisting the director with agency planning and special projects.  A native of Clinton, S.C., Williams holds a Masters in Library Science from the University of Denver in Colorado, is a graduate of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, a 2000 alumnus of the South Carolina Executive Institute and a member of the South Carolina Library Association.  

IMLS’ Library Grants to the States is the premier source of federal funding to the nation’s libraries. The grants are awarded under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).  For more information on IMLS and the South Carolina State Library visit www.imls.gov and www.statelibrary.sc.gov.