North Hunterdon High School Librarian Martha Hickson MLIS’05 RC’82 has been named the 2023 Librarian of the Year by the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA).

In nominating Hickson, librarians at the Hunterdon County Library and the Piscataway Public Library said, “Not only is Martha an inspiration to the marginalized teens she champions in her community, but also to librarians everywhere, who are increasingly under fire for developing diverse and inclusive collections.”

Since 2019, Hickson has successfully fought six attempts to ban books and actively protects students’ right to read in the school district. She has worked to share intellectual freedom best practices with librarians by presenting at conferences and webinars, most recently as a keynote speaker at the Conference on Academic Library Management and Northeastern University’s Annual Women’s History Month Symposium.  Through her writing, media appearances, and presentations to community groups, libraries, and churches, she has also raised awareness about censorship among the general public.

The NJLA Librarian of the Year Award was created to recognize exemplary achievements by a New Jersey librarian making a significant contribution at any level of librarianship.

Accepting the award, Hickson said, “This was such a wonderful surprise. Twenty-two months ago I was called a criminal just for circulating award-winning books, and now I’m standing here. Talk about a plot twist! You’re going to make some book banners very angry.”

Established in 1890 and providing services to more than 2,000 members, NJLA, is the oldest and largest library organization in New Jersey. It advocates for library services for New Jersey residents; provides education and networking for library staff; and supports intellectual freedom and access to books, music, movies, and information.

Learn more about the Library and Information Science Department and the Master of Information at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website. 

Photo caption: Ralph Bingham, executive director of LibraryLinkNJ, presents the NJLA Librarian of the Year Award to North Hunterdon High School librarian Martha Hickson.

Photo credit: Martha Hickson