Peter D. Coyl

My Greatest Accomplishment

Through being active in the American Library Association, I’ve been able to defend intellectual freedom by championing the retention of GLBT materials for younger readers in local libraries. I’ve also served this past year as chair of the GLBT Round Table (the nation’s oldest GLBT professional association), selected the winners of the Stonewall Book Award, given presentations at national library conferences and webinars, and contributed in making GLBT Book Month an official recognized annual celebration. We’ve just begun a new award for libraries to be recognized for their work in serving the GLBT community. These are great accomplishments but they are not about me, they are about the communities and people we serve. Being outwardly focused on making our cities better places is what being a librarian is all about.

How Drexel Helped

The Library and Information Science program helped teach me the importance of being active professionally. Without that, I might not have taken the leap to be involved. The professors and instructors also showed me the good I could do in the community as a librarian. Drexel connected me with classmates who now as alumni serve as a profes- sional network that I look to for support and guidance.

Where I’ll be in Five Years

I’d like to be more involved on a larger scale focusing on national issues and programs surrounding libraries and intellectual freedom.