Okay, so, if you live in Weston or around Weston, you will know that we have an awesome public library. For a town with roughly 12,000 residents, the level of our library programming, arts, community reach and BOOKS is incredible. And so the recently-posted news about the WPL being chosen as a Library Journal Star Library did not shock me.

What may be surprising is that these Star Libraries were chosen based on Fiscal Year 2020 data…and what happened in 2020, boys and girls? The first year (of the 15 this pageant has been run) that Weston wins its three-star rating is based on a pandemic year. Pretty amazing, no?

So what is this Star Library rating system? According to their website, “The LJ Index is a national rating system designed to recognize and promote America’s public libraries, to help improve the pool of nationally collected library statistics, and to encourage library self-evaluation.” The ratings are based on:

• library visits
• circulation
• program attendance
• public Internet computer use
• circulation of electronica materials (beginning with the 2016 edition which was based on 2014 data)

You can find out more about the pageant here.

Now because I like to fall into rabbit holes, the Owl visited the website of the Library Journal and found many interesting data. Such as… Massachusetts has 20 star libraries, but cannot knock Illinois (43) or New York (22) or Iowa (22) [IOWA!!!!! What?] out of the top spots. We’re not even on the podium, Massachusetts, though we do have one town (Wellfleet) which is superior to all others except Ann Arbor (Go Blue!).

Now, to be honest, I am super worried about Washington DC (1–is that the Library of Congress? Dunno) and what is going on in Florida? So much …. so so much I want to editorialize here but Florida Star Libraries number, and I round up here, zero. Surprised by zeroes in North Carolina, Washington state and Delaware? Me too. But then again I didn’t spend any time looking at methodology. No, I just want podium and folks in Massachussetts, we are TWO LIBRARIES AWAY. I’d rev up Lincoln (5 stars) and Wellesley (3 stars), but they are already on the list. Newton hasn’t been on the list for 12 years. What’s going on there? Dunno.

This is the first year that Weston has gotton onto the 15-year old list of Star Libraries. It is one of 140 newcomers to the list, and just so you know, 138 libraries got booted from the list. Of the 25 always-Star Libraries, two — Michigan’s Ann Arbor District Library and Massachusetts’s Wellfleet Public Library have been five-Star libraries in every round for 15 years. I am going to have to visit these libraries.

And that, folks, is all I know about Libraries and Star Awards. Congratulations, Weston Public Library, you deserve all the awards ever. Shall we have a bake sale to celebrate? Just an idea…