Sara Turner, deputy director and children’s librarian at the Lewiston Public Library, accepted the American Library Association’s 2025 Lemony Snicket Award for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity on June 29 at the association’s annual conference in Philadelphia. 

The award seeks to honor “a librarian who has faced adversity with integrity and dignity intact,” according to the association’s website. Established by author Lemony Snicket himself (the penname of American author Daniel Handler), recipients of the award receive $10,000 “along with an odd, symbolic object from his private stash, and a certificate.”

Turner is the 11th recipient of the award since its creation in 2014.

“As a children’s librarian, what I hope to accomplish every day when I come into work is to make a positive impact in the lives of children and families in our community,” Turner said. “Sometimes this work is very challenging, but it is always rewarding. I am humbled and honored to receive national recognition for my small part in bringing to life LPL’s vision of creating an inclusive and welcoming space for our patrons to learn, grow, socialize, and explore together.”

The association highlighted Turner’s work in the wake of the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting, where she fostered a space for healing and dialogue at the public library.

Even before the shooting on Oct. 25, Turner had established a permanent display of children’s books on grief and loss. She has since been expanding the collection to aid children and their families in starting conversations on grief. 

“There’s just some really good books out there to help kids through the process (of bereavement), because kids sometimes don’t know how to feel,” Turner shared.

She added that the permanent display helps library patrons find the books they need without the added pressure of having to ask unfamiliar library staff about sensitive topics. 

“When kids or even adults or families are feeling grief, to come in and ask someone where those books are can be really overwhelming,” she said. “So I keep this out. If people need them, they’re just out here for them to get and they don’t have to come and talk to anyone.”

Turner came to the Lewiston Public Library in 2020 after 15 years as the youth services manager for the Osceola library system in Florida. 

Since then, she has revamped the library’s summer reading program and spearheaded a capital campaign to renovate the children’s department in the library.

In 2024, Turner was also promoted to deputy director of the library.