Announcing the NT Library & Information Excellence Awards 2025 Shortlist  

 

Re-launched by ALIA GLAM Top End in 2024, the NT Library & Information Excellence Award is an annual merit prize which celebrates and recognises the work of an individual working in any sector of the library and information profession in the Northern Territory.  

The high quality and quantity of nominations received, meant that the judges of the 2025 NT Library & Information Excellence Award faced a challenging task when evaluating. The submissions showcased dedication, community impact, collaboration, innovation and creativity, and the judges extend their congratulations to all nominees, not only those who were shortlisted. 

The award winner will be announced at the NT Library & Information Excellence Award Presentation & Project Showcase to be held at Library & Archives Northern Territory (LANT), Danala on Tuesday 18th November.  

Congratulations go to the 4 shortlisted nominees, whose achievements have made a significant impact!  


Nadine Benson – City of Palmerston Library

Community Engagement Coordinator at the City of Palmerston Library, Nadine Benson wanted to take the annual National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) event beyond the library walls and into the heart of the community. Her goal was to make storytelling more engaging and inclusive, increase attendance, and strengthen community connections.

Nadine and the library team partnered with a wide range of community organisations to create an immersive environment that reflected the themes of the 2025 NSS title The Truck Cat.

The event included:

  • A volunteer fire truck, garbage truck, ranger’s ute, ambulance, and police car for children to explore
  • A jumping castle, petting zoo, face painting, and a free BBQ to make the event family-friendly and fun
  • Careful planning and promotion to ensure the event was welcoming and accessible to families from all backgrounds
  • The event was a great success, drawing more than 150 attendees and receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community.

It:

  • Encouraged a love of reading and learning in a fun, non-traditional setting
  • Strengthened community ties and promoted social inclusion through open, free participation
  • Created lasting memories for children and families, encouraging them to return to the library in future.

Carol Cheng – City of Darwin Libraries

Carol Cheng has demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in advancing community wellbeing through her role at City of Darwin Libraries. Her work exemplifies the transformative power of libraries as inclusive, supportive spaces that respond to complex social needs. Carol has created meaningful opportunities for engagement, collaboration, and empowerment through a series of strategic programs:

  • Community Wellbeing Officer (CWO) On-Duty
  • Community Link Up
  • Incursion Collaboration @ CAAPS
  • Community Support & Advice Groups

These initiatives collectively showcase her ability to foster partnerships, deliver impactful services, and strengthen community resilience. What makes Carol’s achievements even more remarkable is her personal journey. Having recently migrated from Hong Kong, with English as her second language, Carol understands firsthand the challenges of navigating a new environment. This lived experience has inspired her to create programs that support like-minded Top Enders; newcomers to the Northern Territory, who are also finding their way through life. Her story is a full-circle moment: from being new to Darwin to becoming a catalyst for inclusion and wellbeing.

Carol has established a trusted, consistent presence for vulnerable individuals, strengthened partnerships with local agencies, and enhanced the library’s reputation as a proactive agent of wellbeing.


Rosie Martinez – City of Darwin Libraries

Children and Youth Services Librarian, Rosie Martinez has worked collaboratively with the Youth Programs team to develop a suite of ongoing programs designed to bring young people (12-25) into the library. Rosie recognised there was a very limited amount of programming directly targeting young people and has worked hard to change this. From an early collaboration producing a pop-up STEAM space called Geektacular Playhouse at GeeCon (2017) to a suite of programs that support the engagement and development of young people in our community including:

  • Gaming After Dark
  • Geek Up
  • Get That Job
  • Casuarina Youth Mural

Rosie goes above and beyond in everything she does. She is always offering to support out-of-hours programs and her EPIC dress-ups for Geektacular are amazing. Rosie leads by supporting internal advocacy for young, and through championing innovative and creative programming ideas that often challenge how things are done. One example of this has been allowing young people to lead programs ensuring activities are always engaging, relevant, and contemporary.

Rosie’s work has impacted City of Darwin libraries and the broader community, welcoming young people into the library, ensuring they know that it’s a place for them.


Darcy Sorensen - Charles Darwin University 

Academic and Research Librarian, Darcy Sorensen, is known for her signature style, creating innovative and dynamic graphics, videos and learning objects that explain information literacy concepts and present information in accessible ways for students. Darcy is friendly and approachable, making students feel at ease and helping them to learn and succeed, whatever stage they are at.

Darcy consistently suggests innovative, accessible and interactive library events and materials that extend student knowledge, promote engagement, as well as making the CDU Library a fun place to be. This makes a tangible difference to the student experience through direct engagement with the students, and liaison with academic staff to impact on teaching and learning at CDU.

Darcy is also adept at identifying gaps in the library’s services and offerings and uses her initiative to create and implement high-quality resources and services, with a creative flair.

Darcy has been a leader in the library’s response to the rise of Generative AI in the tertiary space. Darcy has taken a lead role in the promotion and delivery of generative AI training and development at CDU Library, providing instruction and resources to academic staff, and to the CDU student community.