Mary Stanton
HPL

Mary has taken her entertaining and educational scientific spectacles to children at all of the library’s branches.

As a juvenile specialist for the library system, Mary Stanton selects and orders children’s books in several languages. She trains and supervises children’s librarians, visits all branches to see what their collections lack, and responds to customer suggestions for a new title whenever possible.

The creativity Ms. Stanton developed as an elementary school librarian enables her to use some amazing props to teach kids. With her expertise in science, she can show them “dancing raisins” and other attractions that make the little ones “ooooh” and “aaaah.” She has taken her entertaining and educational scientific spectacles to children at all of the library’s branches.

In the field of library and information sciences, Ms. Stanton is a giant. She was Houston Public Library’s 1992 outstanding employee of the year and is a mentor in the ASPIRE after-school program. Noted author Janice Van Cleave used Ms. Stanton’s science experiments and background materials in the book “Science Extravaganzas!”

Ms. Stanton recruited a small army of volunteers for the Wrap-a-Smile project. Through their sewing and donations of supplies and money, they created 34 quilts to comfort children who undergo cleft-palate surgery. These blankets are distributed in hospitals where patients are typically wrapped in garbage bags or plastic sheets. The soft blankets Ms. Stanton and her group created make kids throughout the world smile.

She also has worked on the Harriet Dickson Reynolds’ “In Celebration of the Child” committee, joining authors, musicians, puppeteers and child development experts in serving elementary students and preschoolers all over southeast Texas.

Because of her, Houston, its children and other librarians are simply smarter. Children come out of surgery warmed and comforted. And we proudly present Mary Stanton with the Bravo Award.