Kelly LaRocca Honored as Library Director of the Year at State Conference
Kelly LaRocca, Director of St. Tammany Parish Library, was awarded Library Director of the Year — a statewide honor — at the recent 2022 Louisiana Library Association (LLA) conference held in early July. The purpose of the award is to recognize the outstanding contribution of a current Library Director in Louisiana.
“I am thankful for this recognition. It is especially gratifying knowing that this nomination came from peers within the Library community,” Kelly said. “Libraries are here to serve our communities at all times — including times of difficulty — and I am proud of the way our staff works together to adhere to this mission. I am grateful to lead this team.”
Kelly LaRocca has worked for the St. Tammany Parish Library for seventeen years. She was named Interim Director in 2018, and selected Director in 2019 after a nationwide search. She has served as reference librarian, branch manager, and assistant director.
Nominations are anonymous, and can come from members of the Library community. At least one nomination must come from an LLA member. Here are a few excerpts from Kelly’s nomination:
“Kelly LaRocca has a record of proven leadership. Kelly always puts both staff and patrons’ needs at the forefront of her decision making.”
“Kelly has demonstrated her commitment to library leadership by earning the Certificate of Public Library Administration. Her door is truly always open to any staff member.”
The committee comments were: "Kelly is a dedicated leader for St. Tammany. She took it upon herself to become a better librarian by becoming certified in public administration and maintains her state certification for library directors."
Kelly leads a team of 160 employees at 12 branch locations throughout St. Tammany.
