Kelvin Watson, executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District (LVCCLD), recently earned the prestigious Librarian of the Year award from Library Journal. The overseer of 25 branches across 8,000 square miles, Watson is the first African American man to win the award.
In the past five years, Watson prioritized obtainability and equality of services across the library district, while also focusing on the specific needs of each library’s immediate community.
“[D]oing those things, and really communicating to the public that these services are available to them via their library card, was definitely one of the things that we were pushing [for],” Watson said.
Expanded services include eBooks, mobile hotspots, cell phones, laptops, and tablet lending, as well as tax services in partnership with different organizations, which saw funding partially through COVID-era relief offered by the government.
With tax season upon us, eight different libraries will feature tax guidance, courtesy of AARP, by appointment only.
Library Journal cited Watson’s success in securing partnerships with private and public organizations — including nearly all the major professional sports teams in Las Vegas — in expanding the library district’s reach and offerings.
Last month, Watson and the library district unveiled the new West Las Vegas Library. Modeled somewhat after the East Las Vegas Library, which opened in 2019, the Historic Westside branch offers amenities like business offices, and podcasting and makerspace studios, for library card-holders.
The West Las Vegas Library becomes a focal point for the library’s events to commemorate Black History Month, though other branches feature activities, entertainment, and exhibits, such as exploring the origins of the month-long holiday on February 18 at the Whitney Library, and a quilting event at the Spring Valley Library on February 25.
Looking towards the future, Watson seeks additional partnerships with different resources.
“The [Las Vegas Motor] Speedway, for example — really bridging the gap in what they are trying to achieve and what we're trying to achieve,” Watson said. “They want the community to really be more involved.”
Watson also announced the forthcoming launch of Starlabs — an immersive educational experience typically offered inside inflatable planetariums — for the district, as well as branching out to more area barbershops as part of the district’s work with nonprofit literacy organization Barbershop Books.
Kelvin Watson executive director, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
