Tulsa City-County Library
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The Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL) is the major
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
system in
Tulsa County, Oklahoma Tulsa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa ...
.


Overview

The library system serves those who live, work, go to school in, own land in, or pay property taxes on land in Tulsa County. There are 24 branches in the system: Bixby, Broken Arrow, Brookside, Central, Charles Page, Collinsville, Glenpool, Hardesty Regional, Herman & Kate Kaiser, Jenks, Judy Z. Kishner, Kendall-Whittier, Martin Regional, Maxwell Park, Nathan Hale, Owasso, Peggy V. Helmerich, Pratt, Rudisill Regional, Schusterman-Benson, Skiatook, South Broken Arrow, Suburban Acres, and Zarrow Regional. TCCL’s collection is composed of more than 1.7 million materials, including
books A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...
,
CDs CDS, CDs, Cds, etc. may refer to: Finance * Canadian Depository for Securities, Canadian post-trade financial services company * Certificate of deposit (CDs) * Counterfeit Deterrence System, developed by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence ...
, DVDs (in regular and
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
formats),
magazines A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
, audio books,
e-books An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...
and other formats. TCCL offers numerous services to the public including public use pcs and
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
at each library branch. The library system also has a bookmobile that delivers materials to any of the 24 branches at request. TCCL also offers homebound delivery, the Ruth G. Hardman Adult Literacy Service, meeting rooms, and reference support via
telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
,
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,
instant messaging Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of synchronous computer-mediated communication involving the immediate ( real-time) transmission of messages between two or more parties over the Internet or another computer network. Originally involv ...
,
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,
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, and
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. TCCL also maintains specialized collections in some of its library branches. The Rudisill Regional Library houses the African American Resource Center, the Zarrow Reginal Library houses the American Indian Resource Center, the Martin Regional Library houses the Hispanic Resource Center, and Hardesty Regional Library houses the Genealogy Resource Center. The Central Library also features a Maker Space with a 3-D printing station and a recording studio; a children’s area with play stations and book bins for easy access; the Digital Literacy Lab; the Learning and Creativity Center; Children’s Garden; Illūm, a micro-community hub that serves 21 flavors of lemonade and sandwiches; among other features and amenities. TCCL was named as a “5 Star Library” by the publication “Library Journal” in their “2009 Index of Public Library Service.” The Library was once again named a "5 Star Library" in 2022.


History

Public library service began in
Tulsa County Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...
in the early 1900s. The first library was located in the basement of the Tulsa County courthouse. A Carnegie Library Grant for $12,500 was issued in 1904. The grant was raised to $42,500 in 1913 and to $55,000 in 1915. The original Carnegie Library in downtown Tulsa was demolished in 1965. It wasn’t until the 1960s that what is today known as Tulsa City-County Library was born when, on November 14, 1961, an election was held in
Tulsa County Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...
to approve “the expenditure of $3.8 million to construct a new Central Library and three branches, plus a 1.9-mill annual levy for funding the system.” Tulsa voters approved “a countywide system to consolidate metropolitan and suburban libraries the following fiscal year” hompson, 115 The Tulsa City-County Library Commission “officially assumed control of the Library System on July 1, 1962, when the 1.9-mill levy went into effect” hompson, 119 “To be absorbed into the consolidated system were the Broken Arrow Library, founded by the Self Culture Club in 1906 but operated by the city since 1929; the Collinsville Library, created by the Comedy of Errors Club in 1913 and converted into a Carnegie library in 1917; a library in Skiatook opened with WPA funds and operated by the City of Skiatook; and Page Memorial Library of Sand Springs” hompson, 121 By 1963, there were 16 libraries operating within the system hompson, 125 In 1975-76, four new libraries were opened while a fifth was completed: The North Regional Library, the Jenks Library, the Pratt Library, the Skiatook Library, and the Martin Regional Library hompson, 154-155 On August 22, 1978, voters approved State Question 507 to enable an increase in the mill levy hompson, 157 A bond passed on May 12, 1998, that allowed TCCL to expand 11 library branches, replace two, and renovate another eight. Today the system consists of a Central Library, four regional libraries, 19 branches, a genealogy center, a bookmobile and homebound delivery service, and a services center. Mildred Ladner Thompson, a writer and
columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...
for the ''
Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily newspaper. It serves the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the sta ...
'', authored a history of the public library, "Tulsa City-County Library: 1912-1991," released in 1991. In 2014, TCCL began publishing the Tulsa Book Review, an monthly publication distributed around the city and through the branch libraries. Tulsa Book Review is licensed from City Book Review. The Central Library of the Tulsa City-County Library became one of six libraries in North America to be honored with the 2019 New Landmark Library designation from
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
. John Wooley, a writer and retired columnist for the ''
Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily newspaper. It serves the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the sta ...
'', authored an updated history of the public library, "Tulsa City-County Library: 1992-2021: A Legacy of Innovation, Integration, Inspiration," released in 2023. , url=http://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/new-book-on-tulsa-library-chronicles-decades-of-innovations-challenges/article_1cb682b2-9383-11ee-959a-b7f00e6b5b21.html , work=
Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is an American daily newspaper. It serves the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the sta ...


Literary awards

The Tulsa Library Trust, a privately funded public foundation, supports the Tulsa City-County Library. Among other activities, it gives out multiple
literary awards A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded Literature, literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author. Organizations Most literary awards come with a corresponding award c ...
.


Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award

The Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award has been awarded since 1985 to an "internationally acclaimed" author who has "written a distinguished body of work and made a major contribution to the field of literature and letters." The Helmerich Award consists of a US$40,000 cash prize and an engraved crystal book. Past winners of the award are: *2024 H.W. Brands *2023 Amor Towles *2022
Ann Patchett Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto (novel), Bel Canto''. Patchett's othe ...
*2021 ''Not awarded'' *2020
Marilynne Robinson Marilynne Summers Robinson (born November 26, 1943) is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and th ...
*2019
Stacy Schiff Stacy Madeleine Schiff (born October 26, 1961) is an American essayist. Her biography of Véra Nabokov won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in biography. Schiff has also written biographies of French aviator and author of '' The Little Prince'', Antoine ...
*2018
Hilary Mantel Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, ''Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was releas ...
*2017
Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story author, and writer of a series of novels featuring the character Frank Bascombe. Ford's first collection of short stories, ''Rock Springs (short stories), Rock Springs ...
*2016 Billy Collins *2015 Rick Atkinson *2014
Ann Patchett Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto (novel), Bel Canto''. Patchett's othe ...
*2013
Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-born English novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. He is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary fiction authors writing in English, having been awarded several major literary prizes, including the 2 ...
*2012
Wendell Berry Wendell Erdman Berry (born August 5, 1934) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. Closely identified with rural Kentucky, Berry developed many of his agrarian themes in the early essays o ...
*2011 Alan Furst *2010
Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...
*2009 Geraldine Brooks *2008
Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...
*2007
Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his historical fiction novel ''Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler' ...
*2006 Mark Helprin *2005
John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...
*2004
David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United S ...
*2003
Shelby Foote Shelby Dade Foote Jr. (November 17, 1916 – June 27, 2005) was an American writer, historian and journalist. Although he primarily viewed himself as a novelist, he is now best known for his authorship of ''The Civil War: A Narrative'', a three- ...
*2002
Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels ''Black ...
*2001 William Kennedy *2000
William Manchester William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the ...
*1999
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...
*1998 E. L. Doctorow *1997
John Hope Franklin John Hope Franklin (January 2, 1915 – March 25, 2009) was an American historian of the United States and former president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, the American Studies ...
*1996
Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...
*1995
David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United S ...
*1994
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...
*1993
Peter Matthiessen Peter Matthiessen (May 22, 1927 – April 5, 2014) was an American novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer, zen teacher and onetime CIA agent. A co-founder of the literary magazine ''The Paris Review'', he is the only writer to have won the Nat ...
*1992
Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...
*1991
Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty (April 13, 1909 – July 23, 2001) was an American short-story writer, novelist and photographer who wrote about the American South. Her novel '' The Optimist's Daughter'' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerou ...
*1990
John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...
*1989
Saul Bellow Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; June 10, 1915April 5, 2005) was a Canadian-American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the 1976 Nobel Prize in Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only write ...
*1988
Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...
*1987
John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...
*1986
Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.
*1985
Norman Cousins Norman Cousins (June 24, 1915 – November 30, 1990) was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace through world state advocate. Early life Cousins was born to Jewish immigrant parents Samuel Cousins and Sarah Babush ...


Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature

The Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature has been awarded since 1991 to "nationally acclaimed authors who have made a significant contribution to the field of literature for children and young adults." The award consists of a US$7,500 cash prize and an engraved crystal book. Winners of the award are: *2024
Raina Telgemeier Raina Telgemeier (; born May 26, 1977) is an American cartoonist. Her works include the autobiographical webcomic ''Smile (comic book), Smile'', which was published as a full-color middle grade graphic novel in February 2010, and the follow-up S ...
*2023 Steve Sheinkin *2022 Nikki Grimes *2021 Jason Reynolds *2020
Katherine Applegate Katherine Alice Applegate (born October 9, 1956), known professionally as K. A. Applegate, is an American young adult and children's fiction writer, best known as the author of the ''Animorphs'', '' Remnants'', and '' Everworld'' book series. S ...
*2019 Rita Williams-Garcia *2018
Pam Muñoz Ryan Pam Muñoz Ryan (born December 25, 1951) is an American writer for children and young adults, particularly in the multicultural genre. Biography Muñoz Ryan was born in Bakersfield, California. She is half Mexican with Basque, Italian, and Okla ...
*2017
Laurie Halse Anderson Laurie Halse Anderson (born Laurie Beth Halse; October 23, 1961) is an American writer, known for children's and young adult novels. She received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2010 for her contributio ...
*2016 Gordon Korman *2015 Sharon Draper *2014
Jack Gantos Jack Gantos (born July 2, 1951) is an American author of children's books. He is best known for the fictional characters Rotten Ralph and Joey Pigza. Rotten Ralph is a cat who stars in twenty picture books written by Gantos and illustrated by ...
*2013 Jim Murphy *2012 Jacqueline Woodson *2011 Kathryn Lasky *2010
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (born January 4, 1933) is an American writer best known for children's and young adult fiction. Naylor is best known for her children's-novel quartet '' Shiloh'' (a 1992 Newbery Medal winner) and for her "Alice" book ser ...
*2009 Christopher Paul Curtis *2008
Louis Sachar Louis Sachar ( ; born March 20, 1954) is an American young-adult mystery-comedy author. He is best known for the ''Wayside School (book series), Wayside School'' series and the novel ''Holes (novel), Holes''. ''Holes'' won the 1998 U.S. Nationa ...
*2007 Kate DiCamillo *2006
Sharon Creech Sharon Creech (born July 29, 1945) is an American writer of children's novels. She was the first American winner of the Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal for British children's books and the first person to win both the American ...
*2005 Avi *2004
Susan Cooper Susan Mary Cooper (born 23 May 1935) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for '' The Dark Is Rising'', a contemporary fantasy series set in England and Wales, which incorporates British mythology such as the Arthurian ...
*2003 Russell Freedman *2002 Richard Peck *2001 E.L. Konigsburg *2000 Jerry Spinelli *1999
Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 400 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...
*1998 Cynthia Voigt *1997
Gary Paulsen Gary James Paulsen (May 17, 1939 – October 13, 2021) was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming of age, coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote mor ...
*1996
Walter Dean Myers Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem, New York City ...
*1995 ''not awarded'' *1994
Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; born March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of many books for children and young adults, including '' The Giver Quartet'', '' Number the Stars'', the Anastasia series, and '' Rabble Starkey''. ...
*1993
Katherine Paterson Katherine Paterson (née Womeldorf; born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for Children's literature, children's novels, including ''Bridge to Terabithia (novel), Bridge to Terabithia'' (1977), which won the Newbery Medal in 197 ...
*1992 Madeleine L’Engle *1991 S.E. Hinton


American Indian Festival of Words Writers Award

Inaugurated in 2001, the American Indian Festival of Words Writers Award recognizes literary contributions of outstanding American Indian authors. It is the first and only award given by a public library to honor an American Indian author. The award is given by the Tulsa Library Trust and Tulsa Library's American Indian Resource Center in odd-numbered years. Recipients receive a US$5,000 cash prize and an engraved crystal. Winners of the award are: *2025 Brandon Hobson *2023 Stephen Graham Jones *2021 Tommy Orange *2019 Laura Tohe *2017 Tim Tingle *2015 Joseph Bruchac *2013
Sterlin Harjo Sterlin Harjo (born November 14, 1979)Sam Lewin, , ''Native Times News'', reprinted in ''Canku Ota'', May 24, 2004 (article gives his age as 24 in 2004). is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American filmmaker from Oklahoma. He is ...
*2011 LeAnne Howe *2009 ''not awarded'' *2007 Carter Revard *2005
Leslie Marmon Silko Leslie Marmon Silko (born Leslie Marmon; born March 5, 1948) is an American writer. A woman of Laguna Pueblo descent, she is one of the key figures in the First Wave of what literary critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renais ...
*2003 Vine Deloria, Jr. *2001 Joy Harjo


American Indian Circle of Honor Award

Inaugurated in 2004, the American Indian Circle of Honor Award honors an American Indian for his/her achievements and contributions that have enriched the lives of others. Induction into the Circle of Honor is a celebration of the honoree’s actions in the face of adversity, commitment to the preservation of American Indian culture and legacy for future generations. The award is given by the Tulsa Library Trust and Tulsa Library's American Indian Resource Center in even-numbered years. Recipients receive a US$5,000 cash prize and specially designed trophy. Past winners of the award are: *2024 John Herrington *2022 Archie Mason *2020 Walter Echo-Hawk *2018 Henrietta Mann *2016 Sam Proctor *2014 Ruthe Blalock Jones *2012 Kirke Kickingbird *2010
Billy Mills William Mervin Mills (born June 30, 1938), also known by his Oglala Lakota name Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla, is an American Oglala Lakota former track and field athlete who won a gold medal in the 10,000 metre run (6.2 mi) at the 1964 Tokyo O ...
*2008 Neal McCaleb *2006
Wilma Mankiller Wilma Pearl Mankiller (; November 18, 1945April 6, 2010) was a Native American activist, social worker, community developer and the first woman elected to serve as Tribal chief, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Born in Tahlequah, Oklaho ...
*2004 Charles Chibitty


Sankofa Freedom Award

The Sankofa Freedom Award is presented by the Tulsa Library Trust and Tulsa Library's African-American Resource Center. Sankofa is a word from the
Akan language Akan (), or Twi-Fante, is the most populous language of Ghana, and the principal native language of the Akan people, spoken over much of the southern half of Ghana. About 80% of Ghana's population speak Akan as a first or second language, and ...
, which is spoken in southern
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. Literally translated, sankofa means: “We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today.” The Sankofa Freedom Award consists of a US$7,000 cash prize and an engraved medallion. It is awarded in even-numbered years (usually in February during Black History Month) to a nationally acclaimed individual who has dedicated his or her life to educating improving the greater African-American community."Acclaimed Author & Actor to Receive Tulsa City-County Library's Sankofa Freedom Award"
, ''TCCL News & Events'', August 4, 2011.
Past winners of the award are: *2024 Terry McMillan *2022
Walter Mosley Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private in ...
*2020 Anita Hill *2018 Iyanla Vanzant *2016
Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley (; born September 13, 1964) is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, he worked durin ...
*2014
Susan L. Taylor Susan L. Taylor (born January 23, 1946) is an American editor, writer, and journalist. She served as editor-in-chief of ''Essence'' from 1981 through 2000. In 1994, ''American Libraries'' referred to Taylor as "the most influential black woman i ...
"Author, Community Activist Accepts Tulsa Freedom Award"
KWTV-DT, February 8, 2014.
*2012
Hill Harper Frank Eugene "Hill" Harper (born May 17, 1966) is an American actor and political candidate, who is known for his roles as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in '' CSI: NY'', Agent Spelman Boyle in '' Limitless'', and Dr. Marcus Andrews in '' The Good Doctor'' ...
*2010
Pearl Cleage Pearl Cleage ( ; born December 7, 1948) is an African-American playwright, essayist, novelist, poet and political activist.Spratling, Cassandra. "Pearl Cleage's Storied Life Cover Story." Detroit Free Press, Feb 21, 2010. ProQuest. Originally pu ...
*2008
Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024) was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. One of the world's best-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recor ...
*2006
Michael Eric Dyson Michael Eric Dyson (born October 23, 1958) is an American academic, author, Baptist minister, and radio host. He is a professor in the College of Arts and Science and in the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Described by Michael A. Fletche ...


References


Further reading

*


External links


Tulsa City-County LibraryArticles & databasesAskUs!Books & ReadingCatalogEvent Guide
*Tulsa Library Trus
official website
*Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Awar
official website
* Thompson, Mildred Ladner
"Tulsa City-County Library: 1912-1991."
Tulsa: Lion & Thorne Publishing, Ltd. {{Authority control Libraries in Oklahoma Education in Tulsa County, Oklahoma 1961 establishments in Oklahoma