Librarians in our nation’s 122,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of people every day. If a local librarian has made a difference in your life, now is the chance to tell your story.

Nominations are open through Sept. 12 for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. The award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.

Nominations are accepted only at www.atyourlibrary.org/ilovemylibrarian through an online form.

Up to 10 librarians nationwide will be selected to win $5,000 and will be honored at a ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times. Winners will be announced in December.

Over the past three years, 30 librarians from across the country have won the I Love My Librarian Award. Last year, more than 2,000 library users nationwide nominated a librarian. Previous winners have been lauded for starting community gardens, helping students with severe disabilities read classic works of literature, for helping non-traditional students learn new technology to get better jobs and more.

The award is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times and administered by the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world, and The Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign about the value of libraries and librarians.