Award Winners 2026
Anne Galler Award Winner: Janine West
Janine West is a library professional who has spent her entire career at the Côte Saint-Luc Public Library. She earned a degree in Library and Information Studies from McGill University in 1983, beginning her work at the library in 1982 as a reference librarian.
Over the years, she held a series of progressively senior roles, including responsibility for the Audiovisual Department and later Technical Services—subsequently known as Collections Services—where she played a key role in modernizing operations, including the library’s automation in 2000. Since 2011, she has served as Director of the Côte Saint-Luc Public Library. She was also President of the Quebec Library Association (ABQLA) from 2007 to 2008.
Anne Hébert Bursary Winner: Jacinthe Paillé
Jacinthe Paillé has worked in the field of education since the beginning of her career and has held several roles: English as a Second Language teacher, sales consultant, author of a teaching manual (Compass 1 by Oxford University Press), and more. In the fall of 2024, she began a master’s degree in information science at Université de Montréal to become a librarian, and will graduate in August 2026 after completing an internship in Strasbourg, France. As an avid reader and book lover, she is the steward of several little free libraries, has a podcast, and co-founded a literary festival for crime, mystery and suspense fiction, the Montréal Mystère/Montréal Mystery festival. Jacinthe is very enthusiastic about leveraging her personal and professional experience in the field of library science to continue sharing her love of books and reading.
Professional Development Bursary Winner: Hind Obad Fathallah
Hind Obad Fathallah recently graduated from University of Montreal's librarianship and information science school, after starting her career in community organizations. She conducted research on the links and tensions between intellectual freedom and social justice in public libraries. She recently worked on a project on social intervention in public libraries at the Quebec Public Libraries Association, and is now a librarian for Montreal libraries. She has a particular interest in the social and political role of libraries.
Student Bursary Winner: Sofia Gay
Sofia Gay is a graduate student in McGill University’s MISt program and a volunteer at the Atwater Library and Computer Centre since 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and prior to beginning her studies at McGill, worked as an administrator and ESL teacher. Originally from Buenos Aires, she is passionate about serving diverse populations.