Northern Lights Library Network

Life Achievement Award

Charlie Lindberg and Lina Belar

The Life Achievement Award from Northern Lights Library Network (NLLN) signifies a contribution to citizens in the NLLN region for a librarian who has given extraordinary service throughout a career. The award is given once a year or less, upon the recommendation of the Executive Director or member of the NLLN Governing Board. This year, the award goes to Charlie Lindberg and Lina Belar.

Charlie Lindberg

Charlie (Linda) Lindberg grew up in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, excelling at violin in the area youth orchestra. After graduating from high school, she attended Gustavas Adolphus College where she met the love of her life, Bill Lindberg. They both taught in suburban schools until moving to Bill’s family farm in Kennedy, Minnesota, in 1973. At that time, Charlie went to work to open the Hallock Public Library, which she supports to this day through board membership and the Library Friends, which over the years has raised funds to support the library well.

While raising her two sons, Charlie completed her Library Media Master’s degree from St. Cloud State University. She served as teacher and media specialist with Kittson Central School District for most of her career. At Kittson Central, Charlie began a STEM group and facilitated ongoing robotics training. She built a beautiful new library at Kittson Central and developed a refined collection that circulated frequently. An avid reader, Charlie was adept at advising her students in their reading choices.

Charlie was instrumental in bringing the NorthStar Library Consortium into existence at a time when school libraries needed online library catalogs. As a part of a Northern Lights Library Network (NLLN) team, Charlie visited libraries throughout the state to bring school library catalogs online. Today, over 100 rural libraries in the state belong to the NorthStar Library Consortium.

In addition to serving on the Hallock Library Board, Charlie served on the Northwest Regional Library Board (NWRL) and the NLLN Governing Board, often serving as an officer. Charlie’s thoughtful insights resulted in solid, valuable decision-making for libraries throughout the Northern Lights Library Network Region.

From 1973 to the present, Charlie has been a valued member of the library community in Minnesota. Her contributions to citizens in the region through library service are greatly appreciated, and recognition for this work is well-deserved.

Lina Belar

Lina Belar has served the Northern Lights Library Network (NLLN) region and the State of Minnesota for over fifty years. Early on, she was responsible for starting the In Their Own Words (ITOW) Museum in Perham, as well as the History Museum of East Otter Tail County. Lina also served as Executive Director of the Wadena County Historical Society. All three museums became special members of Northern Lights Library Network. Lina received her education at Columbia University.

The In Their Own Words Museum documents the oral histories of America’s veterans and provides a visual experience of wartime life. For instance, there is a WWI bunker that is true-to-life duplication of American soldiers’ combat experience in France. Lina was responsible for bringing the full electronic and physical reality of the museum to fruition, often contributing her own resources to make the museum a reality.

Lina is a distinguished poet, having published several books, including At the Crossroads and Rural Score. Her new book in press is Rift in the Universe. During the COVID pandemic, Lina facilitated the publication of poetry collections from Minnesota poets, Poems of Hope and Reassurance and More Poems of Hope and Reassurance. Her poems were translated in Slovenian and celebrated in a ceremony at the Triglav National Park, hosted by the government.
Lina has also published many articles in regional newspapers and contributed articles to the Minnesota Historical Society, including Little Round Hill Trading Site; Cadotte Trading Post; Joseph Reaume’s Trading Post.

In 1999, Lina received Perham Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award and in 2000, the Minnesota Library Association’s Distinguished Achievement Category II Award. Belar serves as Honorary Chair of the Heartland Symphony Orchestra. For many years, Lina served on the board of Northern Lights Library Network, representing Special Libraries in the region. She has always been kind-hearted and brilliant in her willingness to share ideas that bring humanity to our collective lived experience. Lina is deserving of this recognition for her outstanding work preserving Minnesota collections.

All Are Welcome! Big Issues Summit
To register: https://www.mnlibraryassociation.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2061260&group=

Please join librarians and library staff from around the state for the Big Issues Summit from 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on June 22nd at the Brookdale Library. NLLN can sponsor librarians and library staff from the NLLN region who would like to attend with mileage and lodging. See:https://nlln.org/pdfs/NLLN-Scholarship-Application.pdf

This unconference is free and open to all.

From the Minnesota Library Association (MLA):

"This highly collaborative session invites participants to help shape the conversations, identify emerging challenges, and surface opportunities for statewide action. The Summit is intended as a starting point for conversation—a space to surface ideas, share perspectives, and explore possibilities together. We don't expect to solve every issue in one session. However, topics that show broad agreement and strong statewide relevance may help shape MLA's potential legislative priorities for the 2027 session."

Librarians work closely with Minnesotans and hear about needs and issues that affect us, regularly. Please join the conversation and bring to light the conversations you are having at the local level.

To register: https://www.mnlibraryassociation.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2061260&group=

Minnesota Library Association Join library leaders, workers, and advocates from across Minnesota for an unconference‑style summit focused on the biggest issues facing our libraries and communities.