Celebrating 2026 Ruth Palmer Award Winner Ann Fitch

The Ruth Palmer Award is given annually by the Ramsey County Library Friends to honor those, like Ruth Palmer, who have had a lasting, transformative effect on the Friends and the Library. Ruth Palmer was the first librarian at Ramsey County Library before she even had a real library to work with…just a book mobile. We’re thrilled to share that Ann Fitch is this year’s awardee.

Ann Fitch was a librarian for Ramsey County Library from 1972 to 1995, and she was active with the Ramsey County Library Friends both during and after her time as a librarian. She maintained a Friends membership, attended the Annual Luncheons throughout the 1990s and 2000s, worked for years in the Maplewood Friends Bookstore, and was on the Friends’ Board of Directors from 2007 through 2009. She also joined the Friends’ fund-raising committee for the new library in Maplewood, which opened in 2007.

Ann was always forward-looking, and unfazed by new technologies. She was the branch manager at the Maplewood library from 1972 to 1982, where she set up the library system’s first revolving rack of audiocassettes. While manager at the White Bear Lake Library from 1982 to 1987, she made periodicals accessible to patrons and added an office for reference staff. In 1990, she helped plan a new library in Shoreview, pulling together qualified staff, collecting input from the community, and introducing the use of volunteers in the library.

Ann was nominated for this award by both a former Library staff member and a former Friends board member, which we think is a testament to her work for both organizations.

Some of the words used to describe Ann include: confident, positive, loyal, committed, energetic, and open-minded. One person said at Ann’s 1995 retirement party that she was “… so easy to work with, she never had a cross word to say about anyone, always tried to include everybody in decisions.”

Our nominators said that the Friends’ Mission Statement describes Ann to a T: she enriched the lives of Ramsey County Library users, co-workers, and the lucky volunteers who joined forces with her on many projects.

Thank You, Ann!

For all these reasons and more, we proudly presented Ann Fitch with the 2026 Ruth Palmer Award this month. Thank you for all your contributions, Ann!