TLAM staff recognized with awards from Joint Council of Librarians of Color
Cassy Leeport and Lin Gokee were honored for their work supporting Tribal libraries statewide.
By Sophia Chen
Every four years, the Joint Council of Librarians of Color (JCLC) recognizes outstanding individuals from each National Association of Librarians of Color (NALCo) who are advancing library and information services and empowering communities.
This year, Cassy Leeport, director of the Information School’s Tribal Libraries, Archives & Museums (TLAM) program, received the JCLC 2026 Advocacy Award for her work in advancing library and information services for communities of color. Lin Gokee, TLAM’s northern outreach specialist, received the JCLC 2026 Rising Star Award, which recognizes those with under five years of experience who show outstanding potential as future leaders in the profession. Both Leeport and Gokee are members of the American Indian Library Association (AILA), one of five NALCos that comprise the JCLC.
“To have TLAM honored with both an Advocacy Award and a Rising Star Award from JCLC speaks to the strong foundation built by generations of TLAM students and iSchool staff, as well as the bright future ahead,” Leeport said. “JCLC’s recognition also affirms the deep value of culturally responsive library work, and seeing Lin recognized as a Rising Star alongside TLAM’s nearly two decades of advocacy efforts makes this moment especially meaningful.”
The awards celebrate not just our individual work, but the vital Tribal and community partnerships behind everything TLAM does.
The TLAM program, based at the iSchool, enables iSchool students to build lasting relationships with Wisconsin’s Tribal Nations by helping sustain their libraries, archives, and museums through service-learning projects and a course taught by Leeport. TLAM recently received a 2026 Reilly-Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Project Grant, providing $120,000 to support the program’s work. One of the program’s first steps with the grant was to hire a tribally affiliated outreach specialist — Gokee — who resides on Red Cliff lands in northern Wisconsin. As TLAM continues to expand its outreach and support for Tribal communities, the recognition of Leeport and Gokee highlights both their individual contributions and TLAM’s work supporting and advancing Tribal information institutions.
Congratulations to Cassy Leeport and Lin Gokee on these well-deserved honors!