05/01/2026
Congrats to Eli Madrigal, recipient of the Dorothy “Liz” Haynes Emerging Leaders Award for the School of Library and Information Science! 🎉👏🦅
Eli grew up in Gresham, Ore., and now lives in Kelso, Wash. From an early age, Eli has been obsessed with horror and thriller books, video games, movies and TV shows. To him, the thrill of the suspense and chaos that a good scary book offers is unmatched. Lucky for him, a volunteer position at his local library in 2023 turned into a part-time job, so Eli’s passion for the power of literature has moved from a hobby to a rewarding career.
He has adored the chance to make an impact in his small community through the Kelso Public Library. Eli loves getting to meet and serve amazing patrons every day, and he’s currently working toward earning a bachelor's degree in library science from Southern Miss to become a certified librarian and hopefully work full-time at his favorite place.
Eli has successfully put on teen events for their library and is looking forward to a wonderful summer of programming they will roll out soon. Getting to attend outreach events and promote their library in the community has been so much fun. Eli says it’s a lot of work, but rewarding to connect the public with impactful literature, resources and more.
After completing his BLIS, Eli aspires to earn a master’s degree in library and information science as well. Working at a public library has been so fulfilling that Eli can’t imagine doing anything else.
