WHEN STUDENTS ARE in search of a paper or obscure article needed for their studies, teaching and learning librarian Mahasin Ameen is the one they go to. And if she can’t find it? It doesn’t exist.
At least, that’s the lore that has built around her name throughout the halls, classrooms, and bookshelves that make up the campus of IU Indianapolis.
It’s that same credibility that recently found Ameen named to the 2026 Top Ten Librarians by the American Library Association and awarded the I Love My Librarian Award.
The award, dating back to 2008, allows the public, alongside a selection committee, to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians.
“I am so incredibly honored to have been given this award,” Ameen says. “I didn’t expect to win, and when I got the phone call letting me know that I won, I was speechless. I knew I had been nominated, but I didn’t think I would win. When I got to read my nomination letters, those made me cry because they were so sweet and generous. They hammered home the impact that I’ve managed to have with my students over the course of my time here.”
The road to being one of the nation’s most revered librarians wasn’t a direct shot either. Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, Ameen experienced a small preview of what the future would hold when, as a teenager, she started working her first job as a page, someone who puts books back on the shelves at a library.
From there, however, little thought was given to a career as a librarian until 2004, when she moved to Indiana. While studying at what was IUPUI at the time, Ameen began work at the
Indianapolis Public Library as an office assistant before 2016 came, and after earning a master’s degree in library science, began working full-time as a librarian at the
Martindale-Brightwood Branch.
And with just a year under her belt at Martindale-Brightwood, she was recruited to begin work at IU Indianapolis.
“It was a life-changing experience. I had been comfortable being in a public library, but I didn’t realize how much I love academic library engagement,” she says.
After finding a home in academia, Ameen looks back on her time in the public sector with fondness.
“There’s no such thing as an academic library emergency,” Ameen says. “In the public library, there’s significantly more foot traffic, more emergencies, you have little kids around, and always some kind of chaos. I loved it. I miss the story time for kids, but I also like the interaction I get with academia. Being able to see my students progress from not knowing how to do research to fully understanding how to use databases and get the results they’re looking for in the first search is very rewarding.”
From the outside looking in, Ameen says many people in the general public assume that being a librarian involves plenty of leisure time reading. However, the vast amount of responsibilities illustrate it is anything but that. Instead, Ameen continues to solidify what has paved the way for her recent recognition.
Currently operating as a liaison to the School of Social Work and the School of Informatics and Computing, Ameen’s responsibilities at IU Indianapolis vary to many degrees, including research regarding the opioid crisis and its impact on public libraries, LGBTQIA+ representation in literature, and diversity, equity, and inclusion for all types of marginalized voices.
But while her mantel has a new piece of hardware added to it, the real successes of Ameen’s work come in the little moments peppered throughout her week.
“For me, success looks like students reaching out and asking me for help,” she says. “I really appreciate it when students email me and ask about stuff. We do our in-person, 45-minute, instructional session where I’m speed running them through how to use a database, but when I get that follow-up email where they’ve set an appointment or ask for more assistance, that’s what makes a really good day.”
