Renton Library staff on Tuesday was honored for their aid to a library patron by the National Coalition of Community-Based Correctional and Community Re-entry Service Organizations.

Kim Burkhardt, executive director of the Renton-based organization, presented the “David Award” to John Sheller, King County Library System library cluster manager, and Michele Niblock, Renton Library manager.

The Renton Library staff are the first recipients of this award, intended to recognize organizations that engage in positive interactions with the community.

A patron known to library staff as “David” is the namesake of the award and a regular visitor to the Renton Library. Burkhardt and the library staff don’t know much about “David’s” history, but Burkhardt said that he stands out.

Though it is unknown if “David” has been to prison, Burkhardt describes him as the kind of “disruptive” patron that staff could easily dismiss, but they don’t. For example, Niblock, who is very familiar with “David,” addresses him by name when she sees him.

“So I’ve sort of made sure that I’ve got to know the people who come in here on a regular basis because I think it’s important that you acknowledge them when they come in,” said Niblock. “If you know their name, that’s a great way of welcoming them and form of rapport with the patrons.”

Burkhardt created the award because “sometimes it’s hard to get people interested in going into prisons because there’s this perception that people in prison have devil’s horns growing out of their foreheads, or something like that,” she said.

She wants to recognize acts of kindness like that of the Renton library staff to say that the same type of community goodwill can be duplicated in prisons and re-entry programs.

“That’s the kind of attitude we want to recognize in the community,” Burkhardt said. “It’s a simple idea, but I think it’s an important idea.”

For more information, visit www.nc4rso.org.