Pilar Martinez, CEO, Edmonton Public Library, is the recipient of The Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. Pilar has led transformative services to help build a thriving and engaged city and is a champion of the value of public libraries.
She has been a steadfast champion of the value of public libraries and intellectual freedom through her leadership of provincial, national, and international library boards and initiatives for which she has received numerous honours. Her commitment to customer service excellence and community-led service has resulted in ground-breaking initiatives. This includes the Makerspaces, Outreach Workers, our Elder in Residence, and the Milner Library revitalization project which houses many library firsts, including the two-story interactive digital wall, The Kitchen and PÎYÊSÎW WÂSKÂHIKAN. She had led numerous provincial, national and international initiatives including ME Libraries, a provincial library sharing initiative enabling Albertans to borrow from any library across the province, and a North American wide campaign to raise awareness of the challenges to accessing public library digital resources.
Before her death on September 8, 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary of her accession to the Throne. She was Canada’s longest reigning Sovereign and the first to have a platinum jubilee. In honour of this historic milestone, the Government of Canada produced a limited-edition commemorative pin to be awarded as a certificate of recognition to exceptional community leaders.