The honour list for the School Librarian of Year was recently announced. The Award, created in 2004, aims to recognise the excellent work that is carried out in our school libraries every day:  helping students learn how to learn, enthusing children and young people about books and reading and raising achievement. It highlights and spreads best practice and innovation through celebrating those whose work is outstanding.

This year there are four exceptional school librarians on the SLA School Librarian of the Year Honour List.

• Lucy Bakewell - Hill West Primary School, Sutton Coldfield
•  Barbara Band – The Emmbrook School, Wokingham
• Lynne Varley – Sponne Community Technology College, Towcester
• Joy Wassell-Timms – Parrs Wood High School, Didsbury

What all these schools have in common is an enthusiastic, creative and talented librarian to help students and staff (and sometimes the parents too) find what they need so that they can enjoy and get more out of the learning experience whilst also encouraging a passion for reading. Their work will be celebrated at a ceremony held at London Zoo on 5th October when the SLA School Librarian of the Year 2009 will be announced.

Lucy Bakewell is the only Primary School librarian on the Honour List. She is a Teaching Assistant at Hill West Primary School where she is passionate about making the library a place children see as ‘their space.’ Lucy has made innovative use of inexpensive storage units – including a blue nylon cat sleeping bag used as a book returns unit - to enhance the pupils’ experience of coming to the bright and attractive library. All classes visit the Library once a week to change reading books and they also use the Library for information skills lessons. Classes visit Mere Green Public Library at least once every half term. As a reluctant reader herself until she was hooked-by-a-book at the age of ten, she has a unique understanding of how to engage reluctant readers. She has a great skill in finding the right book to offer to a struggling pupil. Her story sacks with the children are great fun – the Mums and Dads seem to enjoy them as much as the children. For more information about the school see: http://www.hillwest.bham.sch.uk

Barbara Band was nominated by two students at The Emmbrook School in Wokingham, a specialist school for Maths and Computing with 1200 on the roll. With her brightly coloured hair and interesting tattoos she helps dispel the myth that all librarians dress and look the same! Like the other librarians on the Honour List she has created a welcoming atmosphere in a lively library that is far from a silent shrine to education. She relies on mutual trust and respect with all users and has set minimal rules. Her energy and breath taking enthusiasm have been undeterred by lack of space and a flood that ravaged the library. She has no support staff and relies on pupil librarians to help her. Reading promotion includes Carnegie Medal shadowing, Berkshire Book Award, Summer Reading Challenge, an informal reading group for 6th form and focused library displays and author visits. She is a school governor and an active member of the School Library Association and a committee member of the London Group of the School Libraries Group. For more information about the school see: http://www.emmbrook.wokingham.sch.uk

Lynne Varley has made the library at Sponne Community Technology College in Towcester the busiest place in a bustling comprehensive school that has 200 students in each year group. Lynne has trained pupil librarians to help at the busiest periods. A whole school Information Literacy Policy initiated by Lynne, is her proudest achievement, but this is just one of a multitude of initiatives that she has put into place. Information skills are introduced in Yr7 and consistently reinforced through to Yr13. Lynne is involved in whole class teaching across a wide range of curriculum subjects, either delivering lessons herself or in partnership with subject teachers. Reading promotion is taken seriously, the school is involved with the Kids Lit Quiz and Carnegie Shadowing and a 6th former runs Book Pushers organising presentations and mentoring to year 7s. There are book groups and an annual book week with visiting authors and a writing competition. Lynne is a faculty head and her inspirational role in the school is recognised and valued by staff, pupils and parents as well as the surrounding primary schools. For more information about the school see: http://www.sponneschool.northants.sch.uk

Joy Wassell - Timms was nominated by a Year 9 student at Parrs Wood High School in Didsbury, a specialist Arts & Technology College with 2000 students a wide social catchment area, children with different ethnic backgrounds and a high percentage of children with special educational needs. The Library space was halved to accommodate PCs for two classes so it is far too small for the size of the school. Joy has coped well, using shelving bays to help with sight lines and taken advantage of the minimum light as well as forming a very small 6th form study area. There are excellent displays and the comments from the students prove that she has succeeded in making the library a place where students want to be. She has extremely successful reading groups, including a Year 9 Boysz only reading group who write drama scripts of books they read to Year 6 on their taster days. Joy is currently studying for an MA in poetry and her passion for poetry is evident in the library where she also runs a poetry group for Y9. Joy’s Head says that she is a facilitator and a motivator. Students comments included “the library is a like a family you could join” and “ Miss has opened up a whole new world for us.” See three Youtube clips of Joy, other staff and students talking about reading on www.parrswood.manchester.sch.uk