One for the books
3 of 6 school libraries in state lauded as ‘exemplary’ are in Southland
The Southland is a verifiable hotbed of school library excellence.
The Association of Illinois School Library Educators this month awarded six libraries in the state the organization’s annual Exemplary Library Award during a banquet at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Southland schools made up half the field this year, with Evergreen Park Community High School, Oak Lawn Community High School and Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School all taking home the award.
“I was thrilled that we won,” said Heather McCarthy, media specialist at the middle school. “It was really nice to share with all my colleagues that everything they’re doing in their classrooms and letting me enrich upon in the media center is proving to be really amazing.”
The AISLE Exemplary Library Award recognizes libraries for epitomizing the standards set forth by Linking for Learning. The aim of the standards is to make sure school libraries are doing what is thought to be the best for students, AISLE award chairperson Peggy Burton said.
Among the requirements for consideration, school libraries must have a dedicated budget, fulltime certified school librarians, programming happening outside of the library and collaboration with teachers in the schools. Burton said there is no state law requiring certified school librarians, though one is recommended for high schools. AISLE is working to get that changed by working it into school code.
“I think this is really a crucial time for this award,” Burton said. “This award hopefully would show people around the state how important a school librarian and school library is to a school, no matter what grade it is.”
McCarthy said the middle school has focused on the learning environment, creating a climate that’s inclusive, respectful and welcoming, with a relevant book collection and equitable access to it.
“Those are the areas we pride ourselves on the most — making sure kids feel really welcome and respected here,” McCarthy said. “Equity, diversity and inclusion are really on the top of our lists of things we want to incorporate.”
That message of empathy at the middle school library helps it stand out, she said.
“We try to connect everything we’re doing to community service, inclusion or just being empathetic toward other people,” she said. “I think that’s what makes our space so special.”
Part of the joy of winning the
award for McCarthy was that it created some close connections with other librarians in the Southland. She hopes they can build on ideas together.
Tina Ward, the librarian/ media specialist at Evergreen Park Community High School for 21 years, said she appreciates being recognized for the school library, and said the award shows the importance of information literacy and adds “validity” to the role of school librarians.
“I truly cried tears of joy because I was so excited that we got it,” Ward said. “It just was a really amazing way to bring awareness to all that occurs inside school libraries. To be honored as exemplary was truly amazing.”
Libraries have evolved quite a bit in just the two decades Ward has been running one. The idea of libraries being strictly quiet places with shushing and no food allowed is long gone. School libraries such as Evergreen Park’s now offer student-run cafés, games, a safe space for children to get lost in books and events on the regular.
“It’s not the quiet place it used to be,” Ward said. “More so it’s a hub for students to come together in groups and discover themselves and the stories of books and all sorts of fun things. That’s something this award is now bringing to light.”
Ward said the high school’s library is rare in the state in that it is part of a one-building district.
A strong partnership with the Evergreen Park Public Library helps place an emphasis on reading and information literacy in the community. Information literacy has become particularly important in recent years, with the library helping to educate students about social media and how to approach information in a critical way to separate what is real and what is safe, so they can be active citizens in the community, Ward said. The ever-evolving role of librarians is a benefit, as Ward sees it.
“The transformation has been phenomenal,” she said. “That’s what keeps it fun — constantly learning, constantly evolving, constantly reworking things. That’s what makes it, in my opinion, one of the best jobs in the world.”
Eileen Wholley and Jennifer Sidlow, media specialists for Oak Lawn Community High School, both entered the profession with more of an “old-school image” of what being a librarian would be, as Wholley put it. But Sidlow said the physical space of the media center has adapted to be more collaborative. Tablets, whiteboard tables and streaming technology have become the norm and library projects extend across all departments. Wholley added that every morning, roughly 150 students are in the media center, with 30 steady book club members and five clubs that meet there. The jazz band often plays there for Free Coffee Fridays.
“I love that our space sends that message that we are a central hub, that we are the heartbeat of the school, certainly in the mornings,” Wholley said. “We meet the needs of so many different students beyond just traditional readers. It’s a place for collaboration. It’s a place for creativity.”
After 15 years for Wholley and 20 for Sidlow at Oak Lawn, both media specialists said they were honored to receive the Exemplary School Library award from AISLE.
“I like that it is a celebration of our space and a celebration of our community, affirmation of our audience and our community in the media center,” Wholley said. “We are very, very lucky to work in this space.”