Shameless begging

OK, so I'm going to be a little shameless and beg for your vote. This award is administered by the ALA and supported by The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the New York Times and will award $5,000 to ten librarians. Wow! I mean WOW! That's huge, really, really, huge.

So I ask...please nominate me. The money would be such an added bonus to my school library. I know...this is supposed to be a personal accomplishment. But how could it be when winning the award would be dependent on how I impact my school staff and students? After all, wouldn't a wonderful impact be the updating of the reference section? Or perhaps a major acquisition of Spanish titles? Oh, oh, what about adding a graphic novel section to entice those reluctant readers? Or even better yet, the creation of a Parent/Child Take Home reading section?

I know, I know, no one wants to hear how small my budget is. After all, I know of libraries that are considerably worse off when it comes to money. But this is about me. Well, not really me, but my library. So here's a bit of information to help you complete your form and send in that nomination.

This is my seventh year in the library of Mark Twain School in Wheeling Illinois. We are a PK-5 Title I school with a predominate Spanish speaking population. In addition to serving as librarian I also organize many family learning events, student clubs, and an after school program.

Our extremely popular Family Field Trips are held throughout the year with our premier event held annually on Columbus Day. Each year we visit a major downtown museums and other local venues, bringing over 300 parents and children together in fun cultural activities. In collaboration with my local public library we were able to facilitate the creation and growth of Family Reading Nights throughout their patron area. When we are not traveling to the library to enjoy their program we are hosting our own. One of the biggest impacts on our families are our Family Learning nights which brings parents and students back to school for evenings of learning and fun.

In addition to our family events we also provide noon and after school activities for our students to expand their interests. One of our most popular has been our knitting club, their joy upon completing their first scarf is one of the most heart warming experiences. All the staff involved donated their time and talents. I even got my left-handed mom to visit and help out.

I hold a BA in Elementary Education from Elmhurst College, a Master's in Informational Science and Learning Technology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. In addition to promoting reading and learning at school I am also becoming increasingly active in my state library association, serving on our new book award committee.

So...now that you have the facts. I'll beg one last time. Please, please, please...nominate me for this award so that I can in turn create something new and wonderful for my students, staff, and parents.

Thoughts?