Announcing the Maryland School Librarian of the Year Nominees
Ocean City, MD (March 8, 2020) - Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) is pleased to announce the 21 nominees for the 2020 Maryland School Librarian of the Year award which honors a school librarian for exemplary service and outstanding achievements in the field of school library media. Of these nominees, 11 have been chosen to submit artifacts for round 2 scoring. The recipient of the award will be announced at the Maryland School Librarian of the Year Award Breakfast which is held in conjunction with Common Ground Conference in Ocean City, Maryland (May 1, 2020).
To be considered for this award, nominees met the basic eligibility requirements, including being a current member of MASL, a Certified School Librarian, actively serving as a school librarian in a public, private, or independent school in Maryland that serves any students in grades PreK-12, and serving in the same role/position for three or more years.
The selection committee is comprised of library leaders from around the country. The selection committee will evaluate the nominees based on the extent to which they exemplify the five roles (administrator, leader, information specialist, teacher, and instructional partner) of a school librarian as set forth in AASL’s National School Library Standards. Finalists for the award will be announced at the end of March.
The recipient of the 2020 Maryland School Librarian of the Year award will receive a variety of prizes, including complimentary registration to both MASL’s 2020 Conference and to Common Ground 2021. The recipient will also receive a Maryland themed gift basket donated by Taylor Book Group, a $200 worth of Capstone Books donated by Jim Demos and Capstone Books, $300 donated by Mackin, and $1,500 worth of books donated by Follett to spend ing Titlewave. Finalists will receive plaques, and a gift card donated by Scott Loomis from Tech4Learning, and a basket of books from the Maryland Black-eyed Susan Award Committee. The recipient of the School Librarian of the Year will also receive a trophy.
Nominees for the 2020 Maryland School Librarian of the Year (Nominees who were invited to submit artifacts for round 2 are indicated by bold italics*):
- Brandi Baril
- *Jennifer Beach
- *Jennifer Berg Gaither
- *Marcia Buckley
- Patricia Cole
- *Linda DiCola
- *Danielle DuPuis
- Priscilla Dyson
- *Marianne Fitzgerald
- Casey Grenier
- Jennifer Hamilton
- *Donna Mignardi
- Courtnay Moore
- Amanda O'Neill
- *Mary Owen
- Mindy Paglierani
- Jennifer Siderius
- *Carol Thornton
- *April Wathen
- Paula Wichmann
- *Marcus Zumwalt
More information is available on the Maryland Association of School Librarians website (www.maslmd.org).
MASL engages the school library community by providing opportunities for growth, leadership, innovation, and advocacy. MASL values: and research supports, the importance of a full-time, certificated school librarian administering an adequately funded, effective school library program; equitable access to a diverse collection of high-quality resources in a variety of formats; the freedom to read self-selected materials; diversity within the school library community; the membership of all staff functioning in school libraries, as well as others interested in excellence in school librarianship.
Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) www.maslmd.org
Jennifer Sturge, MASL Awards Committee Chair & President-Elect
Brittany Tignor, MASL Past-President
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