2024 OASL Award Recipients

2024 OASL Award Recipients

Compiled by: Kate Jacobson Dutro, Editor

The 2024 OASL Awards Committee honored four outstanding educators at the Fall Conference in Portland. In a Q&A, we have a chance to celebrate our winners and learn from the best!

Full disclosure from the editor: I was honored to be nominated by my colleagues in the Reynolds School District. While I help in the award recipients recognition through the newsletter, I had no part in their choosing. 

Favorite lesson or program you do with students in the library?
I love teaching high school freshmen how to identify the motives behind different types of information. We do a four corners activity where I post four motives on bright yellow signs around the room: Inform, Influence, Entertain and Sell. Then I show different instagram graphics and article headlines one at a time and the student stand in the corner that matches that primary motive. I go around and ask students in each area to explain why they chose that motive. It's always interesting to hear the students' explanations. After going through the images and article headlines, we talk about how it isn't always easy to discern the precise motive behind a piece of information and discuss why it's important to even consider motive when looking at new information. It's an effective and engaging lesson, and it feels different every time I teach it.

How have you found success in advocating for your library?
I work hard every year to build relationships with all my administrators. I talk to them constantly about what's happening in the library, even when it isn't always positive. I keep a running document that I update weekly that lists what I've done this year. It has categories for Instruction, Circulation, Displays, Maker Stations, Collection Development, Classes using the library outside my direct instruction, and Anecdotes with quotes I heard from students about the library. Then when I bump into an administrator, I mention that "I've already taught 60 classes this year!" or "our circulation is way up this year" or "more students are using the library before school than ever before." I am honest and tell them when our circulation is dropping too and then I talk about my plan to turn it around. I am also trying to boost my use of the library instagram account this year. Once or twice a year, I create an infographic summary of key library data and photos of students using the library in different ways. I always share this infographic with my administrators as well as our top district administrators and our school board to continue raising awareness about what's happening inside our library.

Best advice you've ever received?
"Elementary school is supposed to be fun." It always helps me remember to keep things fun and light. Sing songs and read the silly books. Kids won't remember everything, but they'll remember their experience.  I was also lucky enough to hear former Congressman John Lewis speak a few times. The last time  I saw him speak,  he told the audience "Don't give up, don't give in, don't lose hope, it's all going to work out." I have found that to be useful everyday, and not just at work.

Favorite lesson or program you do with students in the library?
This is too hard to choose. Why did I give myself this question? In 2016 and this year, 2024, I did mock elections, which has been so special to me. I have a strong sense of civic duty, partially instilled in me when I voted in a mock election in elementary school myself. This year, we had an election between The Pigeon and Pete the Cat. We spent a few weeks learning about the candidates and discussing different aspects of voting and elections. The kids all voted by secret ballot, and we were able to announce at the assembly. 

My other favorite thing to do is exhibitions of student research and work. In 2020, I worked with 4th grade students to create a timeline exhibition honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. I've done Space Exploration with 5th grade and a school-wide FIFA World Cup Exhibition in 2023. The kids are always so proud of their work when they see it displayed and part of a bigger story. 

How have you found success in advocating for your library?
Work hard and be nice to my administrators. I currently don't have doors or walls, so all my classes are on display to anyone who passes by, but before, I always kept my door open so people passing by would know what was going on. I probably border on annoying in my persistence to insert myself where I can, committees at work, with grade-level lessons, wherever I think the library and my skill set can help students and teachers.

Favorite lesson or program you do with students in the library?
I would definitely have to say my AR store is my favorite program to get students motivated to read. They read a book and take a test or write a book report on it and they earn points that they can then shop in the AR Store and I also had a horse race board (like the ones at a fair) that had on the saddle the students initials and how many points they have and it was 8 horses and the top 5 at the end of the year won an ice cream party. I have had a lot of success with these fun incentives. Students batting each other to read more books to get the highest points score. Also I love the book tasting that I do with the LA classes. It’s a great way to get the students looking at and picking up books they normally wouldn't and if I have at least one student check out a book from one of the piles that wouldn’t normally checkout a book in general, it makes my heart so happy :)

How have you found success in advocating for your library?
I haven’t personally had to advocate for my libraries yet, I’ve had amazing District librarians who have strongly advocated for our libraries and have done a tremendous job. I do know that having data for how many students and why they are visiting the library has been a tremendous help in advocating that we need more funding for our libraries.