King Librarian Wins State Award
The Maine Association of School Libraries has named Kelley McDaniel, library media specialist at King Middle School, as the Walter J. Taranko Library Media Specialist of the Year. The award was presented recently at the annual Maine Libraries Conference.
McDaniel has worked at King since 1999. During that time, she has brought in $15,000 of grant money for innovative projects, created a program where more than 50 students serve as library aides and instituted an after-school library program that includes everything from cookie decorating to a Harry Potter school-wide scavenger hunt in the middle of the night.
Gretchen Asam, the association’s president, cited McDaniel’s work as chair of the organization’s Evidence-Based Grant Committee, co-chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee and a member of the Lupine Award Committee.
In her letter of nomination, Karen MacDonald, King teaching strategist, lauded McDaniel’s collaboration with teachers and her efforts to integrate information literacy into the curriculum. She noted that MacDaniel had worked to expand and improve the library’s collection and had organized special library activities to promote the use of that collection.
“I know that I am lucky - incredibly lucky - to work in a place where I am encouraged and inspired and appreciated,” McDaniel said in her acceptance speech. “Last fall, my principal came into the library to share this story: ‘One of our students was taking a group of visitors on a tour of the school and when they came to the library the student announced, ‘This is my favorite place.’ One of the visitors asked, ‘Your favorite place in the school?’ ‘No,’ the student replied, ‘my favorite place in the world.’”
The Taranko Award, presented annually by the Maine Association of School Libraries, honors school library media specialists who have made significant contributions to the library media profession at the local and/or state levels. The recipient receives a plaque and the school library media program receives a $500 donation in the name of the honoree.
