Lois Petersen Becomes Life - Alaska Library Association

AkASL 2006 Awards Winners
by Janelle Maki
B E T H E L L I B R A R I A N N A M E D
SCHOOL LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR
To her students at Kilbuck Elementary
School in Bethel she is known as Mrs. Richards,
but to the Alaska Association of School
Librarians Suzanne Richards has
a new title – School Librarian of the Year for
2006. On February 25th, at the annual Alaska
Library Association Conference in Anchorage,
AK, Suzanne was recognized by her
peers and awarded a framed certificate as
well as a check for $500 sponsored by Follett
Library Resources.
Suzanne wears many hats in her school,
among them: grant writer, staff developer,
professional librarian, and reading motivator.
According to her principal, Suzanne is
an “integral part of the educational team
as demonstrated by her commitment to
the total school program by making herself
available to teachers for library support for
reports, projects, and materials.”
Suzanne has been instrumental in bringing
the Lower Kuskokwim School District
into the 21st Century. Her principal writes,
“When Suzanne first arrived five years ago,
the computer used for checking books in and
out had just crashed and burned, literally.
To keep the library open, she was forced to
keep track of borrowed books by hand, using
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pencil and paper. The books on the shelves
were outdated and inappropriate for an
elementary school. To improve the library,
Ms. Richards took the initiative and wrote a
grant not only for Kilbuck School, but for all
Bethel schools plus the public library. It was
a happy day when the grant was awarded.
We now have an appropriate shelf list and
computers to check books in & out as well as
to access other Bethel libraries.”
Suzanne has also been an incredible asset
to librarians around the state. She uses her
great networking skills to connect with other
librarians and she is currently serving as
the Western Representative for AkASL. Last
year she used money from a Book Fair to
bring Sue Sherif of the state library to Bethel
to spend a week advising and helping Bethel
librarians to make their libraries more functional.
She has recently been instrumental in
starting a Bethel chapter of AKLA and has
been elected to be the region’s first president.
Suzanne is also very active in her school and
community libraries as well as at the district
and state level. According to her colleagues
Suzanne also spends many hours of her
own time to keep her library in top working
condition. She also encourages reading with
Mary Hacker, school librarian at
Lake Hood Elementary School of Anchorage
was awarded the Alaska Association of
School Librarian’s Linda K. Barrett Service
Award for 2006. On February 25th, the
Alaska Association of School Librarians recognized
Mary Hacker for her dedication and
commitment to the development of excellence
in school libraries.
Mary has served the state-wide school library
community for the past 15 years. She
served in various AkASL e-board positions
, including president of AkASL during the
1993-1994 school year. She has been active
at the state-wide level as a grade level chair
for Battle of the Books, has been involved
in bringing children’s authors to our state
in the Authors to Alaska program, and has
recently led an “@yourlibrary” promotional
campaign within her own district.
incentive programs such as “Decorate Your
Door to Advertise Your Book”, “100 Years
of Flight”, “The Lewis and Clark Trail” and
has led several teams to the state Battle of
the Books as well as volunteered as a state
Battle moderator. She has been instrumental
in sponsoring city-wide book fairs to benefit
Bethel schools and the public library. For
all these contributions she has made for her
school, community & state library associations
the AkASL Awards selection committee
believes Suzanne Richards is truly
deserving of this prestigious award.
A N C H O R A G E SCHOOL LIBRARIAN
R E C E I V E S SERV I C E AWA R D
Mary has been a well-respected school librarian
in both the Barrow and Anchorage
educational communities. She manages an
exemplary school library program and is a
tireless champion of promoting the effective
use of information and the pure joy of reading.
Mary is often seen “in costume” in an effort
to promote children’s literature and is a
positive role model for not just her students,
but her colleagues as well. It is with great
pleasure that AkASL bestows this award
upon such an exemplary librarian.
The Alaska Association of School Librarians
salutes Mary Hacker for her service to all the
students of the Anchorage Borough School
District and school library programs across
the state.
The Puffin, Spring 2006 v25, #3