Top Ten New Librarians revealed 6 Nov 07
The winners of our search for ten inspiring individuals who are transforming public libraries with their fresh ideas
Love Libraries is delighted to reveal the winners of our ‘Top Ten New Librarians’ competition!
Launched in June this year, the competition aimed to find and celebrate ten librarians who have worked in public libraries for less than three years and are transforming the service with their creativity, commitment and enthusiasm.
John Dolan, Head of Library Policy, MLA said “The ten winners are doing so much for the public library service and library users. One of the winners wanted a job that is ‘challenging’ and ‘bustling with variety’. The top ten are making library work exciting with their innovative ideas and huge commitment. Libraries play an important role in enhancing people’s lives and the outstanding entries we received is testament to the work librarians are doing to improve services in response to community needs.“
The competition was judged by last year’s winning ‘Top Ten Young Librarians of the Future’ who were looking for entries that challenged outdated perceptions of librarianship as a “stamping books” and “tidying shelves” career, and negative views of librarians as “quiet” and “boring” ¹.
The winners include: Emma Sherriff, who is singing her way to success by hosting karaoke sessions to capture the interests of young people and demonstrate how the library can be a fun place to be; Sam Davies, who has rocked the library by staging a live gig for five bands and hosting an open mic session; and Elizabeth McDonald, who is casting a reading spell over families with weird and wacky wizardry events, including a midnight Harry Potter party for families with games, magic tricks and fancy dress.
The Top Ten New Librarians are:
* Bernadette Brewster, 55, Youth Librarian, London Borough of Haringey Library Service, Length of Service: Under two years
* Josie Crimp, 25, Children’s Librarian, London Borough of Croydon Library Service, Length of Service: Two years
* Helen Dahlke, 24, Reader Development Librarian, West Berkshire Library Service,
Length of Service: One year
* Sam Davies, 20, Library Information Officer, Manchester Library and Information Service, Length of Service: Three years
* Alexis Dimyan, 27, Community Librarian, Luton Library Service, Length of Service: Under one year
* Jennifer Foster, 25, E- Services Assistant Librarian, Trafford Council,
Length of Service: Under two years
* Elizabeth McDonald, 26, Reader Development Officer, Wokingham Library Service,
Length of Service: Three years
* Emma Sherriff, 23, Outreach Support Officer, Plymouth Library Service,
Length of Service: Under 2 years
* Phyll Smith, 36, Library Assistant, North East Lincolnshire Library Service,
Length of Service: Under one year
* Laura Warnock, 29, Community Health Officer, Sunderland Library Service,
Length of Service: One year
To find out more about the winning librarians visit the Top Ten New Librarians 2007 section of this website: http://www.lovelibraries.co.uk/librarians.php
