School Librarian of the Year Award 2021 Opens for Nominations

• Award promotes librarians’ exceptional impact in encouraging reading in their schools

• The fifth consecutive year of collaboration between Emirates Literature Foundation and The Executive Council of Dubai highlights the importance of promoting the love of reading to the younger generations

 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -  September 13 2020:  The search is on for the UAE’s top school librarians with the return of the prestigious annual School Librarian of the Year Award. Now in its fifth year, and  given by the Emirates Literature Foundation in collaboration with the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai, it recognises and honours those individuals who have been shown to make a difference in supporting both the culture and education that develops a student’s total knowledge. The award, which aims to encourage the love of reading and make it a lifelong habit for students, will be given in two categories, school librarians working in public (government) schools in the UAE and school librarians working in private schools in the UAE.   

Nominations will close on 25 October, 2020, and be presented in March 2021 during the Month of Reading.

 

“The Award is given to those librarians who have made an exceptional impact in their schools by developing a culture of reading and appreciation of books. Reading is the key to unlocking an understanding of the world around us and librarians play an important role in encouraging children to read more,” said Shumous Bin Faris, Advisor at the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai and Coordinator of Reading Initiatives in Dubai. “This is not just about honouring  the top achievers in imparting literary excellence.  Nominees  are  also heartened by the knowledge that all their hard work in creating the next generation of readers does not go unnoticed and is truly appreciated.” 

 

“In this year of the pandemic, the solace and joy that we can get from books has been rediscovered by many. School librarians are heroes in that they play an  important role in influencing children to read books for pleasure, which we have seen can have a huge positive impact,” said Isobel Abulhoul, OBE, CEO and trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation. “Reading is not only important for education, but for the huge benefits it can bring to our well-being throughout our whole lives.” 

 

Nominations

More than 120 nominations were submitted from all over the UAE for the 2020 awards, the highest number of entries ever received. Nominations can be put forward by any individual, including colleagues, head teachers, students, governors and parents. Self-nominations are also encouraged.

 

Finalists will be assessed by a panel of judges. All nominees will be provided opportunities for professional development. 

 

Eligibility Criteria

All schools are eligible, in various languages, but nominations must be entered online in either Arabic or English. Shortlisted nominees from both public and private schools will be judged on the library’s role within the school and wider community in line with the following criteria:

• Promote reading through the library environment 

• Making the best use of the resources available (including the physical library collection and use of technology).

• The role of the librarian and the library in raising academic and literacy standards in the school. 

• The role of the librarian in promoting reading for pleasure. 

• The librarian’s efforts to promote a love of reading during distance learning in 2020. 

• The Library’s role within the school and wider community.