Category: Blog, SLG Scotland

Derek France, Preston Lodge High School, East Lothian.

Winning the SLA Secondary School Librarian of the Year  Award 2022 is a huge honour and it’s been an amazing experience. Our Headteacher, Gavin Clark, delighted with my cross-curricular involvement, suggested nominating me. I said ‘go for it’ and didn’t really expect to hear much more – I was pleased the Headteacher recognised the value of his School Librarian! The nomination form consisted of five headings, each requiring a 200 word response: Professional and Personal Qualities; Showcase Projects; Teaching and Learning; Reading for Pleasure; Library Promotion. Gavin completed the form and sent it off!

In December 2021 I was astonished to receive an email from the SLA congratulating me on making the longlist. After celebrations with the Pupil Librarians had died down, it was time to fully immerse myself in answering an extremely comprehensive questionnaire exploring areas such as budget, stock, cpd, teaching and learning, reading promotion, induction and transition, community/wider links and school profile. This helped the judges form a more detailed impression of me, the library and our school. It was time consuming but extremely useful for professional self-reflection and development – particularly while also attempting to plan and gather evidence for Chartership. The SLA also asked me to provide a full job description, information on our school staffing structure, my library improvement plan, a library lesson plan, ten relevant photos, and a copy of a recent library newsletter.

And then, near the end of March 2022, I received another email congratulating me on making the shortlist! I really was dumbfounded. And suddenly very nervous: two of the SLA judges would be visiting to observe and interview me, chat with students, staff and SLT. They also wanted a poster designed by pupils highlighting why they like the library and, for the judges unable to visit, a 2-3 minute video from me detailing what I do. I decided to pass responsibility of the video to the Pupil Librarians, giving them an iPad with the instructions ‘tell them what we do – this is your library’. You can watch their video here.

I welcomed judges Ros Harding (the 2019 SLYA winner) and Sarah Middleton (SLA Board Member) to the library – both were, of course, lovely and immediately put me at ease. I was delighted to discover three of our parents decided to pop along, offering to speak with the judges!

In August 2022 I attended an SLA webinar where the Honours List was announced. I nearly fell off my chair on hearing my name. I was then invited to the SLA Gala Dinner in September, in Swindon, where the overall winner would be announced. I had such a fun time and met many wonderful librarians doing fabulous work in their schools and communities. One of the more surreal experiences was a photo op with the Mayor and Mayoress of Swindon! I didn’t actually expect to win so hadn’t prepared a speech or an appropriate response, but I heard my name followed by applause and an invitation to accept the award on stage (if you were there, please accept my apologies!) where I delivered a garbled thank you and an improvised speech on the importance of school libraries, school librarians, and our ongoing commitment to promoting the research that delivers the facts of our value and impact.

I am, of course, delighted and feel extremely fortunate to be given this award, which took some time to fully absorb! I work with and am inspired by many different School Librarians who, by simply loving their job, have a hugely positive impact on pupils, staff and their wider communities. I’ve learnt so much from my colleagues at East Lothian Libraries, the pupils and staff at Preston Lodge, the wonderful SLG Scotland committee, and the many professional development opportunities provided by CILIPS.