The 2009 PARA Awards

The Paralibrarian Section of MLA announced their annual awards at their workshop this morning. They give two awards each year, Paralibrarian of the Year and Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year. Denise Faucher presented the following awards:

Paralibrarian of the Year

There were 21 nominees this year. Denise shared the names of the nominees and a bit of information about each person from their nomination, and gave them certificates.

• Claudette Bright, of the Boston Public Library, whittles away at the backlog cheerfully


• Laurel Cannon, of the Boston Public Library, has created wonderful connections with teens. They come in to hug her!


• Julio Chang, of the Boston Public Library IT department, is a “hidden gem” who puts the “help” in helpdesk


• Melissa Chase, of Bourne Public Library, started a Rock and Read program – 5 local rock bands raised funds for the library


• Cecilia Darling, of the Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State College, has worked hard supervising students while her supverisor was out on vacation.
  Maryann Dastoli, of the Pittsfield School System Elementary Libraries, takes an annual trip to Tennessee for the National Storytelling Festival and shares new ideas.


• Betty Emery runs the Supplemental Deposit Collection for the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System, and creates close relationships with library vendors.


• Barbara Diamond Goldin, of the Easthampton Library, provides outstanding patron services despite many constraints.


• Deborah Jankowski, of the Taconic High School Library, is re-cataloging the entire library while it is being weeded.


• Barbara Lorentzen, of the Jonathan Bourne Public Library, brings in her own materials to repair books the old-fashioned way – with spine webbing and glue.


• Hannele Minsk, who works in tech services at the Kingston Public Library, created and ran a teen advisory board for 3 years.


• Jacqueline Mushinski, of the Gordon Library at WPI, loves to do audio and video editing, and has created podcasts and vodcasts for the library’s website.


• Judith Poulin, of Easthampton Elementary, served as Grand Marshall of the Easthampton Elementary vocabulary parade – three years after she retired!


• Susan Robert , of the Blanding Public Library in Rehoboth, organized her town’s first town-wide read.


• Susan Shaffer, of the Forbes Library in Northampton, always goes above and beyond to help patrons and other staff members.


• Rusty Shaw , of the Wheeler Memorial Library, proved that no patron request is beyond her consideration - she processes and circulates knitting needles!


• Joan Sterns, of the Worcester Public Library, meets regularly with other librarians and paralibrarians in her area to discuss the preservation of valuable items in the collection.


• Donna Tappin, of the Tahanto Middle School Library, is a powerhouse of information and very user-focused, patient, and kind.


• Mary Ellen West, of the Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State College, has the motto “we can do it and we can prove it”.


• Kendrah White, of the Temple Israel Library in Boston, always has an “above and beyond” attitude and always goes the extra mile to help patrons or share ideas in the library.


• Nancy Wilson, of Becket Atheneum works 10+ volunteer hours a week at the library so the staff can offer programming beyond what their budget allows.

Betty Emery is the 2009 Paralibrarian of the Year. Her nominators said that she creates collections of highest quality for the Northeast Region’s Supplemental Deposit Collection, which is housed at the Merrimac Public Library. She seeks out and creates excellent relationships with vendors. Betty is professional, with great attitude, and is always looking for ways to increase circulation. She sends funny, engaging emails to libraries, using fun themes like holidays, sports, or seasonal topics. Last year she even wrote a script and acted it out for the NMRLS Executive Board. Her efforts have increased circulation of the collection by 36%. She plans an annual Open House at the library for the collection, and makes sure everyone leaves with gifts provided by vendors. She maintains a diverse, robust, current collection for NMRLS members. The nominator said Betty took on the task of managing the collection and hasn’t looked back.

Betty commented that she hoped this award is a reflection on the Supplemental Deposit Collection and its impact on smaller libraries in the Northeast Region. She says she started the job 5 years ago, looking for a challenge and something fun. The challenge continues and so does the fun!

Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year

This award is given to a director, supervisor, or paralibrarian who understands the value of paralibrarians in libraries, and works to increase opportunities for paralibrarians.

There were 5 nominations this year:

• Susan Babb


• Carolyne Longworth


• Leslie Todd


• Michael Somers


• Michael Colford

The 2009 Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year is Susan Babb. Susan’s nominator pointed out that Susan always holds paralibrarians in the forefront of her work at the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System. She teaches workshops specifically for paralibrarians, and makes sure they are represented in all aspects of services provided by the Region. She has worked with the Paralibrarian Section on creating a mission and vision, on the creation of the Book Cart Drill Team Competition, and many other projects. She is a role model for librarians in her Region and across the state. Susan is a supporter, mentor, and friend, who has truly changed lives of those around her.

Paralibrarian Awards

The fifth annual presentation of the Paralibrarian Awards was as satisfying and exciting as the first. And, once again, out of a field of 17 nominees for 2 awards, even though only 6 candidates were able to attend the conference, both winners were there. Whew! (It's always worrisome that the winner might not come!)

Check out the webpage for the MLA Paralibrarian Section to see what's up with this section, and how to get involved and find out how to nominate or be nominated for one of these great awards next year! And see the nomination page to learn what criterion were used to select these candidates.
http://www.masslib.org/sectionsandcommittees/paralibrarian.htm

http://www.masslib.org/paralibrarian/2008AwardNominationForm.html

And the winners are....

Outstanding Paralibrarian of the Year for 2008: Melissa Caissie of the Hudson Library

Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year for 2008: Jim Sutton, Director of the Memorial Hall Library in Andover

Good job!

Getting Yourself Out Of a Rut

Helen Graham, Reuben Hoar Library, Paralibrarian Recipient; Diane Faye, (retired) Boston Public Library; Marnie Oakes, Reuben Hoar Library and Laurie Christie, Paralibrarian, 2007.

Stand out! Ideas, creativity and inspiration were the words of Laurie Christie. Add to that mix, the crucial ingredient: the willing attitude of a library administrator.

Marnie Oakes revealed that it takes employees who have a devoted commitment to the library and community, sometimes to the point of working above and beyond to create a win-win for the library and the town. Diane Faye agreed with Marnie that it sometimes takes making the jump to another job. Diane feels it it is crucial to find your confidence, take risks and finding management that MUST support you. Diane wore many hats as a paralibrarian at the Boston Public Library, in the AFSME union and held posts in paraprofessional sections of national and state organizations. Helen Graham shared the story of her small town suffering financial woes and the library suffering from staffing cuts. Her director, Marnie Oakes, encouraged the paraprofessional staff to get involved with each other and paraprofessional organizations.

Stuck in a Rut

This was a panel of terrific and inspirational people. Led by moderator Justin Termini, we heard from last year's MLA Paralibrarian of the Year award winner, Laurie Christie from Natick; last year's MLA Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year award winner, Marnie Oakes the director of the Reuben Hoar Library of Littleton; former BPL staffer and union leader, Helen Graham; and Diane Faye, Reuben Hoar Library staff member and recipient of a PARA, a PAralibrarian Recognition of Achievement award.

Laurie Christie: Loves her job, even after 11 years, but after awhile everything is rote work. She did some booktalking, but needed a new project. She saw a need for some sort of program to engage teens. So she began a chess club. That was the start of Games Day on every early release day. She feels if you are stuck in a rut, you should challenge yourself. Ask: What can I do that's not being done? ... or that would be different? Use your imagination. She says it is important to have a supportive director, who says sure, what do you need? She realized there was a large population of non- English speakers who were not being served by her library - they were sending these people elsewhere for ESL. So she contacted the people they were sending them to, and suggested collaborating on this program. She has become a trainer of tutors. She wanted "something that's mine." You can create innovative programming with the support of the director.

Marnie Oakes: Marnie felt it is incumbent on you to expand yourself, frequently it will require that you must do a lot on your own time. Take it upon yourself to learn, to go to meetings or workshops, to sacrifice. It may not be just in the library. She told of someone who had said to her, they would much rather have support than resources. The question was asked, what if your director/trustees are not supportive? She says ganging up is ok! Look at grants. If all else fails, you can leave. It's not a good option in this economy, but you can plan... dream. She recommends rebellion!

Diane Faye: She is retired from BPL after working there MANY years, in MANY positions. Her
background is as support staff. Her dad was the library custodian, and he organized the workers. She had been doing clerical work, and went to bpl while deciding what to do.
She says you need to look at, besides what you like to do, what does your library need. Then do it, so they need you, too. Without the support from management, you are stuck in rut.

Helen Graham:
She was not unhappy with her job. She was... complacent. Then financial woes hit the library, and trustees were looking at staffing with volunteers. Everyone became resentful, and nervous. Her director (Marnie Oakes) encouraged them to get involved in the PARA program. Once they became involved, what looked like just another hard project became a group effort, and they began to recognize their own professionalism. Being more aware of all the things they are capable of and accomplish made them stronger. She thanks Marnie Oakes - sometimes it takes a push from above.


Justin Termini:
Participating in the Bookcart Drill Team gets them out of rut. He says even the stupid costume helps. It's team building.

Question from the audience:
How can we get other directors on board?
Marnie Oakes; maybe through general meetings of various consortia - there could be some report on the progress and value of the PARA program, and being involved in professional development. The PARA may seem less useful immediately, but it looks good on a resume, and opens conversation. A director who is hiring would see added value in a candidate with a PARA.

And the Winner Is...Paralibrarian Awards and the PARA presentation

The Fourth Annual Awards Presentation, presented by the MLA Paralibrarian Section

Each year the Paralibrarian Section presents two awards, for Outstanding Paralibrarian of the Year and Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year, as well as the awarding of the PARA certificates of achievement to paralibrarians who have collected points and obtained certification levels I, II, or III. The meeting was presented by Denise Faucher, the committee member in charge of awards.

She opened the ceremony with a show of hands from the crowd to establish how many paralibrarians were present, as well as the number of MLS librarians in the audience. There was a fairly equal split, which reflected the impact that paralibrarians and librarians have on each other's careers. Denise presented the idea of paralibrarians as the foundation of libraries, the base upon which staffing is built as well as the support system that professional librarians count upon. Every position in the library is valuable, she said, from the director down to pages and aides.

Denise next explained the criteria which the board used to choose amongst the 15 nominations that they received for Outstanding Paralibrarian of the Year. Nominees were selected by colleagues, who submitted detailed letters explaining why their co-worker was right for the award. The committee would base their decisions on a set of criteria which they believe to exemplify the traits of an outstanding paralibrarian, essentially leading to the choice of the nominee who could most accurately be described as a problem solver with a professional attitude who strives to reach above and beyond the limitations of their job-title. According to Denise, every nomination letter received showed enormous amounts of work done by the subject.

The fifteen nominees are as follows:

Carla Burke, Brooks Free Library
Melissa Caissie, Hudson Public Library
Jeanne Crosby, Granby Free Public Library
Lois Elliott, Lawrence Public Library
Jacqueline Ellis, Haverhill Public Library
Barbara Fulchino, Robbins Public Library
Barabra Goldin, Emily Williston Memorial Library
Jo Ann Helenius, Forbush Memorial Library
Deborah Jankowski, Taconic High School Library
Sharon Keith, McGlynn School Library
Judith Lively, Amherst College Robert Frost Library
Joan Owcarsky, North Adams Public Library
Fern Sann, David and Joyce Milne Library
Susan Schaeffer, Forbes Library
Maureen Tulley, Nevins Memorial Library

The winner was Melissa Caissie of the Hudson Public Library. Melissa is a circulation/ILL supervisor who, according to her nomination letter, accomplishes tasks in a professional manner while going far beyond the limits of her job. She fills in for both reference and childrens when they are short staffed, as well as taking charge of a situation when the director is not in the building. Melissa was described as “exemplifying professionalism”. Her nomination letter explained Melissa's long history with the Hudson Public Library, where she started going as a young child when her brother worked as a page, eventually working as a page herself and finally making her way to her current position. This life-long commitment to the library has lead to Melissa's co-workers referring to her as “our Melissa”.

Melissa stepped up to receive her award, graciously thanking her colleagues.

The next award presented was that of Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year. This was presented by Committee Chairperson Gerry Deyermond. Gerry explained that this award was reserved for the director, supervisor, colleague or paralibrarian who knows the value of paralibrarians and demonstrates outstanding support for paralibrarians. Paralibrarians can't grow, Gerry said, without advocates.

This year's nominees were Hope Bodwell of the Monson Free Library and Jim Sutton of Memorial Hall Library.

The award went to Jim Sutton, who also happens to be the director of Gerry's library. Gerry presented Jim with the award, mentioning the support that he gave her in joining the Paralibrarian Section committee when the section was reformed. Gerry went on to point out Jim's equal treatment of all staff, regardless of their individual position in the library.
Jim accepted his award and explained that, when he was president of MLA in 2001, he and the board felt that it was necessary to find ways to make the organization grow. From this thought they placed a strong focus on the development of paralibrarians as members of MLA. Patrons do not know if the staff has an MLS or not, he said, therefore all staff members are equally essential in creating a properly functioning library. He stressed the importance of self-empowering staff members, through means such as the paralibrarian section, in order to give them a bigger picture of what goes on outside of their own libraries.

Next came the awarding of the PARA recognition of achievement awards. These were presented by Debbie Pennino, the committee member in charge of Career Development. This year's recipients were Carol Geary of Sutton Public library, who earned her PARA III, and Alison DaSilva, Past-Chairperson of the Paralibrarian Section committee, who received her PARA III as well. These certifications are based on three criteria, Debbie said, experience, education and professional activities.

Finally, a certificate of appreciation was given to Debbie Bockus for her diligent work in helping to establish the PARA certification program over the course of many years.

MLA Paralibrarian Section Annual Meeting and Breakfast

Presented by the MLA Paralibrarian Section Board.

Chair of the board Gerry Deyermond called the meeting to order at 8:35. The meeting began with an overview and approval of the minutes from last year's annual meeting (May 3, 2007) and minutes from the committee's previous meeting (April 17, 2007).

Following this, Gerry presented a summary of the Paralibrarian section's year-in-review. Highlights of the section's activities included:

• an increase in membership from 165 to 178 registered members
  
• the third year of a joint deal between ALA and MLA that includes discounted membership to both associations for paralibrarians
  
• the career development committee's review of online workshops
  
• the committee working with the ALA to establish their own paralibrarian certification program
  
• the Awards Committee's receipt of 15 nominations for Outstanding Paralibrarian of the Year, as well as two nominations for Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year
  
• the hosting of the first Book Cart Drill Team Competition at this year's conference
  networking opportunities for paralibrarians at this year's conference
  

Vice Chair Justin Termini presented a membership report, stressing the need for a comprehensive email list of all active section members.

Treasurer Gael Nappa presented the annual treasurer's report, noting total expenses of $266.55 and a balance of $143.45 for the year.

Member-at-Large/Career Development Chair Debbie Pennino presented the career development report, highlighting two open positions on the committee. She stressed the committee's willingness to attend career development days at libraries as well as the committee's wish to start a paralibrarian mentoring program. She also mentioned the committee's work toward adding a PARA IV certification.

YSS Liaison Pat Link explained her capacity as a connection between the Youth Services committee and the paralibrarian section.

Past-Chairperson Alison DaSilva went further into the open positions on the committee. Treasurer Gael Nappa, whose term as Treasurer came to an end today, was nominated for the position of Secretary. A vote was called on this, with 14 in favor, none opposed and none abstaining. This leaves an open position in the Treasurer's position as well as one in Publicity. Alison put out an open call for nominations. She then went on to explain the formation of the Paralibrarian Section and its eventual growth over the years. As the Paralibrarian Section continues to grow and advocate for paralibrarians throughout the state the committee becomes more involved in various activities. The American Library Association is looking into creating a national certification system for paralibrarians; the committee is working with them to help establish this. The book cart drill team program has grown from a demonstration at last years conference to a full-blown competition this year, with four teams competing (the same number that competed at the ALA competition this year!). Alison pointed out the importance of paralibrarians within all libraries, as they form the foundation upon which the entirety of the staff is built.

Debbie Pennino pointed out the paralibrarian information available at the conference Career Center.

Gerry Deyermond then reminded everyone of the events the Paralibrarian Section is hosting today: the Paralibrarian Section Awards, Stuck in a Rut, and the Book Cart Drill Team Competition. She then opened the floor to questions, and, receiving none, urged everyone in the audience to speak to members of the board if they needed any help with anything. The meeting was officially closed at 9:25.

It Takes Two to Tango: How Librarians and Paralibrarians Support Each Other

Susan Babb, NMRLS, moderated presentations from two libraries successfully supporting paralibrarians. The presenters stressed the communication, mentoring, and starting small.

One thing that surprises me to hear (and I applaud it!) is the idea that a good supervisor helps an employee recognize when a job is not the right fit - either the job has evolved, or the staff person has wider aspirations than a small library (with no promotion opportunities) can meet. How refreshing to hear the concept that it's okay to let people move on when they have outgrown their job in some way!

I was running around taking photos and missed most of the presentation from Leslie Todd and Gael Nappa from Haverhill; they spoke about how Gael made a transition from being a library clerk in the circulation department to a children's assistant, and from there became an active member of of the MLA Paralibrarian Section.

The importance of continuing education came up several times. "Trainings and workshops are an inspirational thing..." said Marnie.
"How do you get them to go?" someone asked.
"Well, sometimes, kicking and screaming!" she said, drawing chuckles.

Leslie talked about the range of getting employees to attend, from gentle suggestion to assigning it, and said more often than not, the experience is a positive one. Someone in the audience mentioned it was part of their job description; later, someone said that if you want to make a request to attend a program, come prepared by working out any schedule issues first.

As someone working on the regional level, we are seeing a DECLINE in continuing education workshops, and would love to see more faces at our programs. They are enriching in terms of learning something new and helping you to do your job better, but they also provide a valuable networking opportunities and support, but they are also a break from the daily grind, and leave your refreshed and reinvigorated.

Marnie Oaks from the Reuben Hoar Library shared some small successes, such as closing to provide CE opportunities, cross-training staff, and making professional development into fun, team-building activities, from lunch together to field trips to museums. The success story is that the staff works well together, their contentedness comes across and creates a wonderful patron experience, and the trustees and community are happy to support the library. Marnie reports they haven't yet had an override that didn't pass.

The program concluded with a story (read by Leslie): Edwardo, the Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World by John Burningham, a parable about becoming what we are told we are by internalizing the feedback we get from people around us. The program ended at 12:10, and nearly a dozen people lingered to continue their conversation.

The handouts were great, and hopefully will be posted on the MLA website.