The Officers and staff of the SLA are delighted to announce that the Chief Executive, Kathy Lemaire, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours List for services to education.  Kathy has been in this post since 1997, and was previously Principal Librarian for the Oxfordshire Schools Library Service, and advisor for school libraries for the LEA.

On hearing of the award Kathy said "I consider this honour really to be an acknowledgement of the work of the SLA and the importance of school libraries rather than a purely personal one, so it is for all of those hardworking school librarians at the sharp end too!"

Also honoured by the Queen at the New Year were author and former Children's Laureate Jacqueline Wilson, and Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, who were both awarded richly deserved DBE's.