The announcement of the 2015 School Librarian of the Year was made at our School Libraries Celebration Day on Monday 5 October 2015 at the Royal Society of Arts in London.
This year Annie Brady at St Paul's CBS Secondary School, an inner city secondary school in Dublin with 250 boys on the school roll, was awarded the honour of the School Librarian of the Year 2015, with author Kevin Brooks presenting her with the award.
Ginette Doyle, Chair of the SLA School Librarian of the Year Judges, said: "Annie Brady has a huge impact on teaching, learning, numeracy and literacy levels within her school. Her energy, commitment and drive are something to be admired and her willingness to go beyond what might be expected of a Librarian is plainly obvious. She puts the Library at the centre of learning within the school and her concern for the children within her care, constantly creating and developing a huge variety of learning opportunities, shows her to be an inspirational professional."
Patrick McCormack, Principal, St. Paul's CBS said: "Annie has ensured that the library lies at the heart of our school life playing a key role in planning and implementing our literacy and numeracy strategies. She works tirelessly to ensure that our students see reading as not just a school based activity but as something really enjoyable that can enrich their lives beyond the classroom walls. I can say without reservation that she has profoundly enhanced what our school offers to the students."
Pupils told the judging panel: "The library is the epicentre of the school and Annie is like a friend."
The Award also celebrated the work of the other two Honour List candidates:
- Chris Routh - Leighton Park School, Reading
- Jane Spall - Aith Junior High School, Shetland
Each librarian has made a huge difference to the lives of the students and people they work with, igniting a passion for reading, setting students on a learning journey, teaching them essential skills, as well as supporting staff and reaching out to the wider community.
Read the full profiles of the 2015 finalists:
- Annie Brady - St. Paul's CBS Secondary School, Dublin
- Chris Routh - Leighton Park School, Reading
- Jane Spall - Aith Junior High School, Shetland
The School Librarian of the Year Award is the SLA's prestigious honour to recognize the excellent work that is carried out in school libraries every day, and to highlight the best practice of those whose work is outstanding.
To find out more about the School Librarian of the Year Award, explore these pages:
- Previous years' Awards
- Profiles of all the Honour List finalists
- Q & A with past winners
- How to nominate a school librarian
- Full background to the Award
