By Tyler Haigh and Tyler Welbig
Silence is a virtue, especially with a new “New Librarian of the Year” in our presence.
Head librarian Kerri Smith was presented with the “New Librarian of the Year” award at the South Dakota Library Association (SDLA) Annual Conference Thursday at the Cedar Shores Resort in Chamberlain.
Smith said she did not see the award was coming.
“I was humbled over receiving the award,” Smith said. “I was very surprised.”
The banquet was followed by a dessert reception at the South Dakota Hall of Fame in Chamberlain.
Smith came back to school with a lot of support from the students and staff.
“The best part about receiving the award was coming back to school and seeing the support from all the people here at Washington,” Smith said.
The other librarians at WHS were also very supportive of Smith. Assistant librarian Brenda Bainbridge said she was very happy about Smith achieving the honor.
“It was well-deserved,” Bainbridge said. “She has built up this library beyond what anyone could have imagined. It is fun to come to work every day.”
In Smith’s fourth year at WHS, the statistics show the success of her presence.
According to the WHS Library Annual Report, during the 2007-08 school year circulation of books increased more than 37 percent. It also shows that 91 percent of students checked out at least one book, 64 percent checked out over four books, and 42 percent checked out 10 or more books over the school year.
More students are also joining groups who participate in activities in the library. There were over 125 people at the Sioux Falls School District 2008 ComiCon. There were also over 50 students who attended Anime-Manga club during the school year and two “Open Mic Nites” were held in the library with help from English teacher Jaren Guetter with around 300 people in attendance.
Smith said she will continue to work hard to make the WHS Library a great place to be and learn.
“I will continue to work hard,” Smith said. “Hopefully, more students will continue to check out books and read.”