Book on Librarians and Professional Development Receives National Recognition

Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional Developers edited by Debbie Abilock, Kristin Fontichiaro, and Violet Harada, has been selected as the “2013 Best Professional Guide for School or Youth Librarians” by Library Media Connection (LMC) and the American Reference Books Annual (ARBA). Harada is a professor emeritus in the University Hawaii’s Library and Information Science Program, Department of Information and Computer Sciences.

This newly established award recognizes high-quality reference resources that support and encourage K-12 student learning and achievement. LMC and ARBA selected a panel of judges from their pool of well-regarded reviewers and editors to evaluate entries from publishers throughout the K-12 reference market.

ABC-CLIO/Libraries Unlimited published the award-winning book in 2012. It presents examples of school librarians leading professional development in numerous contexts and for diverse learning goals with remarkable success. It is intended for individual librarians looking to become professional development leaders and for district librarians in planning and implementing meaningful district-wide professional development.