Local Librarian a winner in Capstone’s “The Power of Librarians” contest

By Jessica Vaughn / jessica@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 6/18/17

FOLEY - “Is it not every girl’s secret dream to be a calendar girl?” said Sue Norman, the Library Media Specialist at Foley Middle School. “Especially one that promotes the power of …

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Local Librarian a winner in Capstone’s “The Power of Librarians” contest

Posted

FOLEY - “Is it not every girl’s secret dream to be a calendar girl?” said Sue Norman, the Library Media Specialist at Foley Middle School. “Especially one that promotes the power of librarians.”

Her dream has come true, as she is one of the 13 extraordinary librarians to win Capstone’s “The Power of Librarians” national photo contest.

Capstone describes the contest as “celebrating the importance of librarians,” as Capstone invites communities to nominate a school or public library media specialist who “makes meaningful connections with students, describe why they should be featured in the calendar, and share a photo which captures the spirit of the librarian’s talent or ability.”

Out of hundreds of nominations, Sue Norman won a spot in next year’s calendar.

“I owe it all to my fellow teachers and my principal at Foley Middle School, Danny McDuffie, who nominated me for this honor, and the Capstone Publishing Company for recognizing the role of librarians in schools,” Norman said.

Norman stated that Capstone Publishing is the company that is used in many Baldwin County schools for the acquisition of multiuser audio eBooks for their students. While she believes that the printed word is still alive and well in FMS, she also understands the importance of online media.

“At FMS, our 700 students finished this school year having completed 17,400 books,” Norman said. “The bulk of these books were read online at My Capstone Library. eBooks have allowed us to provide an enhanced reading experience for our students. Also, there’s no more waiting for a popular book to be returned by another student. Hundreds of students are able to access the same title at the same time using their Chromebooks.”

Foley Middle School challenges the whole student body to read the same book during their “One Book, One School, One Day” event, which they usually tie into a nationwide event, such as Veteran’s Day or National Toilet Day, which Norman said students love.

“Every year we strive to create a community of readers at our school, and the library is the go-to place to get hooked up with the newest book in town,” said Norman.

Capstone states that a common theme about all of the winning librarians is how each makes their library the go-to place and the heart of their school for all students.

“From championing reading to securing funding through grants to creating innovative makerspace areas, each of these super hero librarians are doing exceptional work for students,” said Matt Keller, Capstone Chief Marketing Officer. “Their passion for their profession is inspiring and we’re thrilled to feature them in our calendar.”

Sue Norman is also thrilled to receive such an honor from the school, the students, and Capstone. You can find her winning photo in Capstone’s 2018 calendar, which will be available starting in August at select Capstone events.