Local Librarian-Author wins Newbery Award

I just learned that Laura Amy Schlitz, a librarian-author currently working at the Park School, has won the highest award for children's literature, the Newbery Award. Chris Flax stopped by the library and asked for the book, called Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village. We are ordering the book, but interested readers can request a copy in the SHARC Catalog if you can't wait until Chris reads it.

I write about this for two reasons: one, I am really pleased to have faculty who are engaged by books and reading and will take the time to recommend books for the collection. Kudos to Chris and the other faculty who do this often. Secondly, isn't it terrific that we have such talent in the Baltimore area, and that Laura is a librarian?

The Newbery is a prestigous international award that was established in 1921 by Frederic Melcher of the American Library Association. The purpose of the medal was "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field."

That's one of the things that makes libraries and librarians unique: reading and books. While we are techno-savvy and more than willing to employ technology as a tool, really our mission is to encourage the acquisition of knowledge, and to do that, we must encourage reading. If there are any faculty out there who are interested in discussing ways to encourage reading on this campus, please drop by to chat. One of the ways the library staff does this is by sponsoring the J.R. Mitchell Book Talk series, so please come even if you haven't read the book being discussed: perhaps you'll be inspired.

I'll close this post by recommending a wonderful article about the value of reading and how it literally changes one's way of thinking in the New Yorker magazine. (TWILIGHT OF THE BOOKS. By: Crain, Caleb. New Yorker, 12/24/2007) A fascinating summary of the research that has been done on reading as a cognitive skill, you'll learn something new if you read it, I promise. And here is an invitation: do come and browse the New Books section if you want to stimulate your brain! We would love to have you.