Shirley Igo School Library Collaboration Award

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Sponsored jointly by the Texas PTA
and the Texas Library Association

PURPOSE: This award recognizes an outstanding collaboration between a PTA organization and school library media center during the 2010-11 and/or 2011-12 school year. Projects and efforts at both the local campus and district levels are eligible. 

ABOUT SHIRLEY IGO: This award honors the memory of Shirley Igo of Plainview, a past president of the Texas and National PTA and a longtime champion of libraries, education, and literacy. 

TO ENTER: Submit emailed entries to the chair of the Igo Committee, Robin Dwight. 

Subject Line: PTA/School Library Collaboration Award
Email Address: Robin Dwight rdwight@mesquiteisd.org
The nomination deadline is March 23, 2012. 

Entries must include three items:

1. A letter from the principal, superintendent, or other administrator about the collaboration between the PTA and the school library on this project 
2. A letter from the PTA explaining parental involvement in the project
3. A description, in 500 words or less, of the purpose and objectives of the collaborative activity (Be VERY clear about the collaboration between the PTA and the school library), a program description, and results of the activity. This is usually written by the librarian, but can be written by a parent or someone in the PTA. You must include the name, address, phone number, and email of the contact persons for the PTA and for the school library. 

Examples of eligible projects (any project or service that improves the educational experience and literacy achievements of Texas students):

• Raising the awareness of the school library 
• Providing funding for materials and programs for the library
• A multi-generational family literacy program (such as Dia de los Ninos/Dia de los Libros);
• Volunteers in the library
• Innovative programming for students (e.g., one book/one school program)
• Programs for getting parents involved in reading with their children
• Collaborative advocacy initiative
• Fundraising for library books and support
• Public relations and media coverage of library events and services
• Continuing education stipends and scholarships for library staffs
• Staffing the library while librarians attend continuing education events and conferences
• Promoting reading incentive programs such as the Texas Bluebonnet Award program
• Engaging local businesses and organizations in school library activities
• Empowering the school administration to allocate resources for the library to achieve the statewide school library standards
• Empowering the school administration to make the library accessible to students on a flexible schedule
• Partnering with a local public or college/university library on a program or project
• Sponsoring the participation of a school librarian in TLA’s TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute
• Advocacy efforts for at least one certified librarian on each campus within a school district
• The library and PTA jointly drafting literacy goals for the school year and publishing them for parents

JUDGING: The entries will be judged by a panel of elementary, middle, high school, and district-level librarians from the Texas Association of School Librarians (TASL), a division of the Texas Library Association. The decision will be reached by May 1, 2012, and the recipients will be notified at that time by email.

CRITERIA USED FOR EVALUATING APPLICATIONS: 

• Purpose/Objectives
• Descriptions of program/service
• Results of programs/service
• Extent of collaboration
• Extent of improvement to education and/or advance literacy

AWARD PRESENTATION:

The recipient will be recognized and given a plaque at the Texas PTA's Summer Leadership Seminar held each July in Austin. An announcement will also be made in the publications of the TASL and PTA organizations. (There is no monetary award.)