The library is a valuable resource to many students and teachers in the Summit community. Recently, they were recognized as a Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Exemplary School Library Program for the fifth year in a row.
Librarian Gregory Baum said that it is a very long application process, so it’s relieving to know that the time is worth it.
“It takes us almost all year to put [the application] together, so when we finally get that response it’s, weight off our shoulders,” Baum said.
Head Librarian Margaret Sullivan, who recently received an award for Librarian of the Year, is glad that they were able to win, because it shows that they are successful in what they do.
“It just confirms that we’re on the right track with what we try to do in our library program. We try to meet the needs of as many people as possible and offer something for everyone,” Sullivan said.
When it comes to the award itself, Baum thinks that the award is great for showing what a successful library entails.
“It’s a really important tool for helping people understand what makes for a good library program. [Libraries] provide instruction, they help with assessment, they help develop teachers, and so I like being recommended, that is a huge honor. It’s also a sign of the investment that our administration makes in this program and that the community makes in our schools,” Baum said.
The librarians don’t just help with checking out books. They also provide other services for students like sophomore Kyliee Davis.
“[I] use the databases they [put on the school website], which is really helpful for research projects, [and they’ve] helped me with recommendations for [National Honor Society], which was helpful,” Davis said.
Language arts teacher Cindy Golden said she enjoys the library not only for the resources, but the environment.
Golden thinks that there are so many reasons that the library deserves this award.
“They do everything that we need [them] to do for us, and they’re not self-serving. They serve the whole community and find ways to get kids actively involved [in] reading,” Golden said.
It is not only the librarians who put work into the library, but everyone in the community.
“It takes an entire community to build an exemplary school library. It’s not about the librarians, it’s about the entire program, and that means having support from the administration, from the teachers, from the students, from their parents, and from the district, even. I think every stakeholder in our community helps contribute to a successful library program,” Sullivan said.
