IASL Books for Children

Straight from the horse's mouth, so they say! IASL has granted the Philippines a Book Award via the unrelenting efforts of Ms. Hermie Salazar from the University of Northeastern Philippines.

Congrats, Hermie! I am proud of you!

The International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) has awarded grants to three schools in developing countries to enable them to purchase library books. The awards totalling US $1000 were made possible through a fund raising auction held at the IASL Conference held in Hong Kong, in 2005. In making the awards, IASL President Peter Genco noted that the recipients of the IASL Books for Children awards each had to guarantee shelves, space, personnel and service and verify this through a letter or other documentation by the school principal or designated supervisor.

The recipients for 2006 are:
Mrs. Judith Oyugi of St. Josephs Combined Preparatory School in Nyanza Province in Kenya. Many children are orphaned as a result of HIV/Aids and the school is addressing the educational needs of many children. The grant will allow the school to purchase textbooks and readers for the school library.

Mr. Antony Chiwaka of The Heritage School, Harare in Zimbabwe. The Heritage school has 600 students but few books for reference purposes. The grant will enable the school librarian, Mr. Chiwaka, to purchase books that are updated and provide better access for students for their learning.

Herminigilda H. Salazar from the University of Northeastern Philippines, Iriga City in the Philippines. The High School department within the University has 626 students and will use the grant to improve the reference collection as well as books on science, literature, mathematics and computer science.

The International Association of School Librarianship comprises personal, association and institution members from over 80 countries. Through the improvement of school libraries and school library programs as a vital component of education, the Association is committed to enabling young people to develop literary and cultural appreciation and to use information effectively. Information about membership and the awards program is available on the IASL website: www.iasl-slo.org and from the IASL Secretariat, email: iasl@kb.com.au
IASL Secretariat, PO Box 83, Zillmere, Queensland 4034, Australia