Lord Wandsworth College – 6TH FORMER IS RUNNER-UP IN NATIONAL PUPIL LIBRARY ASSISTANT AWARD
10 Apr 2017
William Harris, a pupil at Lord Wandsworth College, was announced as runner-up in a national competition to recognise pupil librarians.
The competition is a joint venture between the School Library Association and the CILIP School Libraries Group. A five-strong short list was selected from a strong field of nominations from school librarians across the UK and the winner and runner up were announced by bestselling author Cathy Cassidy at a special ceremony at Portcullis House, Westminster.
Barbara Band, Chair of the Judging Panel and founder of the award said “Week after week many students support the libraries in their schools by giving of their time and effort. These students are not only helping to create a lively and effective library that responds to the needs of its users, they are also gaining valuable skills and experience in the process. This award was created to recognise that work and also to highlight the unique synergy that occurs when a pupil becomes a library assistant.”
William’s citation described him as reliable and dependable under pressure and his contributions in the library have widened pupil participation, inspired others to join the library team and attracted non-users into the library. He promotes the library throughout the school; running quizzes and competitions and producing displays. William said “the library was the place where I was able to feel safe and happy, away from the intensity of the rest of the college” and he has enabled many other students to enjoy this same feeling through the creation of an active book club that allows them to develop their thoughts and emotions in a supportive peer-to-peer environment.
Headmaster, Adam Williams, said “William is an exceptional library assistant who has set the standards for others to aspire to. When one looks at the range of his involvement and the events that William oversees, there are moments when he could be a member of staff. We are extremely proud of him.
Photo: William with his award certificate in Lord Wandsworth College’s library