ESU SLIM graduates receive national library award

Top: Candace Boardman, Teresa Snethen, Gwen Alexander, Abby Cornelius and Mirah Dow get together at a reception recognizing Blue Valley North High School's AASL award.

Abby Cornelius and Teresa Snethen could say they were following up on the dream of a departed colleague. The two library media specialists at Overland Park’s Blue Valley North High School were honored this week for their work that netted the school one of three prestigious awards from the American Association of School Librarians.

The AASL has awarded Blue Valley its 2009 National School Library Media Program of the Year award. The school district honored Cornelius and Snethen at a reception Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the BVN Library Media Center.

Both are graduates of Emporia State University’s School of Library Information Management (SLIM) program, Cornelius in 2004 and Snethen in 2003.

“The program of the year award came from an idea that my predecessor Joe Amos had,” said Cornelius.

“Unfortunately, Joe, also an ESU SLIM alumnus, passed away in 2006 before he and Terri could apply for the award. So last year, Terri and I decided that we would try for it,” Cornelius continued.

The pair was not daunted by the 40-page application, or by the 1,000 pages of documentation that a review committee asked for prior to a site visit last spring. “The award signifies that we have the best high school library program in the country and it is so important to us,” said Cornelius.

“Our library is the center of the school, both physically and culturally,” said Cornelius. “We are so happy to receive this prestigious award!”

In a statement of support for BVN’s application, Dr. Carter L. Burns, principal, said, “The library media specialists are leaders in the school, teaching staff development courses, serving on district committees, collaborating with teachers to design, implement and evaluate lessons and going above and beyond to increase student achievement.”

Scott Chain, vice president of Follett Library Resources, presented Cornelius and Snethen with the award. As an NSLMPY award winner, BVN receives a $10,000 prize donated by Follett.

Cornelius and Snethen were also honored with ESU's 2009 SLIM Leadership Award at the reception. "We're honored that Abby and Teresa are carrying on the leadership tradition of our school's alumni and congratulate them for this national recognition of their achievements," said Dr. Gwen Alexander, SLIM dean.

From its beginnings as an extension of ESU’s teacher education program in 1903, the library program at SLIM has developed to embrace an expanded view of library service, information management, and information technology. It was the first school west of the Mississippi River to offer classes in library and information management.

ESU’s School of Library Information Management, accredited by the American Library Association, graduates students who are employed across the United States and in many foreign countries, many of them as directors, deans, and other administrators. Well known for graduating school media specialists, SLIM offers a Master of Library Science degree at ESU’s Metro Learning Center in Overland Park in addition to the main campus in Emporia and three other offsite locations.

Last Updated October 22, 2009>