The School Librarian of the Year Award is the SLA's prestigious honour to recognise the excellent work that is carried out in school libraries every day, and to highlight the best practice of those whose work is outstanding.

At LoveReading4Schools we understand the value a library and great librarian plays at the beating heart of a school community.

We spoke to The School Librarian of the Year 2018, Emma Suffield whose official title is Learning Resources Centre Manager at Saint Wilfrid’s, a CofE Academy which provides a faith-led education to 1400 11-18 year olds in Blackburn, Lancashire. 

The School Librarian of the Year Award is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the impact that school libraries can make on pupils, staff and overall school culture. 

It was great to hear about the impact she had made within the school during her four years in the role, whereby her innovative and imaginative practice has led to a whopping 450% increase in book borrowing rates. What an incredible achievement, and such a deserving winner!

Let’s meet Emma…

Emma Suffield - SLA School Librarian of the Year 2018I understand the Assistant Principal Mrs Rees nominated you for the award. Did you know? When did you find out?

I knew that Mrs Rees had nominated me as we discussed it before it was sent. I was also nominated for School Librarian of the Year Award back in 2016 but wasn’t successful but I suppose I had only been in post for two years! I was very pleased to be nominated again in 2018 because I had progressed so much as a professional in those two years and it was nice to see that Mrs Rees and the judges had noticed that. I found out that I had made the longlist in April 2018 and I was over the moon to have made it one step further than previously and then to make it all the way was just very unexpected. 

You’ve been in the role four years, tell us about the change over that time.

I have revamped the library quite a lot over the last few years but because it has been a gradual change it doesn’t seem as much to me compared to longer serving staff. The library is a lot more open than it used to be and very inviting. I like that most of the library can be seen from the library entrance now after weeding so many non-fiction books and turning that area into a revision section meant this area was condensed down. The fiction section has been extended massively due to starting the Accelerated Reader programme in September 2014 and will continue to grow. I have started a graphic novel and manga section which has been very popular and my clubs have grown dramatically in popularity. I now have three book clubs and I also run the Excelsior awards. I used to run a creative writing club and chess club but these have been taken over by other members of staff within the Academy as I was just doing too much…. 

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of winning the School Librarian of the Year of course as it is such an achievement but I am also proud of making the library into what it is today. Having issue statistics rise from 2,400 to over 13,000 in four years just shows the turnaround of the library recently and hopefully it will continue to rise. 

Can you share with us any individual achievements?

I think being a professional who is now recognised widely is a great achievement and this is down to me getting ‘myself out there’ and showing everyone what I do. This isn’t just for me but I love advocating and sharing my ideas with others. After winning School Librarian of the Year I have been asked to do so much, been invited to events, writing articles for magazines around the world – I just love that I have achieved that!

Why do you think you won?

I was really shocked when my name was announced as the winner because all the honorary shortlist finalists were just fabulous and we all bring something different to the profession. I am very passionate about my role and I know I have made a difference to reading for pleasure at Saint Wilfrid’s over the past few years. I am also heavily involved with the SLA as I am Vice-Chair and Secretary for the Lancashire Branch and I love networking with other individuals and advocating the work I do, as well as the profession. 

How would the children in your school describe you?

After speaking to some students they find me kind, helpful and a person they can approach and talk to about anything, which is lovely. I like to think that I am always there for the students as the role of a librarian can very pastoral and as my library is situated right outside the Year Manager’s office I do become involved with the well-being of our students – and I like this.  

How do they see their library?

The students see the library as a cosy, vibrant, inspirational pretty space and a place where they can work independently and quietly. The library is also a safe accessible place where they can find themselves and reflect. The library is always very busy and popular so I suppose they must like it!

Describe your library to us.

The library is a very large and accessible space on the ground floor and central within the Academy. It seats up to 160 students and we have 36 computers which is ideal for classes to be able to use this space. I also have an area that accommodates a small class with a smartboard. The library is very vibrant and colourful as I really wanted it to be inviting for the students and staff to use. The library desk is at the entrance which I love as I like to say hello to everyone who comes in. I love the library and how it has progressed into a wonderful space for staff and students to use every day. 

What are the biggest challenges as a school librarian?

I think the biggest challenge as a solo librarian is getting everything done. My day-to-day role varies so much and we have a lot of students and issue a lot of books every day. Sometimes some jobs have to take a back step as there just isn’t the time to do everything but I do what I can and my Line Manager and Student Librarians are a great help. I need to remember that I can’t do everything all at once. Keeping the profession going and constantly battling to show we are needed is also a challenge but if we keep showcasing the great work that we do then I believe that we will get there. 

How do you promote the library and engender a love of reading within your students?

I try and promote the library through our plasma screens which are displayed around the Academy, on social media and through our termly library newsletter. We also have a ‘’Wilf’s News’ which is emailed out to form groups and parents every week and this is a great way to promote and share events/activities in the library on a weekly basis. We host numerous events throughout the year, including author visits, Harry Potter Night, Murder Mystery Nights, book fairs etc. I am passionate about reading and a big reader myself so I try to talk to as many students as possible during break and lunchtimes about what they are reading at the moment and develop a great librarian-student relationship based around reading. I am very lucky that the Student Library Assistants run the library desk during these times which makes me available to be out and about in the library.  

Tell me about your Young Librarian Programme.

I currently have nine Student Library Assistants and one Head Student Library Assistant. We use the SLA Toolkit for the Student Library Assistant awards which I have tailored slightly to suit our needs for the library. The Head Student Library Assistant will help me with the training and we have First, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards which they can work through on a 6-12 month basis each so hopefully they will achieve Platinum by Year 10 or 11. It is great to be able to reward the students for their hard work as it is their free time that they are giving up to volunteer in the Library. 

What are the most popular sections of your library?

Definitely fiction as well as the graphic novel and new manga section – which the students asked me to look into. The manga section is very small but it will grow and the books are always on loan. The revision section is a working progress but is becoming very popular with our GCSE students especially as this was a space that they requested. I have started to develop a large YA section because I still want the KS4 students to still read after they have finished the Accelerated Reader programme and I want more books that are suitable for their age. 

For someone just starting out as a school librarian, what advice would you give them?

I would tell them to join the SLA as soon as possible as it is such a great network to be a part of and to see if there is a local branch they could also join. The SLN is also a great email group to share ideas with other school librarians. Social media can also be a great help and has been the making of me professionally. I think they need to learn what the school is missing to help develop reading for pleasure further but remember that not everything can be done at once. It can take a year or two to get the library to how you want it! 

What about schools that don’t have the luxury of a school librarian, is there any advice you would share to support them?

This is a difficult and I am a big supporter of the #GreatSchoolLibraries campaign! All schools need a school librarian! If not, for whatever reason, they definitely need a place where students can still access a large variety of books in some way and promote reading as much as possible. 

Budgets are tight in schools, how do you manage that challenge?

I won’t deny it is difficult but a few things do help, like the School Library Pack from Book Trust, having book fairs and getting some commission back to buy books, asking for donations of books, fundraising etc.  Something can always be done but in order to run a great library and keep it fully stocked with new publications, run events etc an adequate budget is needed.