Tennessee Awards Create Alliance Between Teachers, School Librarians

Laura B. Weiss -- School Library Journal, 6/1/2005

Looking for an awards program that creates lasting ties between teachers and school librarians—and makes kids the centerpiece of the selection process? The Tennessee Association of School Librarians and the Tennessee Library Association appear to have crafted a winning formula with their annual Volunteer State Book Award in which up to 24,000 elementary-school-age children vote for their favorite books in three separate categories.

The awards, launched in 1978, are divided into three categories: grades K–3, 4–6, and young adult. This year’s winners are Epossumondas (Harcourt, 2002) by Coleen Salley, Ruby Holler (Cotler/HarperCollins, 2002) by Sharon Creech, and The House of the Scorpion (Jackson/Atheneum, 2002) by Nancy Farmer. Starting with a list of hundreds of titles, committees of school and public librarians statewide whittle down the number to 65. More than 18,000 students voted this year for the winning books in each category. In previous years, the numbers have soared as high as 24,000, according to Patty Williams, co-chair of the Volunteer State Book Award.

School librarians spearhead the promotion of the awards program working with teachers in schools throughout the state, according to Williams, co-chair of the Volunteer State Book Award. Some provide special bookmarks or even voting booths in which kids can vote for their favorite books. Teachers, especially in the younger grades, build excitement by reading to their students.

Some “teachers can’t wait to get the new list and many read novels” to their students to build awareness about the program and to get kids actively involved, Williams says.

Winners are invited to attend an award ceremony, which takes place annually in November and is sponsored by the Tennessee Association of School Librarians.