Rose Damon, the Deputy Head of EDULIS, has been named the LIASA/SABINET Western Cape Librarian of the Year for 2007. Rose, a former college librarian and school library advisor, is extremely passionate about school libraries. Her passion inspired others to promote the establishment of functional libraries and resource centers at schools in the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). She demonstrates excellence in promoting library and information services especially in school libraries through her involvement in various projects. Rose was project manager for the implementation of the first EDULIS urban Mobile Library Service to schools in Khayelitsha and her work in this regard positively impacts on literacy development at rural schools. Currently, Rose’s continued advocacy has secured a grant of R40 million Rand for school library resources in the disadvantaged areas of the Western Cape. This resulted in her being appointed as project manager for QIDS-UP (the Quality, Improvement, Development, Support and Upliftment Programme).
Rose will now move on to the nationals to compete for the prestigious LIASA/SABINET Librarian of the Year Award. As the representative of the Western Cape branch, she is regarded a role model for all librarians in the Western Cape and someone whose contributions have made and continue to make a lasting impact on the sector. She will receive the LIASA/SABINET Western Cape Branch Librarian of the Year 2007 award at the Annual General Meeting of LIASA Western Cape to be held on Wednesday, 1 August 2007 at Milnerton Public Library.
The LIASA/SABINET National Librarian of the Year will be announced at a Gala Dinner to be held in Durban on 17 August 2007. The winner will be awarded a prize of R25 000 which is to be used for any educational purpose, such as visits to relevant institutions locally or internationally, for attending conferences in the library and information field or for study purposes. There is a second prize of R3000 and third of R2000. All finalists receive a floating trophy and a certificate of acknowledgement.
