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CBA Librarian shortlisted for national award

Corby Business Academy’s librarian, Amy McKay, is one of only five in the country to be named on this year’s School Librarian of the Year Honours List. Amy’s profile will feature on the School Library Association’s website before the winner is announced at a ceremony in London in October.

She was nominated by CBA’s Principal, Mrs Duggan, and Amy had to submit evidence and also host two judges for a full day visit, before making it through to the final five contenders.

Corby Business Academy’s librarian, Amy McKay, is one of only five in the country to be named on this year’s School Librarian of the Year Honours List. Amy’s profile will feature on the School Library Association’s website before the winner is announced at a ceremony in London in October.

She was nominated by CBA’s Principal, Mrs Duggan, and Amy had to submit evidence and also host two judges for a full day visit, before making it through to the final five contenders.

Amy combines her full-time job with a role on the national Youth Libraries Group committee and she is the National Coordinator of the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals, prestigious annual book awards that showcase the best in children’s and young adult books. It is a position that means she reads much more widely than she might otherwise - a delight for her and a benefit to CBA’s students as her recommendations are much more varied as a result.

She has been in her role since CBA opened and, before that, was at the predecessor school, Corby Community College. She found her vocation by surprise when she took a library post at a secondary school simply to gain some school-based experience before completing a PGCE. Within days, however, she knew librarianship was the career truly meant for her and since then, she's never looked back: ‘I love it because is an incredibly varied job and no two days are the same. A lot of my job centres on promoting reading for pleasure. Reading really does increase people’s happiness and it improves students’ life chances, how could I not love it?’

Amy is responsible for delivering a rolling programme of library lessons to all Year 7 and 8 students. She also teaches information skills to Year 12 including academic performance, bibliographies and academic honesty and to KS4 English classes, and works regularly with adults who form part of the wider school community - whether liaising with governors, ensuring all new staff receive a library induction or hosting the termly Parents' Reading Group.

As well as supporting teaching and learning, Amy eagerly offers many enjoyable reading promotion activities. Book themed parties, reading groups and reading mentors are all part of the mix, with special events such as author visits, reading challenges and bookish Christmas presents. Amy is especially proud of her work to narrow the gender gap in library use; boys now regularly borrow more than girls.

She says: ‘It’s important that we try different things to engage students as much as possible, because not everything will work for everybody and some things will work with one year group and not with others. It is also important that the library reflects the outside world and is relevant to students’ lives.

‘I am delighted to be on the Honours List, but the library’s success is not solely down to me. It’s very much a team effort. I benefit hugely from having a supportive Senior Management Team, innovative staff who are always willing to get involved and, in the Library, with an amazing colleague who is passionate, dedicated and a pleasure to work with. Ultimately though, it’s CBA’s students who are key to any success I’ve had, they’re fun, curious and engaging. Perks of the job don’t get much better than working with such fantastic people whilst promoting something you truly love.’