Winning project set to awaken reading for WA’s
pre-schoolers
Ms Ruth Campbell-Hicks, Principal Librarian at the
Shire of Harvey Library, was awarded the 2013 Kay Poustie Scholarship at a State Library of Western Australia award
ceremony which took place on 23
May during Library and Information Week.
Ms
Campbell-Hicks, who has 20 years’ experience in library management, is passionate
about early literacy.
She plans to
visit Canada, USA, Ireland and Norway to explore successful early
literacy programs for young children aged from 0-6 years.
“All around the world libraries
play a major role in early literacy education. Children of this age have extremely
active brains, at a peak for learning spoken and written language. Investing time, effort and money at this
stage has well proven benefits for the rest of the child’s life”, said Ms
Campbell-Hicks.
“The costs to society of children who do not
develop literacy skills during the early years can include unemployment, criminality,
poor health, and low income. With
libraries being free, welcoming, and open to all, they are ideal facilities to
help prevent such widespread social difficulties,” she said.
Ms Campbell-Hicks
believes the countries she has selected have
similar Western cultures to Australia, suggesting that their programs would be
well received and assimilated in WA.
“Knowledge of these successful programs will
complement the already pro-active stance of WA libraries in early literacy to
maintain momentum and work creatively towards a strong future,” she said.
The Kay
Poustie scholarship is an international study grant managed by the State
Library of Western Australia Foundation. Its objective is to bring an
international perspective to the WA public library network. It is awarded
annually to advance professional development and enhance the role of libraries
across Western Australia as a means to lifelong learning.
The Award was presented by Mr Conrad
Crisafulli, Chair of the Foundation.
“Kay Poustie was a role model and
mentor for many members of the Western Australian public library profession,
and the scholarship enables Kay’s legacy to live on to foster the potential in
library professionals,” said Mr Crisafulli.
“Kay Poustie was a former Chair of
the Library Board of WA and a long serving Library Manager at City of Stirling
libraries. She was an advocate for
learning from colleagues overseas for the benefit of the WA network,” he said.
Mr Crisafulli thanked the many people
who donated funds to establish the scholarship, including the many friends of Kay Poustie.
Donations
to the scholarship or for literacy programs can be made securely at www.statelibraryfoundation.org.au
ENDS
Contact:
Birute
Greenhalgh
Development
& Marketing Manager
State
Library of Western Australia
T: 08 9427 3210
W: statelibraryfoundation.org.au
Background information follows
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ABOUT
KAY POUSTIE OAM (1944 – 2010)
Kay served
twice on the Library Board of Western Australia, first as a representative for
the Local Government Association from 1990-1993,
then as the representative of the Australian Library and Information
Association (ALIA) from 1998-2006. She
twice served as Chairman, firstly during 2001 and later between 2002-2006.
During this time, Kay oversaw major developments in relations
between the State Library of Western Australia and WA public libraries,
including the signing of the Framework Agreement and the acquisition of a
further $10.3 million in local government funds for library resources.
Kay was passionate about library education and was a role model
and mentor for many members of the Western Australian public library
profession. She served on the Australian Library and Information Association
(ALIA) Board of Education. In 1997 she was conferred with a Fellowship of the
Association.
Kay worked tirelessly to see the State Library of Western
Australia Foundation become a reality. A lifelong contributor to non-profit
ventures, Kay also served in a variety of roles as a member of Zonta
International and also for Meath Care.
Kay was awarded the Medal of the Order of
Australia in 2008 for her service to the library and information services
sector and to community organisations. In 2010 the
Library Board of WA posthumously conferred upon her a Library Board Fellowship
in recognition of her significant contribution to the library profession.
ABOUT THE
SCHOLARSHIP
The grant aims to create global experiences for WA based
librarians with a purpose to explore ideas and initiatives of relevance and bring
back the findings for potential implementation to WA’s public library system
from the following areas:
·
Leadership - of the profession generally and public
library services
·
Professional development of staff
·
Innovation in library practice
·
Client service initiatives
ABOUT THE STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
FOUNDATION
The Foundation was established 2009. The Foundation is the fundraising
arm of the State Library Western Australia. It holds Deductible Gift Recipient
status and is a Public Ancillary Fund.
Our Purpose
The State Library Foundation
exists to financially support the initiatives of the State Library of Western
Australia to empower and transform the lives of the Western Australian
community
Our Vision
To have the additional financial
and other resources available to proactively support the aspirations of the State
Library of Western Australia
Our Goals
1.
To secure
financial and in kind donations for the Library’s programs, collections and
capital projects.
2.
To achieve
financial and organisational independence for the Foundation.
3.
To work with
the State Library to:
- Develop collections of Western Australian
significance.
- Encourage a universal regard for literacy and a
literate state.
- Encourage a love of learning, the joy of
discovery and cultivation of creativity.