Press Release

Monroe School Library Director Receives INFOhio Leadership Award

COLUMBUS – INFOhio, the state’s virtual library and information network for PreK-12 public and nonpublic schools, recently presented Brenda Gehm, Director of Library Services for Monroe Local Schools, with the INFOhio Hugh Durbin Leadership Award for 2009.

Established in 2001, the award honors the memory of Ohio educator Hugh Durbin, who spent his career engaged in providing quality library media programs and resources for all students. It is presented annually to practicing library media center personnel who take an active leadership role in promoting the use of the technology and electronic educational resources available through INFOhio. Today, with technology being used to teach, motivate, captivate and transform ordinary classrooms into multi-dimensional learning experiences, students and teachers alike need to be aware of and know how to use all the tools available to them.

Angie Stitzel, INFOhio Liaison at the SouthWest Ohio Computer Association (SWOCA) ITC, stressed Brenda's leadership qualities "... by serving on the INFOhio Users Council and by continuing to serve as a developer of SchoolRooms™ content. In addition, Brenda shows a propensity for leadership in her profession by her efforts on behalf of OELMA," Stitzel wrote.

Stitzel continued, "Brenda has always been a great support of INFOhio. Not only does she promote INFOhio in the usual ways by providing an overview of the INFOhio resources to each of the students and teachers at her school, but she also uses imaginative strategies to demonstrate how students can use INFOhio resources for their research."

Gehm was selected the Middletown Teacher of the Year in 1999 and received the OELMA Emerging Leader Award for 2009. She serves the Monroe Education Association as secretary and is secretary of her district's Local Professional Development Committee.

In her 33rd year as an educator, Gehm earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and library science from Eastern Kentucky University and a master's in educational administration from Xavier University. In addition to her district responsibilities, she is the media specialist for Monroe Junior/Senior High School. Brenda enjoys reading and travel. Her husband, Richard, is a retired school administrator, and her daughter, Ashley, is a senior at Ohio University majoring in early childhood education.

The INFOhio Hugh Durbin Leadership Award was established in memory of an Ohio educator who spent his career engaged in providing quality library media programs and resources to students from pre-kindergarten children to adults in prison. He supported the professional growth of his colleagues through leadership in OELMA and by sharing his vision for the future of school library media programs in articles and presentations. His professionalism and personal commitment serve as an example for all in the field today.

INFOhio, established 20 years ago, is managed by the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network (MCOECN). Its services are delivered through 23 Information Technology Centers using the existing school telecommunications infrastructure that links school libraries statewide. INFOhio allows every primary and secondary school in the state – regardless of size, location or fiscal resources – to access a core collection of electronic resources.

Ohio school libraries currently have more than 40 million books and non-print resources. INFOhio provides the standardized software to put school library card catalogs online. With this single, Web catalog, Ohio PreK-12 students and teachers can access their own school library as well as any other INFOhio-automated school library throughout the state.

For additional information about this award and applications for 2009, contact:
INFOhio Central Office
35 E. Chestnut Street, 8th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-485-6731
Fax: 614-752-2940
E-mail: central@infohio.org
Web: /LibraryStaff/grants.html