INFOhio Hugh Durbin Leadership Award, 2006
Debora Reynolds, Library Media Coordinator, Findlay City Schools.
Debbie Reynolds, Library Media Specialist for Findlay City Schools, has been selected to receive the INFOhio Hugh Durbin Leadership Award for 2006 by the INFOhio Governing Board.
Ms. Reynolds explained that her first year as a library media specialist at Findlay High School was a learning experience regarding INFOhio resources. "I came just assuming that the students and teachers, being a large school district with multiple librarians in the past, had been using INFOhio on a regular basis. That was not the case, In fact, none of the 150 teachers at Findlay High School had been using INFOhio's resources," Reynolds said. Working with two influential colleagues was the key. "I taught them about INFOhio's resources and they took that information and promoted the resources to their students. When they brought their students to the media center for their research papers third quarter, the students were excited about the process and appreciated learning new uses for Internet-based research."
The word spread, and now, "On a daily basis, students come to the media center to begin their research with INFOhio," Reynolds explained. "My goal is to make Findlay High School an INFOhio-rich school, and we are well on our way!"
Becky Pfaltzgraf, English Department Chair at Findlay High School, praised Ms. Reynolds for her "knowledge and passion for the utilization of INFOhio. She is the perfect candidate to receive the Hugh Durbin Leadership Award. She has sparked literally thousands of students and a multitude of staff members into making INFOhio their first choice when in need of a credible resource," Ms. Pfaltzgraf explained.
Ms. Reynolds received a stipend to attend the 2006 OELMA Fall Conference held in Columbus, October 11-13, 2006. A formal presentation was made during the OELMA Awards Luncheon.
