Pilot Butte’s Paulson named Librarian of the Year
Shelby Paulson, a teacher librarian at Pilot Butte Middle School, was recently selected as the Secondary School Librarian of the Year for Oregon by the Oregon Association of School Librarians.
This is the highest award given by the group, which is the professional group for the school librarians and media specialists in the state.
Paulson has worked as a librarian at Pilot Butte for four years and began her career with Bend-La Pine Schools in 2008 as a media manager at Buckingham Elementary School.
“Shelby Paulson and the library she curates are the epicenter of activity in our school,” said Pilot Butte Principal Steve Stancliff. “Shelby’s experience, knowledge base and teaching skills make her an invaluable resource that all teachers and support staff know they can count on. Most importantly, her love for kids and desire to support their learning is at the heart of all she does.”
Paulson says she is passionate about reading, inspiring a love of books in students and collaborating with teachers to help students learn about research for academic subjects.
“My main goal is always to get kids confident in reading,” said Paulson. “I see myself as a tour guide on a journey with the students through middle school.”
Paulson organizes the school’s Battle of the Books contest and is always looking for creative ways to engage students. She is reorganizing the library to make it more appealing for students — by organizing books into genres.
She also enjoys coming up with creative book displays. This year, for instance, she plans to attract reluctant readers with a display of captivating books that are 100 pages or less that she plans to call “I Don’t Like to Read Books.”
According to OASL, Paulson stood out among the candidates for her “the depth and breadth of her professional experience and leadership, and her development and support of her school library program.”
This is the third time in the past decade a librarian from Bend-La Pine Schools has won this honor. Previous winners include Linda Bilyeu (2009) and Bend Senior High School’s Jessica Lorentz Smith (2012).
