Jamaican Teacher-librarian wins award for mastering course management software

Author:   BY RACQUEL PORTER, Career & Education writer porterr@jamaicaobserver.com
Title: 'Alpha' teacher wins tech prize
Date published:  April 20, 2015
Source: Jamaica Observer
URL: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/career/-Alpha--teacher-wins-tech-prize_18776446

Abstract:
The article announces the winner of an award for mastering a course management software named RenWeb. The winner is a teacher-librarian named Hopplin Thompson. Details about the RenWeb software that Thompson mastered and its capabilities are presented. Also mentioned is the company behind the system. Names of the runners-up are also mentioned in the article.

Excerpt:

TEACHER-LIBRARIAN at Convent of Mercy Academy 'Alpha' Hopplin Thompson is the winner of this year's Zed-Makeyla Technology Award for creative use of the classroom management software, RenWeb.

A teacher-librarian is a certified teacher who also has training in librarianship. Hopplin, who received the award at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Thursday, beat out a field of 19 to win the top prize.

Rural Jamaican public library stages first reading competition for boys

Author: Alicia Sutherland
Title: 'Boys who read will lead'
Source: Jamaica Observer
Date published: Monday, May 05, 2014  
URL: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/results/-Boys-who-read-will-lead-_16602614

Abstract:
This news article reports on a reading competition for Grade 4 boys put on by the Manchester Parish Library. The winners of the competition are announced and background information about the purpose of the competition is given. The sponsors of the event are mentioned. It is also reported that this year was the first, for the Boy's Reading Day event.

The article reports speech from the winning school's senior teacher, Eileen Chantiloupe, who makes
mention of the refurbishing of a school library and a resource centre with computers for Richmond Primary School.

Lorraine McLean, the Director of the Jamaica Library Service in Region 5 (Manchester and St Elizabeth), is also reported in sharing her views on the usefulness of information and communication technologies in teaching boys and her anticipation for the implementation of proposed plan of the ministry of science and technology for the distribution of electronic tablets in schools. The article also reports McLean's outlining other services and programmes of the Jamaica Library Service including being the largest provider of free Internet service to the public, the National Reading Competition, Children's Hour on Fridays and a homework programme at selected branch libraries in Region 5.


Development officer at the constituency office, Trishanna Archer, is reported as praising the Jamaica Library Service for 'a long history of making connections, showcasing love, care and appreciation for communities' as well as for the boy's reading competition initiative.


Excerpt:

The event has been taking place for the past six years in an effort to encourage Grade 4 boys to develop a positive attitude to reading and to improve their results in the Grade four Literacy Test.

Director of the Jamaica Library Service in Region 5 (Manchester and St Elizabeth) Lorraine McLean told Jamaica Observer Central that she was particularly proud of Richmond Primary because she has seen their growth from "strength to strength".

Eileen Chantiloupe, a senior teacher at the school, said that the children are of "mixed ability" and the strategy used in teaching is to "meet them where they are".

Currently, students are engaged in storytelling, poetry writing and dramatisation.

Rural school library in Jamaica mounts information literacy awareness display

Author: Karen Sudu
Title: Innswood High 'SHINE' On Jamaica Day
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
Date Published: Saturday | February 23, 2013 0 Comments
URL: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130223/lead/lead9.html#disqus_thread

Abstract:
The article reports on a rural school library in Jamaica, where Dacian Forrest-Gray, the librarian briefly discusses her school library event and the aim of the event. Mentioned is the effort to get the students to become aware of information literacy skills and its importance for their academic success.


Excerpt:
"Today, we decided to have an open day for the school library, where we showcase the library, information literacy, so we mounted a display titled SHINE - Sustained Habits for Improved Necessary Educational Empowerment," explained Dacian Forrest-Gray, librarian.

She added: "We have recognised that our students are not so much information literate and they are not so keen on their educational goals, so we want them to SHINE, and we wanted to show them students who were shining, students who have achieved," said Forrest-Gray.

Trinidad and Tobago's Carnegie Library — a proud legacy

Author: Aruna Harbaran
Title: Carnegie Library — a proud legacy
Date Published: 23 October 2009
URL: http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/letters/2009/10/23/carnegie-library-proud-legacy

Abstract:

A letter sent to the paper by a librarian discussing the age of the Carnegie library, its mission, and how it has been serving the society.

Excerpt:

Carnegie Free Library is 90 years old (1919-2009) and still going strong. What an incredible achievement! During this time it has served to fill more than the information needs of the southern community.

Jamaican Festival Queens to work with school library and promote reading

Title: Festival Queens foster development
Source: Jamaica Observer
Date Published: Wednesday, July 15, 2009
URL: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment/html/20090714T220000-0500_155400_OBS_FESTIVAL_QUEENS_FOSTER_DEVELOPMENT.asp

Excerpt:

The Festival Queen 2009 contestants are focusing their grace, talent, intellect and beauty on boosting Jamaica's development. The parish queens are engaged in numerous community projects that foster nation-building across Jamaica. They are tackling issues as diverse as sexuality, marginalised males, and literacy.


Literacy has the attention of Shanna-Kay Williams, Miss Portland and Kelonie Noble, Miss Hanover. Ms. Williams will be working at the Windsor Castle All-Age School library with 'Recovery of the Youth', a book drive and book club to promote reading. Ms. Noble will carry out the "Read to Succeed" project at Escher Primary.

Commentary:
On Monday, 25 May 2009, on this blog, it was posted that a Jamaican Librarian, Kelonie Noble, was crowned parish queen. This post is a follow up to that post, as it covers the national finals for the Jamaican Festival queen competition. Ms Noble, now unto the finals is engaged in a project to promote reading.

For more information on the competition visit http://www.jcdc.org.jm/ms_ja_bg.htm.

For more information about the organising body behind the Jamaica Festival Queen Competition visit http://www.jcdc.org.jm/index.php.

If you are still interested in knowing more about the competition and its rules, visit http://www.jcdc.org.jm/entryforms/2k9_forms/Fest_Queen_Entry_Form.pdf for guidelines.



Abstract:
Jamaican Festival Queens undertake several projects. Among them are literacy and reading promotion projects. One festival queen, Shanna-Kay Williams, Miss Portland, will be working with the school library at the Windsor Castle All-Age in a programme entitled 'Recovery of the Youth'. This project will establish both a book drive and a book club to promote reading.

Kelonie Noble, another festival queen [and Librarian], is involved in the project "Read to Succeed", which targets the Escher Primary school.

Jamaican Librarian crowned Parish Cultural Queen

Title: Four more parish queens crowned
Source: The Jamaica Observer
Date published: Monday, May 18, 2009
URL: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment/html/20090517T210000-0500_151691_OBS_FOUR_MORE_PARISH_QUEENS_CROWNED_.asp


Abstract:
Article reports on the Jamaica Festival Queen competition for 2009. One such winner at the Parish level is a Jamaican Librarian, Kelonie Noble.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer:

Kelonie Noble, a 23-year-old librarian at the Hanover Parish Library took home the Hanover Festival Queen title and the award for Best Performer and was also the Most Culturally Aware.

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Title: Something Extra
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
Date Published: Thursday | May 21, 2009
URL: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090521/ent/ent4.html

Abstract:
In this article, a picture shows Kelonie Noble, a Jamaican Librarian, winning the parish Festival queen competition.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Gleaner:

Twenty-three-year-old librarian at the Hanover Parish Library, Kelonie Noble, was named Miss Hanover Festival Queen 2009 at a parish coronation show held at the Lucea Anglican church hall on Saturday.

Outstanding Jamaican Library and Information Professional to be honoured

Title: Dr Joyce Robinson new Pineapple Ball honoree
Source: Gleaner
Date: Friday, September 26, 2008
URL: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080926/social/social4.html


ABSTRACT:

The article covers briefly the employment history of the library and information professional, Dr. Joyce Robinson, while announcing the news about her selection for the Pineapple Ball award.

COMMENTS:
This is a remarkable library and information professional that has contributed a lot to the education and development of Jamaica's human resource potential.

She has played a role in Jamaica's public library service, Jamaica's state owned and first television station, the development of an organisation to advance literacy in Jamaica and finally, in the vocational training of those persons who, for one reason or another, do not pursue further academic studies and research.

So fully involve was this professional in advancing Jamaicans' access to information and opportunities for personal and professional development, that her example alone should inspire others in the profession of their calling.

Trends in Caribbean Librarianship

TITLE: The librarian's world...from paperbacks to electronic sources

AUTHOR: Luke Douglas

SOURCE: Jamaica Observer DATE: Sunday, March 23, 2008

ABSTRACT:

"THE traditional image of a librarian is that of a person (usually a woman) who is concerned with organising collections of books and related materials, usually in paper form, in libraries, and servicing users with these resources.

But with the coming of the information age, the career of library studies has evolved to include accessing materials from a range of electronic sources, such as CD roms, DVDs, and of course, that unfathomable frontier of information, the Internet.

Career & Education recently visited the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of the West Indies, where we learned of the new developments in this interesting career."

URL:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20080322T160000-0500_133754_OBS_THE_LIBRARIAN_S_WORLD____FROM_PAPERBACKS_TO_ELECTRONIC_SOURCES_.asp