Photo: Recipients of the Donna Shannon Scholarship with SLIS faculty. (l to r) Dr.
Sam Hastings, Faith Barber, Dr. Karen Gavigan, Instructor Gerry Solomon, Christy James and Tracy Payne.
Posted March 24, 2015
By Haley Hinze, first year M.M.C. student
A recently retired School of Library and Information Science faculty member was honored for her outstanding contributions to South Carolina school librarianship and the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL). An 18-year member of the SLIS faculty, Dr. Donna Shannon was awarded the 2015 Distinguished Service Award at the SCASL annual conference.
Shannon was nominated for the award by her former graduate assistant, Sharon Martney who wrote, "I have experienced first-hand her knowledge and love of school librarianship. Her expertise, guidance, and expectations for students in her courses have readied them for their own careers in school librarianship."
In addition to her educational contributions, Shannon served libraries throughout South Carolina and the nation. She published various works, aided in the development of several South Carolina Department of Education documents for school librarians, served in numerous library organizations and completed research on education and library reform.
Shannon was also honored by the faculty of the School of Library and Information Science with a scholarship in her name. The Donna Shannon Scholarship Fund for the 2015 SCASL Conference allowed three students to attend the March conference. Faith Barber, Christy James and Tracy Payne received the award and were recognized at the event by Dr. Karen Gavigan, an associate professor at SLIS.
The South Carolina Association of School Librarians advocates professional excellence, facilitates collaboration, and develops leadership to ensure that school library media programs are integral to teaching and learning in every South Carolina school. Their 40th annual conference, Everyday Heroes, was held March 11-13 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.