School District of Clayton Library Coordinator and Wydown Middle School Librarian Dr. Victoria Jones has been selected as this year's recipient of the Greater St. Louis School Librarian Association Advocate of the Year Award. This award is given annually to a school librarian advocate who supports the library media services in an exemplary manner.

According to her nomination submitted by former colleague Shannon Steimel, “Victoria believes that librarians should be models for not being afraid to try new technologies and ideas. She would say, if you fail, it’s just the beginning of some new kinds of learning. This philosophy is part of why she is always striving to improve her practice and that of those around her. This is evident in the programming she provides for her students.”

For the past 11 years, Jones has used her role as District Library Coordinator to encourage librarians at each District school to develop their leadership potential. She is leading her department through the adoption of new American Association of School Librarians standards into their curriculum. Jones also supports the teachers and students at WMS in countless ways.

“Throughout her career, Dr. Victoria Jones has shown complete dedication to her students, colleagues, and the teaching profession. As librarian, Victoria has created a space filled with innovation, creativity, and acceptance,” explained WMS Social Studies Teacher Emily Szyman. “If you visit us on any particular day, you might find Victoria pushing into a classroom to teach research skills, helping students find the next book they love, bringing a book to a colleague with some ideas about a problem they mentioned to her last week, troubleshooting technology issues at an afterschool meeting, creating screencasts and other lesson resources, and working with small groups of students in the Info C. Among the many excellent, committed educators in the Clayton, Victoria clearly stands out.”

Jones will be honored for her award at the Greater St. Louis School Librarian Association’s awards banquet on April 17.