Jennifer Bueche, Gail Borden Public Library, Named Recipient of the Davis Cup
August 17, 2018
-
The Illinois Library Association’s Youth Services Forum is presenting the 2018 Davis Cup Award to Jennifer Bueche, the Director of KidSpace at the Gail Borden Public Library District. This annual award, honoring Marion Davis, recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in library services to youth. This award is proudly sponsored by the ABDO Publishing Company.
Jennifer has proven to be a dedicated role model to the youth services librarians in Illinois, spending twenty-four years providing outstanding public service at the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin.
Ms. Bueche is a member of the Illinois Library Association (ILA), the American Library Association (ALA) and the Public Library Association (PLA). She has been particularly active in ILA, where she has served twice on the iREAD Committee, in 2000 and 2012. As a board member of the Youth Service Forum from 2006 until 2017, Jennifer has served as co-chair of the Forum and the Youth Services Forum’s Author Breakfast Committee. At professional conferences, Jennifer has shared her extensive knowledge on wide ranging topics, such as lexile levels; alternate book discussion groups; the collaborative Battle-of-the-Books program for schools in District U-46 and as a moderator for the BabyPalooza program.
Jennifer has partnered with local area agencies to the benefit of the Elgin community. After learning that 60% of the students in U-46 were not Kindergarten ready, she has made it her mission to focus on the success of these preschoolers. She not only serves on the Board of the Elgin Partnership of Early Learning (EPEL), but she has brought Developmental and Social-Emotional Screening on-site to the library, working with Easter Seals, the Kane County Health Department, and U-46. She was instrumental in helping Elgin to be named as an Early Childhood Innovation Zone. Ms. Bueche has also worked with U-46 to offer the innovative Summer Reading Challenge camps, whereby summer school classes are held on-site at the library, with a focus on STEAM education and the library’s Summer Reading Challenge.
Under her leadership as manager, the library has revamped their summer reading program to ensure more opportunities for children in area schools and daycares to participate. Her staff offer innovative and leading edge programming, such as, Sensory Storytime; Family Tech Play; Pediatric Therapeutic Playgroup; Creativity Lab; Coding Club and Intro to 3D Design. KidSpace is filled with interactive elements that make it a destination in Elgin.
As stated in her letter of nomination: “Jennifer is a champion for Youth Services. She shares her talents gracefully and abundantly through her work on committees and programming as well as serving families within our community. She has encouraged and inspired countless others to give back to the library profession in similar ways.”
The Davis Cup will be presented to Ms. Bueche at the Awards Luncheon to be held on Tuesday, October 9, at the Illinois Library Association’s 2018 Conference in Peoria. Jennifer will also be honored at the Youth Service Forum’s Author Breakfast held on Wednesday, October 10.
iREAD Summer Reading Programs
Latest Library JobLine Listings
