Wendy Burch Jones is a teacher-librarian at Dixon Grove Jr Middle School, and the president of the Ontario School Library Association. An active voice for the state of school libraries and their funding, Wendy has consistently bought attention to the needs of teacher-librarians in Ontario and has even traveled across Canada to work with the BC Teacher-Librarian Association on shared advocacy efforts.
Wendy Burch Jones contributions to school library advocacy are most exemplified by the national #SchoolLibraryJoy social media campaign and the “Dear School Library” advocacy campaign, which involved collecting ‘school library love letters’ created by students, teachers and the wider community and then creating a database of these to share.
Wendy is a confident advocate for growing school libraries in Ontario at a time when our profession and the teaching and learning services we provide to schools are in danger….Wendy is everything – school libraries. She is an advocate for programming, she is an advocate for staffing, she is an advocate for budget, and the overall well-being of school library professionals in Ontario. The Dear School Library Campaign aligns perfectly with this award and the insight of the founder’s views on advocacy and the school library learning commons. – Richard Reid, Teacher-Librarian, Glen Street Public School, Oshawa, ON
Canadian School Libraries is delighted to honour Wendy Burch Jones as a 2025 recipient of the Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Award.
What is the Donald Hamilton Advocacy Award?
The Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Awardwas established in memory of Donald Hamilton, (1938 – 2023), a leader in the field of school libraries and teacher-librarianship throughout his long career, and a strong advocate for the crucial role of school libraries in student learning. The Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Award was established in 2023 in honour of Donald’s outstanding legacy. This award will be presented bi-annually to an individual, group or organization who have publicly and successfully promoted school libraries and/or teacher-librarians, in a significant way, through the media, organized events, presentations, or other forms of public advocacy. This advocacy may have involved a single major accomplishment or a long-term contribution to supporting school libraries and/or teacher-librarians.
For more information go to Donald Hamilton Advocacy Award