2 Innovative Librarians Win National Award

Two librarians from South Gate Junior High School have won a prestigious national teaching award for their innovative programs to encourage reading. Librarians Ruby Ling-Louie and Dale Buboltz are among 10 national winners of the 1992 Reader’s Digest American Heroes in Education award.

One of their projects is a book giveaway program begun to help families establish home libraries. They have obtained thousands of free books from publishers for the program. Parents also get tours of the school library even before their children enroll at the school.

The librarians also established regular planning sessions with representatives of all the private and public school libraries and the public libraries in South Gate on how to encourage community reading and library use. South Gate Junior High has the card catalogue for the local public library on microfilm to make those materials more accessible for students and teachers.

Ling-Louie and Buboltz will split a $5,000 award and the school will receive $10,000. Principal Peter Ferry said the money will be used to enhance library services. The South Gate librarians were among 450 educators nationwide who were nominated by colleagues. Reader’s Digest sponsors the award with a number of education associations.

Ling-Louie, 61, was a library volunteer for 19 years before moving to South Gate Junior High in January, 1989. She was a driving force behind establishing the first public library in Chinatown, which is based in a school and is one of the busiest public libraries in Los Angeles.

Ferry called Ling-Louie a master at selling the idea of reading to students. If she can’t get the school’s teen-agers to the books, she brings the books to the students in their classrooms. “I’ve invited myself to come and share a story or book the first or last 15 minutes of a class period,” Ling-Louie said. “We can read aloud to these youngsters and they enjoy it.”

Ferry praised Buboltz for adding computer technology to the library and coordinating community outreach programs.

Buboltz, 41, a former classroom teacher, became a librarian after working as a substitute in the library one summer. He said he hopes the award will focus attention on the importance of school libraries, which have been a target of recent funding cuts.

“School libraries are in a dire state throughout California and they need support,” Buboltz said.