Retired Teacher-Librarian, Bairdmore School, Pembina Trails School Division
This moving tribute was written for the Fall 2024 edition of the Manitoba School Library Association Journal, and is shared here with permission.
Our hearts are saddened by the news of the passing of recently retired teacher-librarian Alison Bodner. Alison was a dear friend and colleague to many in the Manitoba school and library community. She will be remembered with love by the countless students she has impacted over her illustrious teaching career, by the many teachers, teacher-librarians and library technicians, past and present, whom she guided and collaborated with across Pembina Trails School Division and beyond, by her never-say-no attitude to developing innovative programming, clubs and volunteering for whatever needed to get done, by her enthusiasm for great literature and reading, by her steadfast belief in the power of school libraries to change lives for the better, and by the joy she brought to her everyday life at school and the library community.
Alison began her teaching career in 1987 at Pacific Junction in the Assiniboine South School Division. From September 1991 until June 1997, Alison split her time between Pacific Junction and Beaumont schools. As a young teacher, her love for school libraries continued to grow, so she enrolled in and completed a post-baccalaureate in Library Studies at the University of Manitoba. Before embarking as teacher-librarian and gifted program teacher, this time exclusively at Pacific Junction School, Alision participated in a teacher exchange program and travelled to Geranium, Australia, for a year, where she became a half-time teacher-librarian and grades 5 to 7 classroom teacher. In 2007, Alison moved to Bairdmore School as a much-beloved teacher-librarian where she remained until her retirement in 2022.
Throughout her career, Alison willingly volunteered her time to strengthen various organizations and events dedicated to the work of school libraries. She volunteered on the Board of the Manitoba School Library Association, where she held numerous positions , including President-Elect, President, Past President, Webmaster and Membership Chair. She helped organize and promote several MSLA SAGE Conferences, the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards, countless “I Love to Read” months, “Drop Everything and Read” and “I Read Canadian” events within her school and in the greater school library community. Early in her career, Alison worked with other teacher-librarians to bring the Canadian Images Canadiennne Conference to life in Manitoba.
In 2018, Alison was one of three teacher-librarians in Pembina Trails asked to share her knowledge at an Ignite session for the 2018 Interdivisional (Pembina Trails, Louis Riel, Winnipeg and River East Transcona) Learning Commons Day in Winnipeg. Her topic, the power of collaboration in the library learning commons, was well-received by all the teacher-librarians and library consultants in attendance. Nationally, Alison served for three years as Manitoba’s school library liaison with Canadian School Libraries. As provincial liaison, she worked with her school library colleagues throughout the country to strengthen school libraries across Canada.
As teacher-librarian, Alison was recognized for her outstanding contributions and leadership in the field of school libraries, school library learning commons, and teacher-librarianship across the division, province and country. In 2019, she was awarded the Manitoba School Library Association’s Outstanding Teacher-Librarian of the Year award. In the following year, Alison received the Canadian School Libraries Angela Thacker Memorial Award. It was a proud moment for Alison when she received her award at the Canadian School Libraries’ Treasure Mountain Conference in Toronto in 2020. At the MSLA 2024 AGM last spring, Alison was awarded an MSLA Lifetime Membership for her dedication to school libraries.
Thank you, Alison, for all you have done for school libraries in Manitoba. Above all, we will miss your smile, your kindness and genuine love for all you have met, taught and worked with in our shared library spaces.
Lovingly remembered,
Jo-Anne Gibson
Jo-Anne Gibson is the retired Library Learning Commons Consultant and Teacher-Librarian, Pembina Trails School Division. She was a founding board member of Canadian School Libraries.