LUGOFF, SC (WIS) - Inside the Doby's Mill Elementary School Library, the traditional library is a concept as old as many of the books on the shelf.
Sure there is instruction from the librarians and order in the way the books are catalogued, but the silence that defines nearly every other library in the country is a foreign concept there.
Betsy Long is responsible for all the racket, but if you were to tell her the way she was doing things in her library was incorrect, she'd tell you to ask the New York Times how they felt about her method.
After all, according to them, Long is one of the top 10 librarians in the country.
Long leads yoga in the morning, track club in the afternoons and is a catalyst for noisy reading in between. Principal Virginia Catoe is one of Long's biggest fans. After all, she nominated Long.
"She thinks outside the box," said Catoe. "When I say that, I don't just mean she comes up with these creative ideas and throws something out there to happen, she makes big things happen for these kids."
It's now lunch time at Doby Mill, but you won't find Long hanging in the teachers lounge. She heads up "Lunch Bunch." Many girls give up cafeteria time to have book discussions in the library. It's a group of 5th graders like Brooke Shaffer.
"Ms. Long is amazing," said Shaffer. "Everyday she does 'Lunch Bunch' with us. Right now we're reading 'Love, Aubrey' and I really like it!"
Long was not only the only elementary school librarian to be named to the top 10 list, she was also the only one from the state of South Carolina. It's an honor not lost on Long.
"There are so many great librarians in this state and country and it's so amazing that they chose me," said Long.
Long will celebrate now, but she'll need to do it on her own time. After all, the kids won't be able to find all those books on their own.
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