About the Librarian Who Owns and Monitors This Website...

As we learn about website evaluation, I realize that my website also needs a little biography of the creator.  So, how do you know that I am a trustworthy author for this website content?  I will tell you a little about myself, but remember that I can tell you whatever I want, so you may want to double check what I say through an independent source!

Professional Credentials

I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Master's Degree in Library Science and Teacher Certification.  In 2006, I achieved National Board Certification in Library Media, which I renewed in 2016.  I am an active member of the Wyoming Library Association (WLA) and the School Library Interest Group (SLIG) of WLA, including serving as past-chair.  In Wyoming, I am also a member of the Cody Reading Council and the Wyoming State Literacy Association.

I am also active in my American Association of School Librarians (AASL) membership. I am currently the AASL President-Elect, which means that next year I will be President of the only national organization for professional school librarians. I have previously served on several committees for AASL, including the Board of Directors.

I present sessions regularly at the Wyoming Library Association Conferences, and I am a member of the planning committee for Information Power, a summer conference for school librarians in Wyoming (at which I also present).  I have also presented two sessions at AASL conferences: CCSS My BFF: One Librarian's Journey in Advocacy with the Common Core (2013) and Welcome to the (De) Construction Zone: Digging into Standards to Pave the Way for Learning (2015).  I have also lead a series of webinars about the 2018 National Library Standards, viewable on the Wyoming State Library's YouTube channel.

Other Work Information

I have been a school librarian since 2002, but before that I worked at university libraries for 7 years.  I worked at my college library, and I even worked at the public library in town while I went to High School!  As a little girl I used to organize my books just like a library.  I guess I was always supposed to do this!

I haven't always been a librarian, though. In college, I also taught Chinese practice classes.  I studied Chinese for three and a half years.  During the summer of 1994, I got a chance to go to China to teach English to middle school teachers in Yichang, which is a big city on the Yangtze River.  It was one of my favorite jobs!  Another favorite job was my first one (not counting babysitting).  When I was 13, I managed an ice cream parlor owned by my family!

On a more personal note...

Although a lot of my life seems to be about my jobs and career, I also have interests outside of work.  I am the mother of a wonderful 7 year old little boy, and I call myself mommy to three dogs: Achilles, Nestle, and Snickerdroodle.  I like to hike, camp, watch movies, play games, and (big surprise!) read.  My favorite genre is fantasy. I am also a pseudo-professional storyteller.