Community Builder Christy Aguirre, supervisor of the Southgate branch of the Sacramento Public Library (CA), is a noteworthy neighborhood networker, whose literacy outreach efforts have helped triple the branch’s summer reading program to more than 2,000 participants. Aguirre talks about her inspirations and passions, the ways she collaborates with her community, and her thoughts on the future of public library youth services.

Innovator Susan Anderson-Newham, early learning supervising librarian at the Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, WA, talks about the importance of collaboration and a good sense of humor to her work with children, why hands-on play is key to kid’s learning, and her all-time top picks for early learning picture books.

Advocates Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna, who share duties at the Freeport Memorial Library in Long Island, NY, also hold full-time teacher librarian positions at two area high schools, and have devoted countless hours to professional advocacy. These two powerhouses share their inspirations and passions, their best practices for constructive collaboration, and their goals for the future of libraries.

For the full roundup, visit our Youth Services LJ Movers and Shakers page, which will be updated periodically.

“I’m a little obsessed with Doctor Who,” Winner tells School Library Journal, “so I turned my library office door into the TARDIS for Halloween and dressed up as the 11th doctor.”

Teacher librarian, blogger, and gamer Matthew C. Winner, media specialist at Longfellow Elementary School in Columbia, MD, is having the year of his life. Thanks to his innovative ideas and boundless enthusiasm for student learning and engagement, Maryland’s 2012 Outstanding User of Technology Educator can also claim a few more distinctions these days: 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, White House “Champion of Change,” and published author. Ahead of ISTE’s annual conference in San Antonio—at which he will accept yet another honor, ISTE’s SIGMS (Special Interest Group for Media Specialists) annual Technology Innovation Award—Winner sat down with SLJ for an in-depth conversation.

For the past six years, Longfellow’s approximately 450 students (from PreK–5) have met with Winner about once a week for classes that include everything from book selection to digital literacy skill-building to math gaming on the Wii to Skype sessions with other schools. Those efforts have garnered Winner a reputation among students as a provider of unique interactive experiences in the library and—he hopes—created a generation of lifelong library lovers and users.

In our twelfth and final follow-up interview with the school and youth services librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, Winner shares with SLJ his inspirations and passions for the profession, his thoughts on the state of school libraries, and his exciting plans for the future.

You were a teacher before becoming a librarian; how were you called to library science?
I taught 4th grade at Waverly Elementary for 2 years. In that time, I most treasured DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) because we stopped all instruction and shared a read-aloud together. I carefully selected what book to read—often from whatever new children’s literature had the biggest buzz—and it became a time in our day that the students would not allow to be interrupted. In my first year of teaching I began work on my Masters in School Library Media…Waverly’s [librarian] is amazing and was definitely the inspiration for me pursuing a career in school library.

A kindergartener takes library time with the Wii, one of many game-based learning activities that Winner introduced at Longfellow.

What are your top books for kids? For educators? Just for yourself?
Picture books: Anything my 3-year-old and I select from the “New Books” shelf at our public library. Recent favorites include Bob Shea’s Cheetah Can’t Lose, Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd, Night Lights by Nicholas Blechman, and The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett.

Chapter books: here’s what we’ve read with BookBirds (our quarterly book club for students in grades 3–5 and their parents). Otherwise, my wife and I enjoy reading aloud to one another at night and we’re currently reading Rebecca Stead’s Liar and Spy.

Graphic novels for kids:  Hilda and the Bird Parade by Luke Pearson, and A Wrinkle in Time: the Graphic Novel adapted by Hope Larson.

Video games and gamification: Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell, The Gamification of Learning and Instruction by Karl M. Kapp, and Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan.

Adult books: I’m currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn with my ears (audio book) and it is amazing. I’m also rereading Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game in excitement for the movie release.

You’ve made a big push in your school for game-based learning. Can you tell us more?
I’ve been playing video games my whole life. Atari games like River Raid and Adventure are still deeply imprinted in my memory. It’s probably fair to say that each year of my life can be marked in some way by a personal video game milestone, whether it was getting my first issue of Nintendo Power, pretending to be Mega Man with my elementary school friends on the playground, or beating the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the first time. I started using the Nintendo Wii in our library two years ago, when our school purchased two to be used as part of our positive behavior incentive system. I was considering it as an educational tool and something just clicked. I realized there were an endless number of math applications with which the students could connect and that the Wii could be used as an instructional tool. From there it was a bit of a whirlwind of writing math lessons using the Wii, and meeting my colleague Meghan Hearn, [a math support teacher in another Maryland county.]

After Skype announces free video conferencing for educators, Winner conducts a three-way Skype session with colleagues Erin Broderick (@Librarybrods) and Laura Delia (@ldelia) to read aloud a picture book together in honor of World Read Aloud Day.

Your Wii lesson plans have engaged students, parents, and the community—and led to another interesting development. Can you tell us about your upcoming project?
Our Wii Family Competition was designed to offer a night of gaming which encouraged family cooperation and togetherness. I modeled the event after a Wii Math Night thrown by Meghan Hearn. Her evening incorporated stations in which students got to participate in various Wii games while station volunteers facilitated math conversations.

I started seeing all of these connections to Common Core Math Standards when playing WiiSports, WiiSports Resort, and Wii Fit. What started out as a way to support [positive behavior] in our school quickly turned into an experience in which I felt compelled to explore the educational implications of what the Wii had to offer. There are a ton of math concepts inherent to WiiSports games which most players take for granted, so I started looking at what math concepts are being covered at each grade level and then considered which games could be used to support those standards.

If I taught or supported a math standard using the Wii during a Library Media class, then kids could continue practicing that same skill on their Wii at home. Meg was also trying similar things at her school. We very rapidly began to compare notes and consider larger implications for all of our work. So, [now] Meg and I are writing a book for ISTE (expected publication in October 2013) on using the Wii in the general math classroom. It marks the first time in my career where I was able to combine two passions (teaching and gaming) together to create something totally new and original.

Winner’s International Dot Day map marks concurrent celebrations at other schools.

Your student programming isn’t limited to educational gaming, though. Can you tell us more about your other learning activities, both online and offline?
At the end of the 2011–2012 school year I embraced Skype in the Classroom and ended up expanding my PLC tenfold through activities such as Poem in Your Pocket Day, Read for the Record, National Book Day and others. At the start of this year several members of my PLC including John Schumacher (LJ Mover & Shaker 2011) were gearing up to participate in International Dot Day, a celebration inspired by Peter Reynolds’ The Dot, encouraging kids to “make your mark and see where it takes you.”

I knew this would be an awesome opportunity to connect with other classrooms via Skype to share projects and make friends and so I set about creating a plan that would allow me to organize all of these connections. It quickly became apparent that the infrastructure I was developing could benefit many others. I launched a “Be a Connector” project via Skype in the Classroom which allowed others from around the world to connect classrooms to celebrate Dot Day. I then built a GoogleDoc to host “Want Ads” of those who were seeking classes to which they could connect as well as a place for teachers to post their Dot Day schedules and organize connections. Over 50 educators from across the globe became members of and edited the Google Doc. The Skype in the Classroom project page had 40-plus members interested from nearly every continent.

I think it’s really important for the students to have the experience of working, connecting, and collaborating with other students.

Mail pours in to Winner’s school in celebration of International Dot Day.

Do you partner with the public library near you?
I’m blessed to teach in a county with a phenomenal partnership between Howard County Library and our Howard County schools. [It] is something truly amazing and I’m proud to work with our HCL friends every chance I get. I think it’s also a great bridge for our students to see and, through the partnership, our students have gotten to experience some truly awesome events.

What’s it like to hear back from kids you have taught (and their parents)?
It’s the very best feeling in the world. My wife is also a teacher in the county and our house is situated in between our two schools. We run into our students and families all the time. It is an absolute honor to remain in the lives of my students and I consider myself very lucky. I started teaching 4th grade in 2004, so those students actually just graduated from high school. I’m looking forward to running into them now and seeing which are pursuing careers in teaching or (even better) library media sciences! I’m so proud of each and every one of them.

A class of Winner’s students at Longfellow wave gifted paper airplanes during a Skype session with its sister school, after reading I’m Here by Peter Reynolds. Each paper airplane included a personalized and encouraging message from sister school students.

Library Journal called you a “Tech Leader.” Is that how you view yourself?
I’ve always seen myself as an unresting advocate for my students, pushing [for] the very best of myself in my profession and working to innovate in our library classroom while ensuring that our work is student-centered, authentic, and meaningful.

But I don’t view myself as a tech leader, though technology is a central part of my instruction. We use technology when it’s the right tool. I incorporate games into my instruction because video games are a language in which many of my students are fluent, as am I. Gaming is a connection we share. But I try to let the students and their interests lead my instruction as much as possible. In that sense, they are the real tech leaders. I’m just harnessing their powers in the name of good instruction.

What do you think are the biggest challenges now for school libraries?
I see school librarians losing their jobs locally (and across the country) and it just makes me want to scream. There has never been a more important time to advocate for school libraries. In this way, I’m really glad I’ve had so many opportunities to speak with friends, family, colleagues, and the local news about Movers & Shakers. It’s provided the opportunity to talk about school libraries and what really cool things are going on in libraries all across the county.

I feel optimistic about our future. Our work and influence is all over the Common Core and school librarians are proving to be leaders and innovators in our information rich, technology-driven world. It’s a very good time to be a teacher librarian.

Winner’s bulletin board display for Poem In Your Pocket Day.

What do you think school libraries will and should look like going forward?
I operate as if my job could get cut any day now. It keeps me vocal and my program transparent to all of those who may be watching. Advocacy may be the single most important aspect of my job and it’s a banner I’m proud to wave. I need my students to be able to communicate what they’ve learned about using information in Library Media. I need our school families to understand what goes on in Library Media every day and what aspects of the library media program are serving the communities various needs. I need my colleagues to step out of their comfort zones, feel confident in the work they’re doing, and advocate for our profession, whether at the school, district, state, or national level.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I don’t foresee myself leaving the school library any time soon, unless it’s to start a career in writing books for children. I have a couple of developed manuscripts for picture books as well as some ideas outlined for novels or graphic novels. I would love to see if my ideas are worth publishing and would love even more to see a child reading a book that I authored. (Wouldn’t any of us, really?)

What are the best professional development experiences you have ever had?
Being a part of the Level Up Book Club is hands-down my absolute favorite and best professional development experience. Jennifer LaGarde [Mover & Shaker 2012] and I set out to create a book club for professionals to learn more about gamification and game-based learning.The twist was that the online book club itself was run on the principles of gamification, which is to say that it ran like a game…complete with opportunities to level up, achieve epic wins, compete against opponents, and quest with guild members. We hoped to reboot [it] this summer but unfortunately both Jennifer and I are at different stages of our careers and the time we have to give to [it] now would not be sufficient or what [it] deserves. We both hope we’ll be able to revive [it] in the future, though.

Winner’s 3rd graders at Longellow used their media skills to design this infographic for an Earth Pals collaboration, which won the ISTE SIGMS Technology Innovation award.

What is next for you and why?
The idea I’ve had going on the back burner for some time now is to start an ed podcast version of my Busy Librarian blog. I listen to podcasts constantly and I think it would be awesome to create something as conversation as the Nerdist podcast, as interesting as Radiolab, and as fun as Comedy Bang Bang. I envision a weekly chat with someone in education (someone different each week) in which we carry on a conversation about ed trends, swap stories, and inspire others.

Being a teacher librarian grants me the curriculum flexibility to try bold things, take giant risks, and venture off the beaten path. Now in my 8th year of teaching, my experience has brought me to a point where I can seek change and make change through the projects and activities I develop for my students. It’s a very good life.

Photo credit: Robert Karatsu and Sean Guerrero.

In this 11th of a dozen planned follow-up interviews with librarians named as Library Journal Movers & Shakers this year, Perera shares with us her inspirations and passions for the profession, and some of the secrets behind Rancho Cucamonga’s recent success.

How did you get your start in library science?
While I was in college, getting my degree in English Literature, I got a part time job at my local public library. My first day was one of trial and error because my supervisor had called in sick, so I was told to work at the reference desk. It was quite the experience—I didn’t know where anything was, I didn’t know the types of questions I would get, and didn’t know how to use the computers or phone. But luck was on my side, and not only did I persevere, but I realized that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I loved working with the community and loved doing reference.

Were you a library fan as a child?
Alas, I was always that kid that was talking to her friends and eating in the library. In the 80s, that was not allowed.  So, my experience, especially during high school, was getting kicked out of the library almost daily for talking and eating candy.  Obviously, it didn’t deter me, but that is probably one reason our libraries are more like community centers than the “sssh” libraries of the 80s.

Children’s librarian Angelica Trummell hypes the audience for one of Rancho Cucamonga Library’s summer reading program kickoff performances.

What was programming like at Rancho Cucamonga before you were appointed assistant director? What were some of your early goals?
I have been at the Rancho Cucamonga Library since we opened in 1994. We have always had a wonderful slate of children’s programs which expanded when we opened our second location in 2006. We currently offer 18 weekly storytimes plus lots of special events. When we opened the Victoria Gardens location—which is part of a multi-use facility that houses a library, 536-seat performing arts theater and events space and all centrally located in a large shopping district—I wanted to develop a series of cultural programs. We offer quarterly cultural arts nights (Hispanic Heritage Night, Black History Night, Asian & Pacific Islander night, Chinese New Year, Local History Night, etc.) that bring in anywhere from 300 to 900 people. It really has become a family night out, with something for everyone—music, art, dance, crafts, games, storytelling, and more.

It has always been important to me that we offer different kinds of programs, ones that are experiential, educational, and interactive. Some of our signature events, besides the cultural arts nights, are Cookies & Carols (complete with a 150-child choir serenading the participants during the program), Star Wars Day (with about 1500 fans attending), Robot Day (where kids learn about making robots), Superhero Day (with a wide variety of superheroes in attendance), and Hello Kitty Day (to celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday.  In all these programs, we try and create a fun, immersive experience.

Darth Vader Storytime during Rancho Cucamonga Library’s annual Star Wars Day.

What are you most proud of at Rancho Cucamonga?
There are so many things—an amazing programming lineup (which we publish in an annual calendar), the partnerships and relationships we have created over the years, a supportive community, the staff development program we have created (the Staff Innovation Fund™), and our talented and dedicated staff.  But, what I am most proud of is our National Medal award we won this year. It truly is a testament to everything I have just mentioned—programming, partnerships, and our staff.  Our library winning this award (and receiving it at the White House, from Mrs. Obama) was and is an amazing achievement.

Who do you collaborate the most with there?
Mostly, our fellow city personnel (the city manager’s office on citywide projects, the fire district and planning department on a local history program, the community services department on programming and cultural arts, the animal center on programming.  In addition, I collaborate a lot with other libraries—recently eight libraries across California who are going through our Staff Innovation Fund™ program as well as a myriad of libraries and library personnel through the California Library Association.

Families enjoy potting plants during Rancho Cucamonga Library’s annual Earth Day festival, a partnership between the library and the city’s engineering department.

Can you tell us more about the Play and Learn Islands™?
Our islands arose out of a needs assessment to determine the best use for 14,000 square feet of empty space in one of our libraries. Whereas we didn’t have the money to develop that space due to the downturn in the economy, I wanted to use the needs assessment data (significant interest in interactive exhibits) in both of our libraries. From that, the project was born.

I wanted to create interactive, multi-modal, developmentally age-appropriate exhibits for young children and their families, and pulled our children’s team together to make it happen. When we designed and built the island, it was always our intention to make them available (through a loan process) to other libraries in California, and we received grant funding to do it.

In the last two years, over 35 libraries have borrowed our island and we have orders from 30 libraries who are purchasing an island of their own. We knew that if they would be popular in our libraries, they would probably be popular in many.

Which is the most popular Island? Which is your favorite?
The popularity depends on the day and sometimes the program we are offering. Big Build is always popular with boys because they love to build anything. Discovery Dig is always popular at our outdoor events because kids can dig for fossils or sea life or Terra Cotta Warriors or buried treasure, depending on the event. I think the Healthy island is the most popular because it is a mini farmers market stand that conveys the concept of “from the field to the market to the table.” [It] is super popular right now for the Reading is So Delicious Summer Reading Club. We just finished a new island in partnership with the Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility: Renewable Energy. Through colored LED lights, a solar panel, inviting graphics, and toys, it teaches children about the different types of renewable energy. In the future we hope to re-create our IlluminArt island into something more mobile, where light meets art.

Children check out Rancho Cucamonga Library’s IlluminArt Play and Learn Island.

Why did you see the need for these types of interactive activities?
That is what our community really seemed to respond to when offered…we did an extensive needs assessment on interactive learning and activities four years ago and there was an overwhelming response for this. I [and my staff have] studied the value of playing and learning in a child’s life. We have tailored staff days to this topic, visited children’s museums, attended children’s museum conferences, and done quite a bit of research on the topic.

What is next for you and why?
I need to figure out how to leverage successes like the Mover & Shaker award and the National Medal to build out that second floor of the library!  The time is right for our library to expand and as the assistant library director, I need to help figure out how to make that happen.

What do you think are the big issues and challenges in children’s services right now?
I think the state of children’s services right now is promising. There are lots of challenges, of course, like providing programming and services to a changing clientele—balancing high tech and no tech opportunities, staying relevant in a constantly changing environment, competing with a wide array of private opportunities children have, developing mutually lucrative partnerships, etc.  But the children’s librarians I know are motivated and creative, and dedicated to providing quality programming and services. So I am confident we are moving in the right direction.

What do you think children’s services should look like going forward?
Based on my experience here in Rancho Cucamonga, I think children’s services should morph more into family services, providing something for the whole family and encouraging multi-generational use, programming, and services. There seems to be a disconnect sometimes between the parent and child during library programs, so having programs that appeal to the whole family encourages that ever-so-important interaction.

Children enjoy a zumba class among the stacks at Rancho Cucamonga Library during its annual Hispanic Heritage Cultural Arts Night.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
I have been fortunate that there have been a few: developing the Staff Innovation Fund™ for my staff and now for several libraries across California (first part is training in grants, project management, marketing and branding, talking to power, and then a dedicated innovation fund to use for special projects); being the program chair for the 2011 California Library Association Conference (it really got me involved with a great organization); and having the Play and Learn Islands™ be so successful and have so many libraries wanting to buy them.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
My long-term career goal has always been to make a positive change in my profession, and hopefully through projects like the Play and Learn Islands™ and Staff Innovation Fund™, through teaching for several years at San Jose State’s MLIS program, and through my work with the California Library Association, I hope I am making steps towards that.

“Having a successful summer reading program requires passion and organization skills. When you have these two things, the rest seems to fall in place,” Aguirre tells School Library Journal. “My staff can verify that I am ecstatic this time of year. This is my holiday season!”

In this tenth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, we catch up with Aguirre to learn more about her inspirations and passions, the ways in which she collaborates with her community, and her thoughts on the future of public library youth services.

How did you know library science was the right choice for you?
When I did my first storytime, I realized I had a special connection with children and an extreme compassion for their teachers, parents, and caregivers. I am one of two people in my family to go to college. (My niece just got accepted to Notre Dame. I’ve been sending her books since she was born!)  I know what it is like to struggle with learning to read at a young age and my heart is dedicated to serving the needs of the reluctant reader.

Can you tell us more about Southgate’s summer reading program?
Summer reading is a big deal! I make sure my team starts planning six months in advance and we always know what funds we have to work with. It is most important to know your community. I regularly attend meetings and constantly look for ways to partner with local organizations. I listen to what our neighbors want and need from their library. We are fortunate to have such amazing community partners. Coordinating and overseeing all that happens at our little branch takes an enormous amount of effort; I am nothing without my team. I take teamwork seriously and we must serve each other with the same dedication as we do our [patrons]. If we are not excited about summer reading, we can’t expect the public to care. I believe our neighbors view our library as their own living room—a place to relax, to accomplish tasks, or to gather with others to build community.

What books are on your all-time top lists for summer reading?
There are so many but here’s what comes to mind: anything written by Mo Willems, all of the “Fancy Nancy” books, Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, anything written by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (hands down, one of my best adult book Club discussions ever. I’ve also recommended this book for parent/teen book clubs).

What are you reading right now for yourself? What new books are your favorites?
Becoming Marie Antoinette: A Novel by Juliet Grey (for our second Saturday book club), Doll Bones by Holly Black, P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia, Feel Good Food: Wholefood Recipes for Happy, Healthy Living by Tony Chiodo, Don’t Let the Republican Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (recently given to me as a gift), Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen, and any cookbooks by Gordon Ramsey.

What were your programming goals when you got started at your library?
I was determined to start at least three annual programs a year. Since then, we have established annual programs for Read for the Record, Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros, Free Comic Book Day, Read Across America for Dr. Seuss’s birthday, Star Wars Reads Day, and next year we will include May the 4th Be With You.  My goal is to double attendance for all programs on an annual basis. Our Summer Reading Program is probably more elaborate than previous years and we will hold a big National Night Out party in the library parking lot for the second year running.

What are you most proud at Southgate?
My staff!

What’s it like to hear back from kids who participated in your programming?
Kids are constantly saying, ‘hey I know you, you came to my school/class/baseball summer camp.’  I always answer, ‘oh yeah, I remember you’ (with a wink of course). The goal is to make a personal connection with children. This is their library and I’m one of their local librarians. The biggest compliment is when kids come back and report how much they enjoyed a program. When they ask, ‘can we do this every week?’ we know we are successful.

Last year, the teen librarian and I hosted a mother/daughter sleepover. Their favorite part of the night was discussing Hunger Games (they all received a free copy beforehand) and playing Marco-Polo Mom in the library. When we gave them Catching Fire and Mockingjay to take home, they couldn’t believe it. Leticia told me, ‘This is better than Christmas.’

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
I was super shocked. This seems like an extension of the Outstanding Librarian in Literacy Award 2012 from CLA—one award lead to another for various reasons. Our branch outreach efforts have proven successful and it is a huge compliment to be recognized by my colleagues. It is a really good feeling.

You were pegged as a “Community Builder.” Is that how you view yourself, too?
This is exactly me! Community building is a way of life, not just a job. I’ve come to realize that it is our community neighbors that teach me, not the other way around. It is the public that makes me better at what I do. The most important thing is to pay attention to the needs of those that you serve. To be with each other in a nurturing and compassionate library environment is a gift.

What do you think are the biggest issues and challenges for youth library services?
The biggest challenge seems to be centered around the need to keep our youth engaged in reading. They have so many distractions: cell phones, TV, social networking, etc. We need to constantly be ready to grab their attention whenever possible.

What do you think youth services should look like going forward?
I think we need to electronically be where our youth are. Two of my librarians tweet for our library branch and it is amazing how many teens we have show up for DIY crafts. For the younger kids, I believe we need to reach the whole family whenever possible.

Youth services needs to be a strong network of community support. My goal is to have kids hear about the library from multiple sources: school, parks and recreation, summer camps, church, bus stops, festivals, entertainment parks, the bookmobile, and after-school hang-outs like parks, fast food places, or local coffee shops. We work hard at being visible within our community.

What’s your advice for librarians seeking to improve community outreach?
Start by creating a community map listing: health and human service agencies, schools and school-based programs, local government, local media, social clubs and neighborhood organizations, businesses, religious organizations, and other. I learned from Family Place training. Once you have something to look at, you can strategically start meeting people to build partnerships. It may seem overwhelming, but I focus on everything within a five mile radius first. I know that we serve 5000 kids under the age of five within [that] radius. This helps prioritize our outreach efforts. Every library community varies and you can adjust your plan accordingly.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
Learning from my fellow staff at the Sacramento Public Library, the San Jose Public Library and the Los Gatos Public Library. I have been extremely fortunate to work with such awesome people.  From janitors to shelvers to facilities, IT, library services assistants, friends of the library, volunteers, security, acquisitions, librarians, admin and those pesky library directors (you know who you are), I always try to absorb knowledge from the experts around me. They are my best teachers!

As far as being professionally re-charged, inspired, and continually challenged, the ALA New Orleans 2011 and CLA San Jose 2012 conferences have proven invaluable. Hearing Joan Fry Williams speak at the San Francisco Public Library was also a big turning point for me.  Finally, Dr. Fisher’s library management class at San Jose State University has helped my thinking process throughout my career.  Seriously, ‘thank you’ seems somehow inadequate in expressing my gratitude.

Rose and Margaux with Sara Kelly Johns at the NYLA SSL 2012 conference, after presenting a session together with Sara on advocating for your libraries by making a community connection.

In addition to their part-time positions at Freeport Memorial—where DelGuidice is a  youth services librarian and Luna is a bilingual reference librarian—these two powerhouses of the profession also hold full-time teacher librarian positions at Garden City High School and Freeport High School, respectively.

Since meeting in 2004 at a monthly meeting for school district librarians, the two have become close collaborators in their efforts to advocate for school libraries and for the public library in their community, and, more recently, to take their advocacy to the national stage through conference presentations, free webinars for their colleagues, and continued professional development.

In this ninth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, DelGuidice and Luna share their inspirations and passions, their best practices for constructive collaboration, and their goals for the future of library advocacy.

How did you know that librarianship would be a good fit for you?
Margaux: Growing up I spent every free moment of my weekends and summers at the library. In college, I used to cut the classes to hole up in the library and read for hours on end. The library has always been a comforting place for me and continues to welcome and nurture me like the supportive arms of a best friend. After following my friends down a career path into the business world I realized that corporate America was not the place for me. I needed a job that had substance and soul, where my work would really help others and make a difference.

Rose: I have always been involved with and drawn back to the library…I actually attended my first ALA conference in NYC as a child, with my cousin, Mary Oppman. Mary was an amazing, pioneering librarian who exuded energy and excitement about the positive difference libraries could make in the world. I was also in the library club in fifth and sixth grade and my first job in high school was a page at our public library. While I was in college studying opera I was placed in a work study program in the college library. But I wasn’t convinced that I could be myself and be happy in a lifelong library career until I attended a REFORMA conference in Austin, TX. The REFORMA librarians were the coolest librarians I had ever met. They welcomed me, introduced me to people, and made me feel right at home.

Margaux holds a copy of her book with Rose, Make A Big Impact @ Your School Board Meeting, in her school library.

How do you take advantage of your dual positions to serve the kids in your community?
Margaux: One of the first things I did at Garden City High School was to reach out to the young adult librarian at the public library. Four years later, that same librarian has become a good friend and ally, as we fight for students to have the access they need to succeed in high school and beyond. This past October, she reached out to me and [my colleague] Lois Kuster to present at a joint Summit on the Common Core at the Garden City Public Library. This event never would have happened if there was not an organic and natural collaborative relationship in place between the two institutions.

Rose: I am better able to help our students and staff access information between both locations. I am also able to share school projects with the public librarians and share with our students and staff the great resources for them to use from the public library and online. It makes collaborating much easier. We have provided all incoming 9th grade students with library orientations—the public librarians come to our high school and make sure students have a public library card and recognize a familiar face so they are comfortable going to the public library. I can assist the public librarians in feeling comfortable at the high school and give them tips for presenting that information to our school.

Margaux and Rose deliver the keynote presentation at a recent joint conference at the Cervantes Institute in NYC. The conference was organized by REFORMA,s Northeast chapter.

What is a typical day or week like for you at your respective schools?
Margaux: I’m always juggling something; there is always meaningful work to be done. Each day brings new opportunities to make my role and my library visible: A teacher to collaborate with, a student to conference with on a paper, a research project to pull and create resources for, a college student’s paper to edit and an information literacy lesson to teach. On an average day, nearly half of the school passes through the physical walls of my library and numerous others connect via 24/7 access to our online resources. For a school that houses only 1150 students we have an astounding number of students that use the library on a daily basis. During the 2012–2013 school year we had over 12,000 students use the library during study halls and senior “off” periods and over 35,000 students sign-in to the library during their lunch periods, that is more people than the population of my town!

Rose: My high school has approximately 2000 students and on any given month we have 3500 to 4000 walk-ins plus another 1500 to 2500 for scheduled classes. So from the moment I walk into my library, I’m bombarded by requests and I must be able to deftly switch between the competing priorities. One minute I may be helping a student with a research project and the next setting up a temporary lab space with laptops for a full class lesson on our online databases. In order to meet the needs of our students I have taken the time to train library interns with running the circulation desk and clerical tasks while I teach. After school, I stay to keep the library open for students through a 21st Century grant. This has been a very successful program that really seems to help students complete their work and improve their level of overall achievement. At the public library, I also conduct an adult Spanish book club, called Grupo de Conversación de Libros Latinos, with native and non-native Spanish speakers.

Margaux and Rose at “ImaginOn,” the closing celebration at AASL’s conference in Charlotte, VA, in 2009, after presenting a concurrent session on advocacy.

How have you shaped programming over the years to reach your communities?
Rose: Prior to working in the school district I worked as an outreach librarian at Freeport. We had a lot of great programs, but I felt we needed to diversify them. Not everyone is interested in classical music, so I suggested we get a Mariachi group, gospel, etc. We also began to offer classes on the Internet in Spanish. We now have many wonderful programs due to the contributions of many people at the library. We also just had our first Spanish Language Resource Fair, which I collaborated on by connecting with our school district to bring in student performers and alumni. I even sang bilingual children’s songs to entertain children and their parents.

Margaux: Garden City High School is in a very exciting place right now. We have planned activities that help students combine their love of all things digital with reading for pleasure and self-expression. The purchase of 25 Nook eReaders has added to our programming options as we now have a Nook Book Club that consists of both students and teachers. When there is a high profile title that students are clamoring to read (like The Hunger Games) we meet as a group to discuss and debate. We have been fortunate to have some very gifted authors pass through our school [but] this year, the loss of instructional time due to Superstorm Sandy halted our options to host a big author assembly. We opted for an informal author chat and writing workshop hosted by Jen Calonita in the library after school. The coziness of that intimate meeting has remained with the students long after her visit.

What are each of you most proud of at Freeport? At your schools?
Margaux: I am so proud of the role that the library plays in this diverse community, my hometown. The entire village of Freeport was decimated by Superstorm Sandy, yet when I showed up to work two nights after the storm, the library was open, alive and buzzing. It was the literal calm in the middle of the storm. Additionally, the library has a truly wonderful, collaborative relationship in place with all of the K–12 schools and school librarians in the district. The school district librarians and many of the public librarians maintain constant communication. This type of an open relationship is unfortunately rare in the library world, yet it truly works to serve the students in this diverse community. At Garden City High School, I am extremely proud of the work that we have been doing to teach research and information literacy skills using content from almost every area of the high school curriculum.

Rose:  I am most proud of the progress we made in our school over the years. The library at the high school used to be closed often for various meetings and testing, but over the years we have communicated the importance of the library to our administrators. The library is now rarely used for testing or administrative meetings. The students get upset if we close! Our library has become an important place for research and collaboration.

Can you tell us more about your webinar series and your presentations?
Margaux and Rose: After presenting at three national conferences, giving one national preconference presentation and speaking at numerous state and local library associations on how to successfully advocate for your library position and program, we recognized that there was a need to reach even more librarians on this important topic. Webinars are a great way to reach librarians that cannot afford to travel or do not have the time to leave their jobs or homes for days at a time. We worked with the team at EasyBib and used their platform and contacts to give our first webinar and share our tools, tips and tactics. Since then we are working with Follett Software to give webinars on advocacy and the Common Core, and with other local BOCES organizations. We also know how important it is to reach those that are in a leadership position as administrators in school buildings and districts across the country.. we have plans to bring these advocacy webinars on the link between certified school librarians and student achievement directly to those key decision makers.

Margaux and Rose after presenting at a pre-conference session at AASL 2011 in Minneapolis, MN.

Do you have any advice for librarians seeking to improve outreach in their communities?
Margaux and Rose: You need to love what you do and have it show when you communicate with others. It is the one-on-one contact that makes the difference. A flyer or a newsletter will never be enough to draw people in without that personal touch. I find when doing outreach that so many do not realize all that great services provided by school and public libraries. We need to make people aware of the amazing resources available to them. It is important, as a school and public librarian, to make sure that you are getting out there and actually showing people. There have been many occasions where we have volunteered our personal time during the evening, and on weekends, to conduct outreach by speaking at community group meetings, or running programs. The benefits will be the payoff in the long run.

What are the big issues and challenges for youth services right now?
Margaux and Rose: Of course funding and public support are always the two biggest challenges to any library program, but I think it especially is important with regard to the support for youth library services and youth services programming. There is a misconception out there that just because children, tweens and teens can login to Facebook, or check their e-mail on a smartphone that they no longer need information literacy guidance or educational instruction. School librarians and youth services librarians are needed now, more than ever, to guide our students and patrons to be good digital citizens and to teach them how to effectively analyze, assess and utilize all forms of information.

We are both also frustrated by the pervasive amount of filtering that happens in schools, along with the policies in many school districts that do not allow students to use mobile devices for learning in the classroom. As librarians we are always looking to work with administrators to find feasible ways to rectify these situations. [For example, Margaux was recently appointed to a district-wide technology committee that is looking to address Social Media and BYOD policies and other technological issues.]

What do you think youth services should look like going forward?
Margaux and Rose: Youth services need to constantly adapt to the changing needs of our younger patrons to remain relevant in an increasingly digital society.  For example, delineations between “Children’s Rooms” and “Young Adult/Teen Areas” are so important. Young adults need to know that they have their own physical, and virtual, space at the library and that they will be respected for their unique ideas and perspectives as they move towards finding their way into the adult world.

A teen might come off the street and into the library because he heard that Friday night was XBOX Gaming Night and then may (as a result of this exposure), pick up a new book to read, gain some new acquaintances, and check out some of the other programs the library has to offer. Youth services should be the portal for tweens and teens into a safe world where they are able to express themselves, learn about new technologies, explore their hobbies and connect with others.

Rose and Margaux take a time-out at the 2011 Book Festival in Washington, D.C., after attending the 2011 School Library Journal Leadership Summit in Arlington, VA.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
Margaux: My dream is to write a New York Times bestseller, live off of the royalties, and pursue a career as a personal trainer or yoga instructor. However, if that does not work out, I think there may be a doctoral degree somewhere in my future. I currently work as an adjunct professor of academic writing and research; however I have always longed to educate aspiring teacher librarians and public librarians by teaching full time on the university level while also pursuing my other dream of writing.  I am an active member of SCBWI and have had some creative short stories published I hope that in the future I will be able to carve out even more time to devote to writing a novel.

Rose: A personal goal on my checklist is to put together a cabaret vocal performance at a venue in NYC, such as Don’t Tell Mama’s. I have taken cabaret performance classes with the 2013 MAC Award Winner for Major Duo-Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock. I want to focus on improving my technology expertise and continue to help others integrate technology. On my wish list is attending ISTE, which I am very excited to be attending for the first time in June. I look forward to continuing to advocate for libraries, especially by communicating our message to administrators. We may do a webinar for School Leadership 2.0 in the near future.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
Margaux: Mentors have always helped to pave a successful path for me and I have learned by their examples. I have been very fortunate to have some fabulous mentors over the years from my district provided mentor at my very first school library job (thanks Nancy!), to Sara Kelly Johns, who was my mentor when I was chosen as a GALE/Cengage SLJ  “New Leader” back in 2010. In 2011, I was a selected to be a member of the ALA “Future Perfect” Task Force. Through that appointment I was able to learn from the committee chair Brett Bonfield on how to make big changes happen in a meaningful and impactful  way. And of course Rose, who has been my unofficial mentor since that first district librarian’s meeting all those years ago.

Rose: I took an incredible course called “School Leadership and Human Relations Skills for the Proactive School Library Media Specialist” with Michael Keany, who is now the co-founder of Leadership 2.0, a site dedicated to providing/sharing the best practices in school leadership. This course played an essential role in my taking increased initiatives in advocating for school and public libraries and strategically thinking about the way I could gain a seat at the decision-making table. I have also followed Joyce Valenza’s blog for years and have learned so much from her.  I feel as if she is a virtual mentor and more recently I have also presented with Sara Kelly Johns. Singing in cabaret classes has also helped with presenting—another form of performing.

Lisa M. Lopez and her marionette theater set up for Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

“The library is the center of our school,” says Zavala Elementary School librarian Lisa M. Lopez, passionate storyteller, bilingual literacy advocate, 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, and the unofficial Little Free Library ambassador to El Paso, TX.

Through Lopez’s efforts, Zavala became the first location in Texas to install a Little Free Library (LFL) book exchange box—two, in fact, both inside and outside the school, just one way that she has helped students become invested in their own literacy. In addition, Zavala devotes the entire month of April to storytelling events in honor of Día de los niños/Día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) celebrations, inspiring students to go out into the community and become storytellers themselves.

“Something that I try to incorporate here at the library a lot is allow that hands-on, for them to be creative, and not just read what is available, but also be creators,” Lopez tells School Library Journal.

In this eighth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, Lopez tells us more about her inspirations and goals for the profession, her favorite engaging K–5 books and authors, and some of the challenges facing school libraries today.

How did you know library science was the right fit for you?
My first teaching position was that of enrichment, so I did lots of fine art. That’s when I got into storytelling. I started creating my own puppets using paper bags, recyclables—and I had students do the same thing after I performed. I really enjoy fairy tales and folktales, so I would do a long thematic unit on those, and then allow students to do fractured fairy tales, allow them to be creative. I’ve always been very fortunate to work with all grade levels, which is why a school library was the perfect fit for me. You really do get to have an impact, not just on your classroom but on the entire student population.

And also during the summers when I was an enrichment teacher, I would drive around to yard sales and I would start purchasing children’s books. I started noticing that my collection was growing by the thousands, and it was really hard organizing them. So then I started researching the ways to categorize them, and that’s when I realized that a profession in library science would be great for me! One of my biggest passions is picture books; just managing my huge personal collection opened my eyes to the importance of collection development and exposing students to the variety of authors out there.

We’re always looking for recommendations for multicultural books and bilingual books. Where do you source these kinds of books for students?
Children’s Book Press is a great place to go to look for bilingual and multicultural books; that’s one  place that I like to browse to see what’s out there and what’s got star reviews and the REFORMA newsletter as well. And Pat Mora has written close to 40 or 50 children’s books, which have a lot of bilingual words, and she talks about her childhood in El Paso, and [my] kids can really relate to that. But it’s certainly tough. They are limited. We also have here Cinco Puntos Press, the local publishing company. So that’s another great go-to place that I like to browse.

What are your favorite books for children? What’s most popular at your school?
For early readers, I really like Mo Willems. All of the “Piggie and Elephant” books are just phenomenal at making students realize the power of reading, because they’re just so funny and his illustrations are simple, but they convey so much expression. Students really adore Mo Willems, so he is one of the first authors I always try to introduce with them to try to develop that pleasure of reading.

And then of course, after they start getting older, graphic novels are it. They’re really just revolutionary, the way students read [them]. So some examples would be Lunch Lady, those are very popular at our school library, and Baby Mouse. And of course the “Amelia Rules” books.

I’ve noticed that boys are quick to pick out the Marvel books and all the action heroes [but] I noticed that girls needed something more towards themselves, female protagonists. “Amelia Rules” really has excited our female population here, and they’ve started reading graphic novels as well. So it’s definitely a very popular genre here at Zavala, and it’s everywhere, not just here. And The Boxcar Children graphic novels. We have plenty of the old chapter books but they weren’t really being circulated; ever since the graphic novels came out, an explosion of excitement! So I really do recommend them.

That’s primarily how I’ve been spending my library budget these last two to three years—purchasing graphic novels that are appropriate for them.

What are you most proud of at your school?
Something that is huge here for us is Día de los niños/Día de los libros. Pat Mora, the children’s author and poet, is from El Paso and is actually a dear friend of mine. She comes once a year and she’s been very encouraging of the continuum, the storytelling events that I host for the entire month of April. So I do the folktales and fairytales—to me, they are essential, because they teach morals—and I do a play with my marionette sets and little houses. I put up a performance for every grade level. Then I have third, fourth, and fifth graders do their own plays for the lower grades, which is phenomenal. This is where I encourage their creativity. They’re not to spend any money. I provide them with a box where I receive my Scholastic books or Follett books, and they gather the construction paper, string, and start drawing their marionettes with paper. Everything is paper based.

Zavala students showcase their plays and stages made out of recyclables at Dia 2012.

It’s really exciting for little ones to observe older students’ public speaking and presentation skills! It’s truly been a blessing focusing on that side of storytelling where students are creators and presenters.

Can you tell us more about how you collaborate with classroom teachers?
When they came in to see my [first storytelling] performance, they saw how attentive students were and how excited they were. Storytelling is just one of those things that…I don’t want to say it’s a lost art, but it doesn’t happen anymore, especially the types of marionettes that I use and I also do it bilingually. But it has captivated teachers and they get excited, too. So I think that has really helped for them to help their students, give them class time to work on their little theaters and their marionettes.

Can you tell us more about Día de los niños/Día de los libros in your community?
The last Saturday of April I invite a large group of students to perform at our local [celebration], which is organized by the El Paso Public Library. It’s a huge event here in El Paso, where the community gets free books and there’s all literacy-based activities.We go to the storytelling booth and my students get to present! It’s been wonderful—the audience, and the support that we’ve gotten is quite tremendous.

Storytelling is huge for me. Huge for me. And filming the performances, and showing those in future years. That’s really powerful. It reminds [students] of the power of creativity. Anything captured on video is really neat, and then showing it again to the lower grades—it’s quite a powerful learning tool.

Zavala students perform a Sponge Bob play during El Paso’s Día celebration.

What’s it like to hear back from your students?
The first year that I did the storytelling as a librarian here at Zavala, I had a set of twins who were in fifth grade, and they put on a beautiful Hansel and Gretel play that they wrote. Right now they are finishing middle school, and every year in April they send me a message that they want to help out and do storytelling for Día de los niños/Día de los libros. So it had a huge impact on them.

Who do you collaborate the most with day to day? Does that come naturally to you?
It has to be our faculty, the teachers. Well, throughout my MLIS courses, collaboration was a huge topic. Without it, the library becomes isolated, it becomes an island. So you really do have to go out there and do some outreach yourself with the actual school community, because otherwise students will just come in to get books and they’ll be in and out.

And that’s not the purpose of a library. To me, the public library [is] a community center where people get to enjoy themselves and read whatever—a magazine, a book, a reference material. It’s making them feel welcome. It’s a place for them to relax and have fun.

Lopez poses happily with students the day they were interviewed by local news stations.

How do you feel about being a Mover & Shaker? Do you view yourself as a marketer?
More than a marketer, I feel like a promoter. If you collaborate—and you don’t do everything by yourself, if you collaborate—and you have other people develop an interest, it’s just going to flourish a lot quicker. There’s just no way that I could have done everything that I’ve done by myself, for instance, the LFL movement and Día de los niños/Día de los libros, two wonderful literacy initiatives.

The students have been the most supportive. They can’t believe that we’re close now to 50 Little Free Libraries across our borderlands. They love knowing that we were the pioneers, the first ones in the state of Texas and in El Paso to start this simple yet powerful concept of a free book exchange. So I try to keep them updated on the progress of the libraries and show them the Google map on the LFL website so that they can see. When I started this, there weren’t really that many. Now, we’re talking about thousands.

What do you think are the biggest challenges for school librarians right now?
Budgetary cuts, that’s a huge one, especially here for our school. Ultimately that’s been the main [issue] that’s impacted our school community. Our students were used to receiving free books from Scholastic every year, from Reading is Fundamental, which had been funded since the 1960s by the federal government, and it just got slashed. And this is the first year that they’re not getting any new books at all [through that program]. We would get three free books per student a year and the kids were just excited to come in and choose their own reading materials. It’s a huge sense of ownership.

We are surrounded by extremely low socioeconomic communities, so it really just took away a big part of my job and also what a library stands for. I got lucky: I applied for a grant to the El Paso Community Foundation and they [gave] me $1000 to purchase some more books. .

What is your biggest focus going forward?
For one thing, meeting the diversity of our patrons. A lot of kids now want the technology, they want the gaming, while others [want] the hands-on puppetry, storytelling, the old traditions to enjoy literacy. So it’s meeting those different needs. [And] here for our school, the standardized testing is a major challenge that we all get stressed out about, because it takes away from our authentic teaching and learning. So that is a huge issue that we’re all facing…we’re hoping it will be more of a memory in the years to come. Because it’s really taking away a lot from our students.

When/why did you start your website? Has it accomplished what you wanted?
A lot of our teachers don’t have a blog or personal website that showcases their work, and I tell them that it’s essential. It’s your professional portfolio. You’re letting others know—and not just your local community but other people that are interested in what you’re doing—and they can check it out. And so I created that as a personal library website and I like to add videos of what we’re up to.

What has been the best professional development experience you’ve ever had?
Being an active member of professional library associations has really been the biggest blessing in my career. I started in 2008 with REFORMA; they came to El Paso [for] their conference. I was lucky enough to attend and volunteer and I met the president at the time, and I got to network with some big names in the profession. It was such an eye opener to the essential nature being involved in these professional library associations and attending conferences. So I saw it as a huge step and a great networking tool. [At] ALA Chicago in 2009, I was just amazed. I came back so refreshed and empowered with what I had gathered out there, and the new tools, too, to continue improving myself.

What would you love to do in your career that you haven’t done yet?
I have a lot of people encouraging me to get a Ph.d, but at this time I’m actually expecting my first child, so it’s kind of a change for me! I’m excited, but I understand it’s a completely different journey than the professional. Because I love ALA conferences, professional development and stuff like that. So for now I’m going to start focusing a little bit on family, but I will do this!

I’ve actually considered for a long time moving on to the public sector and starting off as a children’s librarian, and doing the outreach programming. I love that! I really do. After that, I would love to be a branch manager. So those two are on my wish list, and hopefully at some point in my life I will definitely get to experience the public sector.

In this seventh of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Movers & Shakers this year, Depper talks to School Library Journal about her inspirations and passion for the profession, her favorite read-aloud titles, the importance of collaboration and community, and why the library is critical to giving every child a good start in life.

When/how did you know library science was the right choice for you?
Right after college I worked for a few years at the amazing Tattered Cover Book Store here in Denver, where I spent a lot of time in the children’s area. At first I gravitated to that section because I had been such a reader as a kid that I still knew a lot of the books, and I loved reading the new ones. Then I discovered how much fun it was to talk with the kids about what they were reading and how satisfying it was to help adults find just the right book for the children in their lives.

One of my bosses at the time was Louise Brueggemann (who is now a librarian too) and she started to give me little inventory projects, which got me intrigued with the process of managing and organizing a collection to suit a particular community. I decided that working with children, families, books, and information was what I wanted to do. Libraries had been a big part of my growing up: we used the library all the time; my mom, Rhonie Zymboly, was head of circulation for many years at our local library; and I paged there in high school. I realized that, while I had gotten a great start professionally in bookstores, I wanted to move forward in libraries.

Why children and families as a specialty?
At first, it was the books that brought me to youth services, but now it’s about the relationships. Being a parent is hard work; being in a family is hard work. It does take a village to raise a child, and many of us just don’t have that big of a village to work with anymore, for a number of reasons. For the library to be able to step in and provide help and support and a friendly face and a welcoming place and the answers to questions—that’s huge. I’m very happy to be a part of that.

Can you tell us more about your feelings toward early literacy?
Oh my goodness, you know I have lots of feelings about early literacy! When I was in library school in the early 1990s, early literacy wasn’t even on the radar. Baby storytimes weren’t even on the radar! We knew reading was important and vital to children’s success, but we didn’t know yet how to unpack all that, let alone how to share it with our families. I have two girls, and having a front-row seat as they learned how to talk and to read and to write just fascinated me—and then I learned about early literacy through Every Child Ready to Read and that was that.

There are so many challenges in this world, and so many people struggle, and solutions to our collective problems seem so impossible. And everybody wants the best for their children, but not everybody knows that they can be a critical part of giving them the best, no matter what their background or upbringing or language skills. We know a good start makes a difference; we need to make sure everybody else knows it too. And that good start—reading and talking and engaging with children—is accessible, and affordable, and practical, and measurable, for everybody, anywhere.

I’m not saying literacy is the one answer to everything, but the more we read to our babies, the better our world is going to be.

What books are on your all-time top lists for read-alouds?
I could probably read Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock (Holiday House, 1988) out loud every day for the rest of my life. Older titles I love to share in storytime include The Baby Goes Beep (Roaring Brook, 2013) by Rebecca O’Connell, The Big Fat Worm (Knopf, 1987) by Nancy Van Laan, and Trashy Town (HarperCollins, 1999) by Andrea Zimmerman. Newer favorites are Oh No! (Random, 2012) by Candace Fleming, Tiny Little Fly (candlewick, 2010) by Michael Rosen, and Brontorina (Candlewick, 2010) by James Howe. And I sing Over in the Meadow (Viking, 1999) to my babies every chance I get.

What are you reading right now for yourself?
It’s been a crazy winter, so I’ve been re-reading my Gillian Bradshaw historical fiction: Island of Ghosts: A Novel of Roman Britain (Forge, 1998), Beacon at Alexandria (Houghton Mifflin, 1986), The Sand-Reckoner. (Forge, 2000). They are all awesome. I am a big non-fiction reader for fun, and right now it’s Consider the For: A History of How We Cook and Eat (Basic Books, 2012) by Bee Wilson. I have an enormous stack of professional reading to get to. I’m just starting So Much More than the ABCs by Judith Schickedanz and Molly Collins, which I can heartily recommend even though I’m only two chapters in; I can’t wait to get to the rest of it. I’m also starting to ramp up my picture book reading for the year–I set my goal at 500 picture books for 2013 and am way behind already!

Can you tell us more about what you aim to achieve with your blog?
I started Mel’s Desk in 2009. I was learning so much from the librarians I followed on Twitter that I wanted to make sure I was contributing back. So at first, my blog was a place to put storytime plans and share a few program ideas. My main goal now is to keep talking about how to do storytime, and why to do storytime; to help us all keep improving our storytime skills, and be better advocates for storytime as a core service to our communities.

Did you have programming goals in mind when you started at your library?
Not too long after I came to the Arapahoe Library District in 2003, I went to my supervisor at the time, Virginia Brace, and said that I really wanted to offer some programs for parents in addition to our storytimes and programs for kids. My own girls were in preschool, and I thought one of their master teachers was outstanding, and I wanted to bring her in to present about reading to children.

I owe so much to Virginia, because while she told me they hadn’t had much luck with parent programs in the past, she said, ‘Go ahead and give it a try!’ Shortly after I learned about Every Child Ready to Read, and started to offer those workshops very successfully. Interest in those particular sessions tapered off after a few years, but we are still committed to this idea and now I can’t imagine our library without parent and caregiver programming. My colleague Betsy Brainerd is spearheading our project to become a Family Place library, which…involves great play-based programming for parents and their children together. My colleague Pam Grover does a great job with “Literacy Make and Take” and “Stories & More,” two hands-on early literacy based programs for caregivers and families of young children, funded through our partnership with the Arapahoe County Early Childhood Council. My colleague Laurie Anne Armstrong just started a new outreach project, bringing storytimes to high-need preschools in our area, but her main goal is to teach the teachers about early literacy along the way.

What are you most proud of at your library?
We have been so fortunate to have management and directors that recognize that early literacy is a core service for public libraries. We have been able to put into place a robust storytime training sequence that covers initial and ongoing continuing education and support for our storytime providers—as well as training for their supervisors and early literacy awareness efforts directed to the entire staff. My supervisor Lori Romero and I were able to share out some of the results of our work in the form of storytime competencies and observation forms at the ALSC Institute this past September.

Who do you collaborate the most with?
I have had so many opportunities to collaborate and learn. I work very closely with the members of my team. We are all responsible for our own projects, but we come together all the time to think about the big picture and to set goals and brainstorm and support each other. I have had the incredible experience of helping to found the advocacy group Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL); now I personally know so many librarians and what they are working on in their own libraries. When I have a question I have a large network of people I can call, and when someone has a particular need, I love that I can help connect them with someone else who might be able to help.

In the last couple of years, I’ve also started to work more with colleagues outside of Colorado, people I’ve met on Twitter or through Flannel Friday. It’s been fun to work with Flannel Friday leaders to be thoughtful about expanding and overseeing that online community. I’ve also been a part of a few proposals to our national conferences with librarians I feel very close to personally and professionally, but still haven’t met face to face! This type of non-local collaboration is a possibility that didn’t really exist at the beginning of my career and I don’t think it will ever stop feeling exciting and cool.

I think a good collaboration takes real effort. The best projects are the result of a number of passionate minds who all see the main goal from slightly different perspectives. To incorporate all those perspectives takes a lot of synthesis, talking, and thinking, and making mistakes, all of which is hard work. I love it though. I love being made to be smarter and sharper and think more deeply because of the people around me, and I know the finished projects are more powerful when that happens.

What is next for you and why?
I’m working on translating some of our face to face storytime training to online modules for our staff. Our district is wide-spread and off-desk time is precious, so making some of our training be more flexible and adaptive is a major goal. We’re going to be offering our first tech programs for preschoolers and their families later this year—tablets and apps and wiggles and tips—so I’m starting to dive in to the literature and reading more about digital literacies, child development, selection criteria for apps, all of that. Working with ALSC’s Children and Technology Committee has helped me out in this tremendously. And I have a new project with CLEL that we’ll be able to announce later this year, about picture books and early literacy, so that’s been a good challenge to organize. I’m going to ALA for the first time this June, and will be presenting a poster session about early literacy messages in storytime.

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
When I saw the first email about it in my inbox, my hands actually started to shake. To know that my boss, my team, and my colleagues wanted to acknowledge me in this way was both humbling and exciting. It also totally re-motivated me for the next 15 years. There’s a lot to do yet.

You were pegged as an “Advocate.” Is that how you view yourself, too?
Yes.  And I love that this is what I get to do every day. To promote awareness of early literacy, to speak up for the children and families in our communities, to work to provide staff what they need in order to do their jobs well—it’s a privilege.

What do you think are the big issues and challenges for children’s services right now?
I think our biggest challenge is to keep getting out of the library and into the community, and to get the community into us—not just into our physical spaces, but into the mindset that we are there for them. Money is so tight, resources are so limited, habits are so set, we have to be proactive about looking for new ways to do our job and new places to do it and new people to do it with. Our director, Nicolle Davies, says her vision for our library is that we be not just a benefit to our community, but essential to it. Youth services librarians need to be part of the movement that convinces our business and political and education leaders that investing in early childhood is essential to our success.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
Develop even more training for our storytime providers—presenting storytime demands a complex skill set and I would love to keep drilling down and offering more and more thoughtful support. Create art, music, and STEM programs for preschoolers. Do more speaking locally about early literacy to community groups. Present at ALA and PLA. Write a book about storytime. Hold a Flannel Friday Storytime Conference. Help CLEL provide free webinars and training materials. Maybe consult and help libraries find their storytime groove. Found a publishing house with the sole purpose of reprinting board books as big books for baby and toddler storytimes.

What have been the best professional development experiences you have ever had?
Being introduced to Every Child Ready to Read and the greater world of early literacy and early learning, has been the pivotal experience of my career. [That] gave me a focus, a ladder, a boat, a tribe—all of the metaphors! I wanted to learn more, so I read, went to workshops, worked with mentors. I wanted to do more, so I proposed programs and services, teamed up with others, and learned about grants, committee work, and advocacy. I wanted to share more, so I started a blog, joined Twitter, and worked to become a better presenter and teacher.

And I’m still learning how to do all of those things and learning new tools to do them with. The best professional growth comes not because you think you should achieve this thing or that thing to be successful, but because you have a cause you believe in utterly that powers you on.

In the Pierce County Library System (PCLS) in Tacoma, WA, that she serves, Anderson-Newham is known as a force for foundational learning, due to both her groundbreaking B.L.O.C.K.S. program (Blocks Let Our Children Know Science) and “Our Children are Ready for Reading,” a study conducted in partnership with the University of Washington that involved training home child care providers in early literacy skills. B.L.O.C.K.S. teaches critical literacy, math, and cognitive skills to even the littlest learners through hands-on play and other engaging activities, while the study earned PCLS an Urban Libraries Innovation Award. Anderson-Newham has also been lauded for her efforts to work with her peers on initiatives to meet Washington’s curricula guidelines for early childhood education.

In this sixth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Mover & Shakers this year, Anderson-Newham talks to School Library Journal about the importance of collaboration and a good sense of humor to her work, why play is key to kids’ learning, her inspirations and passions, and her top early learning picture books of all time.

You have a theater degree and worked as an actor/writer in New York City for 10 years before relocating to Washington and becoming a storyteller and librarian. How did you know that early learning and literacy were the right fit for you?
My undergraduate degree was in developmental psychology. In 1999 there was a training for librarians here in the Northwest called “Amazing Minds” [led by] Judy Nelson, a librarian colleague of mine; the purpose was to bring youth services librarians up to speed on the incredible research that was beginning to coalescing on the importance of early learning. That rekindled my interest in child growth and development. The next year, PLA/ALSC launched Every Child Ready to Read, which gave early learning a priority for all libraries. From then on, I found my attention turning more and more to early learning and ages 0–8. There’s something about those wee-ones that inspires and energize me! Their growth and development is really what I am most passionate about.

What books are on your all-time top lists for early learning and literacy?
The Empty Pot by Demi (Harcourt, 1985).
The best book about ‘honesty’ ever!

How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods by Saxton Freymann (Scholastic, 1999).
Incredible introduction to talking about feelings and the food photographs are inspired.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone (Clarion, 1973).
Truly sublime retelling of the popular folktale.

Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris (Millbrook, 2000).
Introduces patterns, encourages interaction, and is very funny.

Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora (Putnam, 2010).
Repetition, diversity, humor, and child appeal.

Blue Sea by Robert Kalan (Greenwillow, 1979).
Perfect introduction to size differences, plus children love this book.

Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni (Astor, 1959).
Color blending and emotions! Lionni was a genius.

Shades of People by Shelly Rottner (Holiday House, 2009).
Beautiful photographs and incredible vocabulary around skin color. I’ve had some wonderful discussions with children about skin color after sharing this book.

What new books in this category are your favorites?
Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham (HarperCollins, 2009).
Making the alphabet silly and fun.

One Gorilla by Anthony Browne (Candlewick, 2013).
Incredibly fun, new counting book.

Grumpy Goat by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins, 2013).
Not only can you talk about feeling grumpy, but it celebrates the much maligned dandelion.

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Candlewick, 2012).
I love books that contain some wordless pages encouraging children to contribute to the story.

The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems (Hyperion/Disney, 2012).
Executive Function skill-building wrapped in hilarity. Mo Willems talent is a great gift to children!

What are you reading right now for yourself?
I am reading three books at the moment—don’t all librarians have several reads going at once? Spirit’s End by Rachael Aaron (Orbit, 2012), the fifth book in a super fun fantasy series; The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Dutton, 2012)—love him! Plus, my book group chose this as our current selection; and Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Steven Greenblatt. (W. W. Norton, 2004). Once a theatre wonk, always a theatre wonk.

What were your programming goals at PCLS when you first got there?
They had a fairly new early learning program going. I was actually terrified when I first started! I had been a children’s librarian in a branch and I knew exactly how to do that. But an early learning librarian? Uncharted waters. I remember sitting down with Judy Nelson (now my boss) that first week and asking her exactly what her goals were for me, and she replied, ‘I want you to grow the program.’  I know I had a deer-in-the-headlights-look as I sat there thinking ‘What does that mean?’ The level of freedom and opportunity she was placing at my feet was terrifying. But it was also invigorating and incredibly exciting! And lucky for me, she was there to offer inspiration and support.

What are you most proud of at PCLS?
I’m really proud of the community partners that we have gathered and what they have taught us about early learning. And I’m very proud that we have inextricably woven the library into the early learning system of our county. For example, we are just finishing up a partnership on a county-wide oral health project. Cavities create huge issues for a large number of children, and our coalition worked with the Washington Dental Service Foundation to create an awareness campaign. We created kits for providers to check out from the library, bookmarks of appropriate books, a songbook of silly songs to sing, and our librarians presented oral-health themed storytimes twice a year at most of our branches, where each child received a happy teeth ‘goody bag.’ Our partners were very enthusiastic in their praise for our contributions and it definitely strengthened our reputation with them.

Can you tell us more about the B.L.O.C.K.S. program?
Judy Nelson and I both became fascinated with the learning possibilities inherent in free block play. I had attended some amazing trainings at early learning conferences about preschool math and block play and Judy presented at an Every Child Ready to Read gathering in Montana, which included a training on play and blocks. The library in Montana had a unit-block cabinet and Judy felt there had to be a way to bring blocks to our libraries. She approached a colleague at the Puget Sound Educational Service district about a potential partnership; fortunately, the idea captivated our foundation board and they generously provided the funding for us to purchase large, portable, locking block cabinets and large sets of blocks for seven of our branch meeting rooms.

Children build a zoo at a Pierce County Library System “Block Party.”

We began the project with a training for the librarians and teachers on supporting block play and then once a month, seven ECEAP classrooms (Washington State’s version of Head Start) visit the branch nearest them for a ‘Block Party.’ We do a storytime and then we build together, always looking for ways to support the children’s learning—math, engineering, social emotional, literacy and language. Blocks are amazing tools for early learning! Plus, these parties are really, really fun. We also sponsor once-a-month Block Parties that are open to the public. The librarians at those branches use the blocks for free play after storytimes as well. We’re hoping to use the ECEAP teacher’s assessments of the children’s learning to gauge the effect of focused library block play.

One unintended but delightful consequence of the partnership with ECEAP [programs] has been that some of them have used the Block Parties as their monthly parent events. Holding these events at the library has provided us with a wonderful chance to reach many families who are not library users. Coming to the branch to play with blocks is very non-threatening and fun. In fact, one of the teachers was so thrilled by the level of play and interaction occurring between parents and children at the Block Party that she’s determined to make all parent events play events!

What are some of your top ways for kids to get hands-on with learning in your library?
A few years ago, we added a play component to storytimes, creating 16 themed play boxes that circulate through our branches. The librarians do a regular storytime and then open the play boxes. Inside are games, play objects, real objects—lots of things related to the theme. We call them Story Play Times and they provide children with an opportunity to play together at the library in a hands-on, self-directed way. I had wanted to add play to storytimes for a long time; librarians do such a great job of developing literacy and language skills at storytime, and since social emotional learning happens best during free play, adding a play component gives us a more whole-child approach.

Children build a log cabin at a Pierce County Library System “Block Party.”

In our children’s areas, our librarians have been quite creative in adding hands-on opportunities for learning: mailboxes to encourage letter writing, flannel boards for tactile learning, and housekeeping areas for free play. Plus, our libraries have been able to add incredible interactive learning structures and elements through generous donations of Friends groups and individuals.

What advice would you give to librarians seeking to launch similar programs?
Think seriously about what outcomes you desire and then search out and employ tools to help you measure those outcomes effectively. Libraries need to keep building in proof of our programming’s worth. I will often get very excited by a project, but when I think about how I’m going to measure its outcomes, it changes my approach. Documenting positive outcomes will help promote the great work that libraries do.

Who do you collaborate the most with? Does that come naturally to you?
We are very fortunate to have an actual Department of Early Learning! And we also have a vibrant early learning coalition in Pierce County (called First 5 FUNdamentals). We collaborate with a lot of groups—Child Care Aware, the educational service district, school districts, the health department, the tribes, and early learning organizations. Our early learning program also works quite extensively with child care providers, offering trainings, storytimes, and the circulation of materials and information.

What is the feedback like from kids and parents who participate in your programming?
We do lots of presentations for parent groups through ECEAP and Head Start, and also through MOPS groups at churches. So we converse with parents all the time; that is really what makes it all worthwhile, connecting with children and parents and providers and sharing the wonder of reading and stories and libraries. Lately, we have been partnering with our local Child Care Aware on a series of play programs for parents and Family, Friend and Neighbor care.

After the fourth in the series—a music program, where we sang and danced with scarves and ribbons—one Spanish-speaking mother approached us and made a point of thanking us in English, telling us that the programs had been very good for her child. I felt like the luckiest person in the world that day! I get to read and play and sing and dance, and have mothers thank me for it!

Children get creative building and playing at a Pierce County Library System “Block Party.”

What is next for you and why?
We would like to see block cabinets in all of our meeting rooms. They really are perfect places for block play, what with low pile carpet and all that open space. Some of the block sets would have to be a bit smaller, but watching the children create these amazing structures in the library has been incredibly inspiring. I’m in the process of expanding the program to home child care providers. The large unit blocks are not very practical for many home child cares and these parties will also offer them a chance to network with other providers as well as give their children a chance to build.

And I have a book coming out! It’s called, Cooking Up a Storytime, essentially a cookbook for storytime creation being published through ALA. I’m very excited about that. My current position has connected me with early learning professionals outside the library and I’ve learned so much from them, I’m hoping to share with my fellow librarians.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I’d like to serve on a committee for ALA. I’d like to put together a funny and memorable library program with librarians from around the country to present at NAEYC. I am very excited to continue writing.

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
It was wonderful and flattering, but so much of what I get to do here is collaborative, to be singled out made me feel like I was cheating somehow! But it made my mother and father very proud; I love that.

You were pegged as an “Innovator.” Is that how you view yourself, too?
The advantage of having a great team [is] we toss [ideas] around—some we pursue, some we drop. Sometimes we fail, sometimes something amazing happens. But after being a youth services librarian for a long time, it seems to me that all youth services librarians are innovators! I’m constantly amazed at what other libraries are doing and what other librarians are creating. There is moving and shaking all over the place and I’m just proud to belong to such a group.

And truthfully, if I was to give myself a label, I think it would be ‘jokester.’ Silliness is my creed. Humor and fun are so much a part of who I am and have worked so well for me in the trainings that I provide and in the programs that I present. I am absolutely certain that learning happens much more effectively and memorably when you’re laughing.

What reactions and feedback have you gotten on being named?
My daughter created a Facebook post that made me cry. It was unbelievable to read the beautiful posts from friends from my past. It made me want to celebrate people that I love even if they aren’t called out as a Mover or Shaker. We get so busy with our day to day lives; we forget to tell people how great they are. And I know and work with some truly remarkable people!

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
Attending sessions at the NAEYC Institute has had an incredible influence on my work. Where once I focused almost exclusively on early literacy, attending made me realize that early learning is all bound together—literacy, math, science, social/emotional, physical; it all happens. My focus moved from the skills of early literacy to pondering the development of the whole child. Of course we want children to learn to read, but our ultimate goal is for them to grow up to be healthy, compassionate humans.

What do you think are the big issues and challenges for youth services right now?
I worry deeply about how the economy is affecting our libraries and communities. Healthy communities need infrastructure. They need investment and commitment and labor. And healthy children need healthy communities. I’m proud to pay my taxes. I cherish the community that my taxes help support: schools, parks, hospitals, and libraries! The political climate at the moment seems narrow and short sighted, in my opinion. I sincerely hope that in our rush to acquire, we don’t lose so many of the things that give our lives fulfillment and meaning.

What do you think youth services should look like going forward?
I would hope that we will keep our lens focused on our humanness. That we provide space for children to come together to laugh, learn, and play—and that we strive to remain significant and caring adults in the fabric of their lives.

After an early career in the fast-paced world of public relations in New York City, Dunn’s love of books finally led her “right where I need to be: in a library,” she says. “I’m surrounded by books all day, able to channel past work experiences like event planning and promotion, and best of all I get to see some of the coolest people you’ll ever meet—the kids of Lawrence, Kansas.”

In this fifth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Mover & Shakers this year, Dunn shares her top kids’ book picks of all time, her inspirations and passions, and why it’s critical for public librarians to collaborate with school librarians and teachers.

When did you know library science was the right choice?
Would it be too corny to say from the day I first started working at a library? Because that’s the truth. I’ve always been a bookworm with an enthusiasm for children’s literature, and I’ve been passionate about working with kids from very early on. From babysitting, to teaching swim lessons, to eventually coaching a swim team in my college years. My first job out of college while ‘looking for a real job’ was working as a bookseller and storyteller at Barnes & Noble. When my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our daughter, we decided to trade in our fast-paced living with a life more conducive to family. We moved to his small hometown of Ludington, MN, and then to Lawrence, KS.

Were you a library fan as a kid? What were your favorite books then?
Growing up we mostly visited the local book store. My mother was, and to this day is, a fervent reader. Reading was a very important part of my childhood and my mom reinforced that.

When I was a kid, I devoured reading anything with fairies or horses or magic. A few specific titles that first come to mind are The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit, The BFG by Roald Dahl, Black Beauty by Anne Sewell, anything by Brian Froud, the Emily of New Moon series by L.M Montgomery, and Calvin and Hobbes books by Bill Watterson.

What books are on your all-time top lists for older kids?
Hardest. Question. Ever. How many can I choose? 20? 50? 100? 200?
An abbreviated list of books on my all-time top books for older readers:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar, 1975)
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (Knopf, 2005)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (Dutton, 1972)
Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Dial, 2011)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (Ariel, 1962)
“The Dark Is Rising” sequence by Susan Cooper  (S & S/Atheneum)
“Gregor the Overlander” series by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
Matilda by Roald Dahl (Jonathan Cape, 1988)
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2000)
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Holt, 2009)
“A Tale Dark and Grimm” series by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton)
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (Farrar, 2001)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Epstein & Carroll, 1961)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (Little Brown, 2009)
The Giver by Lois Lowery (Houghton, 1993)
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald (Lippincott, 1957)
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Babymouse series by Jennifer Holm
Bone series by Jeff Smith
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
The Dream Keeper and other Poems by Langston Hughes

As far as new middle grade fiction books, my favorites this year include:
The Center of Everything by Linda Urban
Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

What are you reading right now for yourself?
I just finished Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, a YA historical novel about one girl’s struggle to break free of her past in 1950’s New Orleans. Currently, I’m reading Hold Fast, the latest middle grade book by Blue Balliett. I highly recommend both.

What was programming like at Lawrence Public Library before you got there? Did you have goals in mind before you started?
Programming within the children’s department had the same, successful routine for years and years: weekly storytimes, a monthly book club, special programs during Spring Break, and intensive programming during the summer months. My role was basic in the beginning…but within the first few weeks a switch was flipped. I started having ideas of how our library could engage its young patrons outside of those regular programs. Within a few months, I started working towards bringing a few of those concepts to life, starting with the Tournament of Kids’ Books.

Lawrence is the home of University of Kansas and is a huge basketball town. To piggy-back off the March Madness excitement, I bracketed the most circulated older reader books from the previous year and the kids voted each week throughout the month of March for their favorite titles. The winner was declared by two KU basketball players, Jeff Withey and Justin Wesley. We also raffled off new books, a basketball signed by the 2011-12 KU team, and the players each read a picture book to the audience. It was a treat for the kids to see their heroes in the library reading. Partnering with the KU Athletic Department was so successful that we decided to give it a go again this year.  It was also the gateway program from which sprouted more ideas and thus started my community programming crusade.

KU basketball players Jeff Withey and Justin Wesley read aloud at Lawrence Public Library.

What are you most proud of at your library?
Being a positive influence for the kids I assist on a daily basis, whether it’s through programming, storytime, helping with a homework assignment, or assisting them in finding a book to read. Being that person outside of their home who believes in their potential for great things and is able to give them the resources to help them succeed.

Who do you collaborate the most with there?
Susan Brown, marketing director, and Rachel Smalter Hall, our former adult service programs librarian were the individuals I collaborated with most. Their energy and creativity is contagious and made working on these types of projects very easy.

One of your biggest early projects was the expansion of the Read Across Lawrence (RAL) program to include children, starting with Marie Rutkoski’s fantasy book Cabinet of Wonders. Can you tell us more about your idea, and why you chose that book?
The One Book, One Community experience was developed as a way to bring individuals together through reading. It seemed a natural extension to expand this annual celebration to the children of the library. I also looked at it as an excellent opportunity to team up with the schools.

[Choosing Cabinet of Wonders] was a decision with many, many layers. I wanted to choose a book that first and foremost would be exciting for the kids to read, something that they’d want to read. It was also important that, if I wanted the schools to be involved, it could be incorporated into teaching curriculum and that the school libraries would have copies already in their collections.

Read Across Lawrence for Kids wasn’t just one event. It was a myriad of events and activities. In conjunction with handing out free books, exciting and engaging programs based on the featured title were offered throughout the month, enriching the experience by making it an interactive endeavor kids could share with their peers.

How did you collaborate with teachers and school librarians on RAL?
Early on in the project, I knew that if I wanted RAL Kids to be as successful as I envisioned it being, I had to get the school librarians and teachers behind it. I contacted every elementary and middle school librarians in the Lawrence area presenting this program as an opportunity for the public library and the schools to join forces in the unique act of city of kids sharing one story. From there the school librarians promptly relayed the information to their teachers and the news spread throughout Lawrence. Each week I kept both school librarians and teachers updated on the RAL Kids events offered and also made sure to include reading resources and tools to help with their classroom curriculum. In return they shared pictures and stories of their student’s work and excitement about the books and the program. Not every child is able to make it the public library; so integrating the Read Across Lawrence for Kids book into the classroom was a great way for even more children to participate in this shared experience with their peers. If they can’t come to the library, this was a way to bring the library to them.

Many teachers and school librarians also mentioned how it wasn’t only the students—parents were setting aside time to read the book together with their children.

In my opinion, the greatest achievement of this venture was the collaboration between our library and the city’s teachers and school librarians. They were the biggest champions and therefore came to be the pillars that raised this program above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined it could be.

Pizza party kick-off for the Read Across Lawrence Kids campaign.

Will you be doing this every year? If so, what other books would you like to feature?
We do plan on having a parallel kids program again this year. I’m currently reviewing books that might fit the bill. It’s a tough decision, but I’m getting closer every day to selecting this year’s title, and have a few clear favorites in mind. The adult Read Across Lawrence book this year is The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan, so I’ve been looking for a middle grade fiction book that also takes place during The Great Depression.

What’s the response like from kids who participated in your programming?
I see them on a daily basis. One of my favorite things to do is book talk with the kids, ask them what they’re reading, what they’re friends are reading, how school is going, etc. There is no age boundary between us. I treat them as my equal and in return that’s how they treat me. They see me not only as a librarian, but as a friend.

You were pegged as a “Community Builder.”  Is that how you see yourself?
Absolutely. Librarians, teachers, parents, businesses, the city in which we live…we all have similar goals for our youth. We want to help them grow in a nurturing, enriching environment that allows them to evolve, learn, spark creativity, and dream. But by definition community builder requires a community. Yes, I…established the contact, but that means nothing unless they are open to that contact. Lawrence, KS, is a special place. It’s a city that has a lot of pride in its community and its library. I just found ways to bring separate entities together by way of the public library in support of a shared vision.

What do you think are the big issues and challenges in children’s services right now? Standing in the way of ourselves. I’m so inspired by today’s children’s librarians: maker spaces, STEM programming, tech literacy. I’ve witnessed so many creative trends and learning devices for kids and I’ve only been working in a library for a couple of years. Alternatively, I’ve also heard a lot of ‘can’t.’ ‘We can’t collaborate with the schools.’ ‘We can’t manage large programming.’ ‘We don’t have the staffing.’ ‘We can’t afford it.’ Yes you can. Sometimes it isn’t easy. Sometimes there are hoops to jump through. Sometimes you have to ask over and over and over again until you get a “yes.” Sometimes you have to ask for help. I had to. Don’t give up. Collaborate. It’s always worth it in the end.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I’m interested in launching a program that specifically targets children with special needs. My mother-in-law is a high school special needs teacher, and just in conversations with her it is telling that there is a clear need for outlets and education within this demographic. One in 88 children are diagnosed with autism and it’s a number that continues to grow. I would like to make the library a place of utility and acceptance for those children.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
Blogging for me has been an empowering and motivating part of my library life. I’ve met so many wonderful teachers, librarians, and bookish types through my blog, Sturdy for Common Things. I’m also honored to be a regular contributor to Library as Incubator Project, where I write about incorporating art education and appreciation into library storytime, something I’m extremely passionate about. And last, but not least, I have tremendous book love for the nerds of The Nerdy Book Club (yay nerds!). Their devotion to literacy and children’s books is truly inspiring.

Since joining the staff in 2009, Tomsu’s tireless enthusiasm and rapport with young people in her community has helped teen attendance and engagement dramatically soar, and has earned the library several grants to fund additional special programming

In this fourth of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Mover & Shakers this year, Tomsu shares with SLJ her top teen book picks, her dealings with Dewey, her inspirations and passions, why teens matter so much, and her views on the future of youth services.

Lindsey Tomsu (front and center) with the Teen Advisory Board who nominated her for LJ ‘s Movers & Shakers. Back row: Kristen Schmitt, Sarah Kreber, Haley Christensen, Patrick “Pierre” Christensen, Marissa Homan. Middle row: Keyahna Wood, Abby Goss, Huyen-Yen Hoang, Elliot Dritt, Katie Randles, Katie Kocanda, Kayla Harbour, Audi Blann. Front row: Sarah Goss, Peyton Banks, Sam Ramler, Becca Russell, Emily Jones, Eric Pham. Photo credit: Mitch Beaumont.

When did you know library science was the right choice for you?
I came to it in a roundabout way. I applied to Bellevue University for my accounting degree. When I took my first class, I realized, ‘No, this isn’t what I want to do.’ I ended up getting degrees in sociology and philosophy. I did a lot of independent study classes on youth development, play theory, and youth literature. When I graduated I did not get a [clinical laboratory science] internship…so I [found] an editing position locally; I then decided to go back to school for an English degree, the online program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. I concentrated on the unique combination of youth and Gothic literature. All my friends starting saying, ‘Why aren’t you a librarian? You read a lot.’  I decided I would apply for the MLIS at San Jose State University and focus on youth services.

Why youth services?
My fiancé (who is a YA librarian) would say it is because I get mistaken for a teen. There have been numerous times that a patron walks into a program to complain about the noise, looks right past me, and then asks the oldest (or tallest) teen there, ‘Who’s in charge?’ I have had new teens mistake me for ‘one of us’ at a program. I think I gravitated more toward teen services because I am more comfortable around that age group than children. For a lot of librarians, it is the other way around.

What were you like as a teenager? What were your interests?
I was quiet. I was one of those students who didn’t realize until college the reason they hated high school was because they were bored to death. I think that’s why I spent a lot of my study halls as a teaching assistant and I took electives that were self-study paced.

What was I into as a teen? The main thing that comes to mind is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was obsessed. I was so well-known for my level of fandom that people I didn’t know would call me ‘that Buffy girl’ and would take bets on what Buffy shirt I would be wearing each day of the week. My room was plastered with pictures—every inch of space was taken up even the ceiling—and memorabilia.

The other thing I was into a lot was comic books. The summer before fourth grade I went with [my grandmother] to garage sale after garage sale. At one, [she] told me to look at the man’s comic books as one whole side of his driveway was taken up by boxes. We went back the next day and bought his entire collection. I like to say that I discovered manga way earlier than everyone else, as I started reading my favorite comic book of all time, Ninja High School, in 1992. Other favorites (then and now) include the 1994 runs of Catwoman and Robin, Love Hina, Infinity Inc., Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld, Chew, Groo, Battle Royale, and all the original EC Comics.

My main hobbies as a teen were reading and writing. I also I read a lot of nonfiction. Even though I am not that old, there still really wasn’t a YA genre around when I was a teen. I think it literally started to emerge right when I graduated from high school. I actually liked a lot of classic literature. My favorite books of all time are Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations and Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie.

How have your interests changed over the years?
I have gotten more into gaming as an adult. I love Arkham Horror and nothing compares to turning a game that is so complex it can take six hours to play into a real life version with 20-plus teens. Other games my teens and I really like include Gloom (an Addams Family-esque card game where the goal is to have bad things happen to your family and good things happen to your opponents’ families) and A la Carte, a cute food cooking game that comes with actual pots.

My hobbies mainly now are reading. That’s all I will do with all my free time, whether it is a teen book, a graphic novel, or history information for my thesis. Also, I am now fully obsessed with Monster High. I first heard about the book months before it was published and then ran across the dolls. I fell in love with their unique style and message that being different was okay. I now buy everything Monster High. I am currently in the process of photo-chronicling my obsession for some of my teens. Once a few found out about my love of [the series], they all of a sudden were, ‘We love Monster High too!’

I am very picky about the adult literature I read—mainly steampunk/Victorian-era stuff like Gail Carriger’s “Parasol Protectorate” series (Little, Brown).

What is on your all-time “top books for teens” list?
One of my favorite YA authors of all time is L.J. Smith. I read Vampire Diaries (HarperCollins) when I was 11! However, my favorite of hers is the “Forbidden Game” trilogy (S & S). For younger kids, I really like the “Mallory” series (Carolrhoda) by Laurie Friedman. I like anything to do with zombies and I really enjoy the books published by Strange Chemistry, the YA imprint for Angry Robot. I love Derek Landy’s “Skulduggery Pleasant” books (HarperCollins) so much so I import them from the UK since only the first three were published here. I also read a lot of series books for fun and for my thesis research, my favorite series being the Penny Parker mysteries from Mildred Wirt Benson, the ‘original’ Carolyn Keene.

I spend a lot of time really thinking about what my teens will like when I do collection development. I know exactly what books will appeal to Haley (action) or Katie (romance) or Keyahna (graphic novels) or Sarah (‘brutal’ stories). I know Emily’s going to want the latest paranormal series and that Isaac would read anything with dragons. I think it is important to remember that each community is different and what will go out in one might not be popular in another. So I always feel weird about recommending top books. A prime example would be a book called MoshiMoshi Strawberry Kawaii (Walker) that we have in our gaming nonfiction category—think a Japanese Where’s Waldo but with a bean-shaped bunny. It is an insane search-and-find book that is probably not in many libraries. I also have a lot of Doctor Who fans, so I try to get cool Doctor Who books for the collection.

I am happy to see Rats Saw God (S & S) getting republished. I think that is a classic that teens need to be introduced to. A lesser promoted book I loved recently was The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (Harcourt). As part of the YALSA YA Galley Group, my teens and I are being exposed to a lot of upcoming books we have to review, so those are the ones currently on my mind. Of some of those, my favorite upcoming titles for teens include Earth Girl (Pyr) by Janet Edwards, one of the best sci-fi for teens that I’ve ever read, The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett (Tor), Eleanor & Park (St. Martin’s) by Rainbow Rowell, In the Shadow of Blackbirds (Abrams) by Cat Winter,  Openly Straight (Scholastic) by Bill Konigsberg, Maybe I Will (Luminis) by Laurie Gray, and The Testing (Houghton Harcourt) by Joelle Charbonneau, which many of my teens are calling the next Hunger Games.

My teens love participating in the YA Galley Group. We’ve gotten so many awesome upcoming books and I try to read them along with my teens so we can discuss them. And, as they write their reviews and make their recommendations, I can help them learn how to dig deeper into their critiques. It helps that I can read pretty fast so I can converse with a lot of teens about the different books that are coming in.

What were your programming goals when you started at your library?
I came into the middle of a pre-planned Summer Reading Program (SRP). [It] was really disappointing—it had only 79 teens participate and only held about one program a week. So for 2010, the first one I got to create myself, I completely re-vamped the entire thing—the reading logs, the incentives, etc., and ended up increasing the participation by nearly 600% (79 teens to 474 teens).

It was after that successful summer that I decided in November 2010 I would launch the Teen Advisory Board (TAB). I pulled out the names of the 15 teens that were coming to everything. I then wrote a letter about the intention of TAB, what it would do, that it would count as volunteer hours, that there would be snacks, and let it be known that I wanted their input on what the library does for them. When the first meeting occurred, every single person I sent a letter to attended, and most of them have stuck around over the past two years. And, of course, as the SRP has gotten bigger and bigger with each year, we’ve recruited more teens to the TAB and the overall teen program.

For 2011, we won our first YALSA/Dollar General Teen SRP grant of $1,000 and we went from 474 teens to 1,071 teens. My TAB planned its own theme (“A Supernaturally Spooky Summer”) and, in order to get the grant again, helped me plan the entire summer months before in January 2012. We were awarded a second SRP grant and increased the participation from 1,071 to 1,433 teens.

We also have received two Nebraska Library Commission Youth Excellence grants—one of $800 to start our Arkham Horror Gaming Club (2011-2012) and one of nearly $2,000 to buy the technology needed for our new Teen Media Club (2012-2013); we’ll be creating digital content. We also received a 2012 YALSA/Dollar General Teen Read Week grant in October 2012 to turn Arkham Horror into a life-sized version. The TAB was appointed as a new YA Galley Group for YALSA in 2012, one of a number of who not only get to review teen books for publishers before they are published but they are also responsible for picking the 20 finalists for Teen Read Week’s contest to pick the Teens Top 10 books.

Members of La Vista’s TAB pose with their video-game inspired chalk graffiti mural, designed to promote the 2012 Summer Reading Program. L to R: Patrick “Pierre” Christensen, Mary Bragg, Haley Christensen, Sarah Kreber (sitting), Kayla Harbour, Huyen-Yen Hoang, Keyahna Wood, Zip DeLong.

What’s been the key to your success?
My own philosophy is be respectful, be honest, be fun, and never turn anyone away.

I wanted to create a program that was fun and would get teens in the library in the first place. Obviously when I started my job and saw the lackluster statistics for the summer I knew something needed to be changed. So for that first summer of my own (2010) I really changed things up. I turned the reading logs into a Blackout Bingo, I gave incentives for completing cards and coming to programs, and I increased the number of programs per week from one to four or more.

Ever since then, the success of the teen programs has all been in part to my teens. My teens have been integral in planning their activities. I typically don’t plan anything for them that they haven’t approved first. Having direct say in what goes on gives them a sense of the library program really being for them and they have fun, talk it up to friends, and bring more and more teens into the program. That is how we’ve ended up with innovative and unique programs, such as the Pool Noodle Kendo Club, Bacon Club, Teen Storytime, and Random Club.

These successful programs all started as ideas of my teens—some ideas that they thought were too ‘out there’ to be in a library but I made them happen. I am also honest with them in regards to our budgets. That is why they have put such an effort into helping plan programs in advance to get additional grant funding to hopefully attract more teens and keep growing the program.

Every year my TAB keeps coming up with more ideas to make the upcoming school year or SRP even bigger and better than the previous years’ and they’ve accomplished a lot in the past three years that I do honestly believe one day they will achieve their overall TAB goal—world domination.

[And] you need to be comfortable around teens or they are going to sense your hesitant attitude and not feel comfortable or welcome around you. A teen librarian needs to actually like and love working with teens in order to be successful. You need to not only plan fun programs for them but be fun with them as well. I think my teens love that about me—I don’t just say, ‘Here’s our craft for today. Now go make one.’ I actually spend most of the programs doing the activity with them and taking photos.

Lastly, while my teen program is technically open to tweens and teens fifth grade and up, I don’t turn anyone away. If there is a younger sibling who wants to participate, as long as they are able to do so they can. My youngest Arkham player is nine. One of my teens, Audi, has been at the library longer than me and she is 21. I also offer a lot more programs for teens compared to some of the other area libraries and so many of my teens have invited friends from other cities. I don’t turn away a teen who wants to have fun just because they don’t have a library card. I refuse to do that.

What are some strategies you use when applying for grants?
My biggest piece of advice is to talk to your teens about your grant ideas. When I introduced them to Arkham Horror at our first TAB lock-in and they liked the game, I told them about the Youth Grant and asked if that was something they wanted me to do. They said yes. The following year when the grant came around again, I asked them for ideas and they [asked to make] a media club a reality. They had major input into the two SRP grants and the TRW grant as well. I think we did well on the grants because we were able to include a lot of details. If you can, show a grant committee what you want to accomplish instead of just generalized ideas. Give specifics.

Back in 2011, your TAB revamped La Vista’s teen nonfiction area to dump Dewey in favor of subject classification. Does Dewey still have relevance for you?
I have never gotten a complaint from a patron about the new system. The resistance we experienced was from other librarians. We knew such a change would be a daunting task so we made sure that we were solely in charge of the project. Luckily, I have a director who is open to change. She agreed with my teens and said that it didn’t matter what we’ve always done as a library, it didn’t matter what the staff members wanted, what mattered was what the patrons wanted.

Within the first month we had more books circulate than in the entire previous year. We saw a nearly 45 percent increase in circulation. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard to make the change. My teens do not disvalue Dewey; they acknowledge the importance of it. But they browse. They want to know that if they have a science paper they can go to the science section, see a topic that appeals to them, and then find all the books right there. Their biggest complaint was that, under the Dewey system, books in our collection on the same topic ended up being separated so that they weren’t even in the same general shelf area. They much prefer the new method.

Who do you collaborate with the most? Does that come naturally to you?
I’ve actually done the most with Gordon Wyant at the Bellevue Public Library, doing joint programs for both our groups of teens. Our biggest event was when we won a visit from author Kimberly Pauley of Sucks to Be Me (Mirrorstone). She went to Bellevue on Friday afternoon during their craft day when the teens were making little felt bats (based on a cute cartoon symbol in her books) and the teens loved it because she was actually hanging out with them and making bats, too. On Saturday she came to La Vista, where she did a day-long program. She talked about writing her books, helped the teens learn how to draft their own stories, did autographs, and gave out prizes.

I think collaboration really depends on the individual people and the libraries involved. Gordon and I clearly work well together because we are both teen librarians. His teens love me, my teens love him. Sometimes collaboration is hard, though. We have a great group of local teen librarians that work in public libraries and school libraries that want to work together but schedules, strict school rules about outside visitors, and such things sometimes put a chink into those plans.

What is next for you and why?
In my library every summer we keep getting bigger and bigger, and every school year the teens keep adding their own inventive programs to our roster of ‘core’ programs. Our two big projects we are working on now are Media Club and the TAB Summer Internship Program.

The idea for Media Club came about in the summer of 2012 when one of my teens, Peyton Banks, declared to all the girls that he was a really good dancer, so one girl challenged him to prove it. Another girl decided to record him. The TABbler Teens’ YouTube channel was born. [In] Media Club, they are in charge of making a website and creating other digital content, [including] dinosaur book trailers (plastic dinosaurs acting out scenes from books), video blogs of teen programming showing how crazy and fun the library is, special event videos like ‘The 25 Days of TAB’ or panel discussions (Batman vs. Superman, Tennant vs. Smith) on pop culture, and a 15-minute sketch show.

The TAB Summer Internship Program is another incentive program I am starting this summer. It started out as an idea of a reward to one member who had shown an interest in librarianship. I approached Sarah Kreber and she jumped at it. I applied for the YALSA/Dollar General Teen SRP Intern grant of $1,000 and an opportunity came along with the Nebraska Library Commission’s 21st Century Librarian Internship grant for a second teen, Elliot Dritt. My idea was to immerse these two teens into all areas of librarianship for 10 weeks. I didn’t just want teen interns to help me with busy work or things that I didn’t have time for like sorting reading logs. I envisioned this new pilot internship program as a way to give back (both financially and educationally) to TAB members who had devoted so much time already to the teen program and the library. Eight hours every Tuesday and Thursday of the summer they [will] learn about different aspects of librarianship (circulation, collection development, reference, reader’s advisory, programming, cataloging, budgeting) and help me run the teen programs. Sadly, we weren’t awarded the YALSA grant and we were only awarded $500 from the NLC…[but] now they are both doing an unpaid internship and sharing a $500 budget. You know the teens are excited when they want to work with you all summer long and don’t care about money! They really want the experience.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I would like to turn my series book research into not only a book but a Ph.D. as well. I would also like to get a master’s in pop culture, which is directly related to my thesis research. Secondly, I really would like to teach future librarians. Ideally, I would prefer to teach in an online program since my last two degrees were from online programs and I feel I really understand how to give students the most out of such a learning environment. I would love to teach MLIS courses dealing with teen materials and programming and the history of youth literature. My dream course would be exposing students to my thesis research—the importance of series books to youth literature and American history.

Lastly, while I love my teens and hope to work with teens for many years to come, my ideal librarian “dream” job would actually be the Curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature at the University of Florida, or a position similar to that at another special library’s youth literature repository. My research passion is the history of series books and I collect antique youth books, so a position as a curator of such a collection would be awesome.

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
Haley Christensen, TAB president, organized the whole effort to nominate me. My teens like to joke, ‘We can now say we knew you before you were famous!’

What do you think is the state of teen services right now?
The big state of teen services that many teen librarians struggle with together seems to be a story of budgetary shortfalls. Without adequate funding, teen librarians are forced into depending on grant funds. I truly feel that the reason why I have been able to get so many teens into my program is because of the number of grants I’ve been awarded. I have brought in more grant funds than the teen department has had in actual budget. When these grant funds are denied or unavailable, we scrabble around trying to do the best we can with little or nothing. Teen librarians are most notorious for often spending their own money to make events and programming happen.

Teens are stuck in a place where they are expected to act as adults, yet are treated as children. [So] teen librarians often find themselves still fighting an uphill battle to even legitimize their patrons’ existence and needs. I believe the biggest challenge is to reverse these negative stereotypes that adults have toward teens and striving to get teens into the library and being a positive influence on their lives.

What do you think teen services should look like going forward?
For me, it is all about the teen participation. You need to get out there and start a Teen Advisory Board and get those teens involved. We’ve done a lot of amazing things and I believe the growth and success of the program is mainly due to their input and participation. Making your teens their own advocates is one of the most important things you can do as a teen librarian.

Photo credit: Jim Larimer.

“We’re bringing services to people who either would not or could not access them otherwise….[it] truly does change lives,” says Library Journal  Mover & Shaker Richard Lyda, mobile services and outreach librarian at Arapahoe Library District in Centennial, CO.

Since joining Arapahoe in 2008—where more than 20 percent of residents speak a language other than English in their homes—Lyda has made a name for himself as an unrelenting advocate for equitable access. With his tech savvy and Spanish-language skills, Lyda seeks to reach his district’s underserved communities, employing such strategies as hosting interactive storytimes near low-income apartment complexes, targeting new hours and locations for his Library on Wheels to maximize its impact, and adding iPad minis to its collection.

In the third of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Mover & Shakers this year, Lyda shares with School Library Journal his inspirations and passions, his strategies for effective community outreach and narrowing the digital divide, and what’s next for him in his district.

When/how did you know library science was the right choice for you?
I was a library fan as a child.  I used to walk to one of the library branches in the district where I now work.  I was really into all the S.E. Hinton books, and, a little earlier, Shel Silverstein and “Frog and Toad” were favorites. I worked at academic libraries during my undergrad years in college and I always loved libraries.  After college, I worked as a teacher in a Head Start preschool classroom. Every Friday, an outreach librarian would visit our class for storytime. It became immediately clear that I would rather be doing that librarian’s job!  That set the ball rolling for me to pursue my MLIS.

Why were you drawn to community outreach programs like this one?
My experiences teaching for Head Start made me appreciate how important community outreach can be for so many people. Families need to know that resources exist before they can access them, and effective community outreach is a great way to spread the word about valuable community resources.

How did you determine what/where the need was?
While our new Library on Wheels was being built, we knew we would be expanding our reach and our hours of operation. We also knew we had to be systematic in identifying where we would visit. These decisions had to be justifiable to our stakeholders. We had used a scoring matrix during the RFP process of selecting a vendor for the bookmobile. My supervisor at the time, Donna Walker (Mover and Shaker 2011) had the brilliant idea of using that same scoring matrix to identify potential areas of need. It required a lot of research, but we eventually developed this scoring matrix into an effective system to identify where and how great the need for mobile library services in our community.

Do you have any advice for librarians seeking to improve community involvement?
I would suggest not to overlook outreach as a mode of service in public libraries. I’ve had a very gratifying and fulfilling experience in my almost 5 years as an outreach librarian. I get to see the service positively affecting youth, families, and seniors every day.

Richard Lyda hosts a storytime for Arapahoe’s Library on Wheels. Photo credit: Cynthia Kiyotake.

Were you experienced at read-alouds when you got started?
I did have a lot of experience with storytimes from my time at Head Start. However, the concept of storytime has evolved tremendously since those days with the development of programs like Every Child Ready to Read. We did face challenges establishing attendance when we initiated them. We initially started our storytimes at 3 p.m.…almost nobody came. We moved [them] to 4:00 p.m., which is also the busiest time on the bookmobile. It’s been a challenge for staff on the bus, but turnout for has been fantastic. We catch kids as they get off the bus and they love coming to hear a story after school!

We didn’t have extra staff to help on the bookmobile while the storytimes were taking place [and] we don’t have room on the bus to conduct storytimes. So we have to hold them either outside or in the office/community rooms where we visit. Picking books can be challenging because I never know who will show up. One day there were about eight or nine teens and a couple of 5-year-olds. So finding books that can somehow appeal to all the different age groups takes a little extra work.

What books are on your all-time top lists for storytime?
I’ve never gone wrong with Herve Tullet’s Press Here. We have such a wide range of ages that come to storytimes at the Library on Wheels. Press Here is so interactive that a 10-year-old and a two-year-old can both participate and enjoy the same storytime.  I also like It’s a Book by Lane Smith; just don’t tell anybody that they say ‘jack ass’ at the end.

What are you reading right now for yourself?
I just finished the first “Maze Runner” book  [by James Dashner]. I’ve been meaning to read it for years and finally just got around to it.

What are you most proud of at your library?
I’m really proud to work for a library district that provides so much institutional support for outreach.  I think the service is a critical component of a public library’s mission.

Do you ever hear from kids who participated in your programming in the past?
Over the last 5 years, some of the children that used to attend storytime are now teenagers. Every now and then, some of them will attend storytime for old time’s sake. A teen that stopped by the other day said, ‘I wish I was a kid again!’  Hopefully the kids are creating good memories at our storytimes.

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
It was a big surprise. I didn’t quite believe until it was officially announced. When I was initially contacted for an interview, I originally thought it was for a story on outreach.

What do you think is the state of children’s services right now?
Educating parents about the importance of early literacy is critical. In our community, this can be especially true for immigrant families that have moved here from all over the world.

What do you think children’s services should look like going forward?
I think it’s important to promote children’s services beyond the walls of libraries and schools. I see the love for books and stories at our storytimes out in the community. The kids that are attending might otherwise go home and watch TV. Instead, they’re hearing stories and hanging out with kids they might not otherwise get to know. My district is also going out and providing storytimes in home day cares as well.  There are countless opportunities to provide children’s and literacy services out there…it’s mainly a matter of trial and error and finding the right situation.

What is next for you at Arapahoe?
We just started making iPad minis available for patrons on the Library on Wheels. We have three of them available for checkout and they’ve been a tremendous hit with the kids and teens. This is in addition to the two patron computers we already had available on the bus. Patrons have to have a library card in good standing to use the iPads, so it’s been a really good motivator for kids to sign up for cards. Also, it’s been really interesting to see the social aspect of the iPad use. The kids like to gather around and see what their friends are doing on the tablets. It’s turned into a fun, interactive and social environment, which was actually somewhat unexpected.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I would love to help develop a mobile tech lab and maker space. It would be really cool to see the community we serve have access to these innovations that we’re seeing in brick-and-mortar libraries.

What’s the best professional development experience that you’ve ever had?
Having the opportunity to be involved in the building of the Library on Wheels from the ground up was really gratifying, and to see it used so heavily and successfully has been great. I was also pretty excited to get my commercial driver’s license. I like to brag that I’m a trucker librarian.

Attending the annual Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) conferences has been extremely helpful. Outreach can be a pretty specialized type of service, so attending my first conference was really eye opening. It was like finding a group of people that all speak the same language.

McCurtis came to MCL from San Diego Public Library, where, among other innovative outreach programs, she created Cuddle Up & Read, a storytime program for pregnant and parenting teens. Now at MCL, her new programs include the music-infused Black Storytime (which is open to all) and an expansion of the library’s intergenerational storytime for grandparents to include teen involvement.

In this second of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Mover & Shakers this year, McCurtis shares with School Library Journal  her top book picks (for storytime and beyond), her inspirations and passions, her strategies for meeting the needs of her entire diverse community, and her views on the future of youth services.

When/how did you know library science was the right choice for you?
After earning my Bachelors, I took a year off and served with AmeriCorps in St. Louis, MO, in an elementary school as a literacy specialist. I provided intensive one-on-one tutoring for students who were not reading at grade level. Within my first month as an AmeriCorps member I begin to really understand the root cause of continuing poverty—illiteracy. When my mom suggested librarianship, it just kind of clicked. During grad school at UCLA I was on both the archiving and public library tracks, but when I landed my first full time job as a youth librarian I knew I had found my calling.

What books are on your all-time top lists for storytime, black storytime, and grandparents storytime?
Storytime
Peek-a-boo Morning by Rachel Isadora (one year-olds)
Hug by Jez Alborough (one year-olds)
Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis (toddlers)
Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen (toddlers)
Can You Make a Scary Face? By Jan Thomas (preschool)
Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza (preschool)

Black Storytime
Shades of Black by Sandra L. Pinkney
My People by Langston Hughes, photographs by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Head Body, Legs: a Story from Liberia by Margaret H. Lippert
Whose Knees are These? by Jabari Asim
Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn
Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams

Grandparents
Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler
Grandma Lena’s Big Ol’ Turnip by Denia Lewis Hester
My Nana and Me/My Pop Pop and Me by Irene Smalls
The Grandpa Book/The Grandma Book by Todd Parr
Grandmother and I/Grandfather and I by Helen E. Buckley

What are your favorite new books for kids?
10 Hungry Rabbits by Anita Lobel
Oh, No! by Candace Fleming
A Kiss Means I Love You Kathryn Madeline Allen
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
Shout! Shout it Out! by Denise Fleming
Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman
I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black
Every Little Thing by Cedella Marley
H.O.R.S.E. by Christopher Myers

What was programming like at MCL before you got there?
Diverse and abundant. One of the things that attracted me to MCL was the amount of programming offered each day for patrons throughout the city. MCL is a leader in early childhood programs and educations, and my only goal was to perform at the same caliber as my fellow librarians.

What are you most proud of there?
Black Storytime is my pride and joy. During my first interview for my current position, I was asked, ‘What would a storytime for African and African American families look like to you?’ I thought it was a really interesting question and a challenging one. I am so excited to be able to answer it every Saturday now that I have started Black Storytime. Former youth services director Ellen Fader gave me free reign to sculpt the storytime and create a format that I thought would best interest the community.

And I have been encouraged to try new things and think outside the box. I have so much fun breaking out the instruments or rhythm sticks and dancing with the families. When I am able to connect singing and play with early literacy skills for families and then parents come up to me afterwards and start a conversation about what other books or songs might be fun for their child, I know I am doing my job.

I am very deliberate about the book selection, introducing families to stories that appeal and speak to the black experience or are written and illustrated by African American authors and illustrators. When evaluating books for storytime, I not only look at length, theme, and illustrations, but I also check to see how many copies are in our system. I know that early literacy begins and is strengthened at home and I want parents and grandparents to be able to check out titles that I have read or suggested. Gathering new materials that fit these criteria is a constant challenge, but one that I am enjoying immensely.

Who has been attending Black Storytime?
It’s been a really diverse mix. It’s completely open to everyone, so I think that makes a difference. We’ve had some white families, [mixed families], white parents who have adopted black kids. And we have in my neighborhood a really big Senegalese population, so the whole Senegalese community has been coming out. They’ve been really supportive.

Because it’s family storytime, it’s open from [ages] zero to 6. So sometimes we get older brothers and sisters, but usually it’s the 12-to-36-months age range. It’s good to do that, to expose them to music and books and the different types of literature that’s out there. I think sometimes parents get a little nervous: ‘Is it too early to start reading to my kid? They don’t understand what I’m saying.’ But it’s never too early. So it’s nice when they bring the little ones in and they get something out of it, too.

What is next for you at MCL?
Reading is Grand is the next project; it’s going to roll out as a month long program/celebration of grandparents and since it is not just about reading, we are thinking about other ways to get the message across. We know for sure oral storytelling, art, and music will all be a part of the program as those are all ways of sharing family history. The reality is, many grandparents are raising their grandchildren and deserve recognition and support. When I spoke with community members, including a group called Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, they were very enthusiastic about the idea of programs tailored at their needs and gave me tons of suggestions.

What was your reaction to being named a Mover & Shaker?
I was stoked; no other way to put it. It felt like a huge high five & hugs all in one. I could not believe it. I love the Mover & Shaker award because it gives me ideas for future programs that I might be able to bring to my library and puts faces to names that I have only heard or seen in print.

You were pegged as a “Community Builder.” Is that how you view yourself, too?
Yes, definitely. I am constantly juggling in-reach and outreach, youth needs and adult needs, staff needs and customer needs, all to make sure that this neighborhood library is seen as a community center. For me the library is more than just place so I like to get out of the building to both bring folks in and bring our resources to people where they are.

What reactions and feedback have you gotten on being named?
The feedback has been nothing but positive for me. My friends, library and non-library, are so happy for me and it feels great. And my family is my biggest support system. They are over the moon. My parents are the ultimate cheerleaders, for me and my siblings, in everything we do. But this offers something tangible in laymen’s terms, which is another reason why I love Movers & Shakers. It is one thing to say I’m doing this or that cool project and try to explain the nuances of library land, but to have a straight forward article in a national publication is something anyone can get, no matter what field you are in. My dad immediately asked if they sold Library Journal at normal newsstands.

What do you think is the state of teen services right now, the big issues and challenges?
I think it really depends on your service area. I would say a big issue I see is a blanket approach to teen services. Every teen is different and the biggest challenge is figuring out what the teen in front of you needs. A high school reading teacher I work closely with likened being a librarian or teacher to being a wine sommelier; you have to understand that teen’s personality, life experiences, and needs in order to find just what will grab them. It has to be a kid-by-kid response in order to support them and meet them where they are in order to have a meaningful conversation.

I also see a big disconnect between what is real in a teens’ life and what is being written about. This can be in terms of the skin color of the characters or the experiences they are having in the story; especially in terms of ‘neat’ endings. In the communities I choose to work, many of the teens can’t see themselves in books. We are asking teens to suspend disbelief in a time when that is so difficult for them and then expecting the positivity toward reading to still be alive. They are not comfortable being the black sidekick; they are at a school with constant budget cuts so the resources they need have been taken away, where there are over 67 languages spoken but no one speaks theirs.

Many teens are experiencing a reality that is free from shelter and protection—poverty, homelessness, racism, unemployment, violence, hunger. And they want to see books that reflect these realities. Labeling books that have mature content as not suitable for reading in a school environment stigmatizes the books and makes reading a boring chore. It seems curious to me that movies are not policed in the same way books are; PG-13 has violence but kids and teens are still encouraged to go see the latest blockbuster. A book with violence, for example, does not get the same support.

Do you have any strategies for dealing with those situations in your library?
I have a black popular fiction collection. A lot of the teens, even non-black teens, that are experiencing something like a life on the hustle (they’re broke and just trying to figure it out, and their family is just trying to figure it out), they gravitate towards those urban fiction books, and we don’t have teen books like that. I think that sets them up for not liking reading. So I’m giving the teens those [adult] books, but letting them know that they’ll probably have to have a conversation with their parents or teacher about this, if it’s an appropriate text for them to have. I don’t know any other way. I don’t feel comfortable saying, ‘Oh no, you can’t read this because you’re not ready to handle this information.’

My mom never policed what I read, and I think that made me love reading. So I just don’t want to be a censor. I just want them to be pumped about reading so they’ll keep doing it.

You’ve got to approach it one-on-one. No blanket approach! Know your community!

Are there any YA books that you typically recommend to your reluctant readers?
After Tupac and D Foster [by Jacqueline Woodson] is my number one. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, because that book is so good. All of Rita’s books, especially Jumped; that one is really popular. And America, by E.R. Frank, they love that book. Ghetto Cowboy [by G. Neri] too; they all love that and for reluctant readers, that’s so good.

What do you think teen services should look like going forward?
The biggest area I would like to see a renewal of focus on going forward is reading. Reading is not purely academic and I hope that there is resurgence of positivity toward reading. Young people are getting distracted at their most distractible time—middle school—and never returning to reading. But they are eager participants when they are hooked. So we have to be more adventurous in the ways we engage in reading instruction and advocacy.

I see e-content as an interesting way to do this, but the digital divide is real where I work. I hear that devices are everywhere and that the content is out there for the taking but it is not getting into every hand. I think we should forget the device; it is about the process. How can we use our resources to show teens what they can get for themselves?

They need facilitators to show them what they can do from home to acquire new reading material in any format—be that a phone, PC, tablet, or library card. I hope in the future we can work more closely with teachers and schools in order to be these facilitators. The love of reading is hard to get back once it has been lost, but if we support YA literature across a variety of genres and themes, and find the right story for the teen in front of us, this won’t be such an uphill battle.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I would love to have a program, or series of programs, that happens in cooperation with another state. There are a number of fabulous youth librarians doing amazing things with early childhood in California and Colorado—like Mel Depper—that I would love to work with in my current setting but I haven’t figured out how to make that happen yet. I am thinking about a youth-centered approach to local programming from a regional perspective. The region where I work is the highest poverty area in Portland. Kids don’t get out in the same way that someone with affluence would. Public transit only goes so far, and just the idea of going out of their city is not even on their radar. So having a partnership library-to-library, for them to see other kids doing the same thing? I think that would be really cool. So many kids these days don’t get that there’s another sphere outside their neighborhood. I want them to realize that there’s something bigger.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
The first was the ALA Emerging Leaders program, which made me more thoughtful about what participation and leadership mean. It introduced me to 90 something other newish librarians from around the country; a dozen that I now consider my ‘librarian road crew.’ This is my rock star cohort that I am so proud to call friends. I know I can call or email any of these folks when I have a library question or a crazy idea that I want to work out and they can figure out how to do it or who best I should contact. It also introduced me to two greats in the field, Peter Bromberg and John Chrastka, who helped show me the ALA ropes, and who I credit with my current level of association involvement.

The second was the California State Library and InfoPeople initiative Eureka! Leadership Institute. Thirty librarians from California are selected each year to participate in this intensive week long institute based on a competitive, lengthy application and a project proposal. Eureka is how I was able to get Cuddle Up & Read funded, and introduced me to the world of grant writing. More importantly, I gained a great group of mentors that challenge me and worked with two amazing facilitators who helped me discover my strengths and challenges as a leader.

Hoenke and some of his daily after-school teen patrons at Portland Public Library. Photo credit: David Chu.

“There’s so much going on in [teens’] heads and in their lives, both present and future, that it can be easy to lose track of who they really are,” says Justin Hoenke, aka Justin the Librarian—popular blogger, retro gamer, music buff, and the very first teen librarian at the Portland Public Library (ME). “We try to help them understand life…We want to see them be really awesome adults who make a change in the world.”

And in changing the world, they have a great role model: it’s been a super productive few years for Hoenke, with even bigger plans on the horizon. Since arriving at Portland in 2010, his innovating programming established and expanded Portland’s service to more than 1,000 teens annually. A few weeks ago he was named a Library Journal  Mover & Shaker for 2013. And next month, he’ll become a teen librarian at the progressive Chattanooga Public Library (TN).

In this first of a dozen planned interviews with the youth services librarians named as Mover & Shakers this year, School Library Journal explores in more detail what makes Justin tick—his inspirations, his passions, and his vision for the future of teen services.

When/how did you know library science was the right choice for you?
I was aimlessly wandering around in life until I met my wife Haley. Her mother Jill is a super awesome librarian at the Monessen Public Library (PA). She said to me, ‘you know, you would really like being a librarian and I think you’d be really good at it.’ So, yes, my mother-in-law pushed me into librarianship.

Why teen services?
That was another odd thing that just happened! I was going to school at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and someone told me they were looking for a library science student to run their teen programs in the summer. I went in, told them I’d give it a shot, and I haven’t looked back since.

What really draws me to this kind of work is how you can experiment and try neat things all the time.  Teens are always changing their minds. One minute they’ll want to just hang out and be left alone and the next they are attempting to completely redesign your teen area. My brain sort of works like that too. I like to do neat stuff. So do teens. So we fit together really well.

What were you like as a teenager? What were you into?
I hung out in my room a lot, listened to every album by Weezer and The Beach Boys, taught myself how  to write music, and played Nintendo. I look back on those times very fondly.

What were your favorite media and hobbies as a teen? Now?
Books: Hatchet, Batman: A Death in The Family, and Big Joe’s Trailer Truck
Video games: Anything Nintendo! The Legend of Zelda
Movies: The Empire Strikes Back, The Wedding Singer, and 2001: A Space Odyssey
Hobbies: Listening to music, reading about musicians, and video games

Honestly, I am pretty much the same person as I was as a teenager except now that I get to enjoy all of these things with my wife Haley and our two kids, Finn and Aero!

Can you tell us about your tattoos?
I thought, ‘Well, I really dig being a librarian and I want to show that to the world, so why not get a library tattoo?’ It has been awesome. It starts up a lot of conversations and it gets people talking about libraries. I have six tattoos total. I’m really partial to my tattoo of Link from The Legend of Zelda.

Why did you start your blog? Are you accomplishing with it what you want to?
I started blogging in around 2009. I just had a lot of ideas in my head that I wanted to share and blogging seemed like the best way to do it. My BA was in creative writing so I thought I’d put it to good use. My blog has led to some awesome things and for that I am very thankful.

Last year I got to travel to Hamburg, Germany to speak about video games in libraries with the Zukunftswerkstatt. It was so rad. I had never been to Europe and this trip really gave me a new perspective on things. I also made some wonderful friends.

What was Portland’s programming like before you got there?
I am actually the first even teen librarian at the Portland Public Library. My main goal when I got here was to focus on the community above everything else. Portland, ME, has an amazing community full of vibrant and creative people. I knew that if I wanted to make this library an awesome place for teens, I’d have to focus on their needs above everything else and tap into the awesomeness of the people around town to make this the best place it could be.

Hoenke keeps it real with one of his daily after-school teen library patrons. Photo credit: David Chu.

What are you most proud of there?
I’ve had a lot of really cool programs that I’m proud of (Make Music at the Library and Make Art for the Library are two) but what makes me the happiest are the hi-fives, fist bumps, and conversations that I have with the teens that come into the library every day. We’ll see anywhere from 50 to 100 kids a day and they’ll always walk by our desk and smile. That’s the coolest thing in the world.

My favorite things to do with the teens that use my library is to get them thinking about things creatively about the world around them. I like to give them tools and say, ‘let’s see what you can make—surprise me!’ I also really like to make the library a place that they equate with fun.

I was one of those teens that always fiddled with recording music (I still do to this day) and I knew how neat the experience was for me. [Make Music at the Library] was an attempt to basically recreate that for the teens of Portland what I used to do in my basement every weekend when I was 16! For the first year, we got a local hip-hop artist named Sontiago involved. She brought in some tracks and worked with the teens on composing lyrics and giving the songs structure. It worked out really well.

This past year we decided to try something new.  We used a four track recorder and set up a synthesizer and a microphone. I was really impressed with the ideas they came up with.

I am also equally proud of the programs that got teens making other forms of art in the library. We collaborated with Maine College of Art; they gave us a student intern [who] we connected with teens, and together they made the original artwork that lives in our teen library.  It’s really awesome because it really defines the space as ‘by and for the teens of Portland, ME.’

I also really dug having a make-your-own-video-game workshop. We collaborated with The Telling Room, an awesome local writing organization that works with teens. We had a six-week workshop where we got teens to think about the story/characters/plot/etc that all go into video game development. The catch was that we didn’t actually make any video games, we just focused on how important the story and the writing elements were.

Honestly, what I think is most rewarding are the moments after school where the teens flood into the library. We go from having about 3–5 teens in our area to having about 30–50 teens in the matter of moments. It’s a really beautiful and at the same time chaotic thing. But it really gives me the chance to talk to the teens, hang out with them, and really become their friend and someone they can trust.

Who have you collaborated the most at Portland? Was that easy for you?
Collaboration came very easy to me. I figured out at a pretty early age that ideas could only be taken so far when you work alone and if you want the best, you’ve got to reach out to the best people the surround you. I worked a lot with Michael Whittaker, Sonya Tomlinson, The Telling Room, and Portland Police Department Youth Services officers Ray Ruby and Bethany Murphy. These folks were the people who really took everything to the next level. Without them, there’s nothing.

What have you learned from your experiences?
No matter how big the task is that you accomplish, there’s always something bigger and better right around the corner. I’ve come away from programs and other things in my library thinking, “phew, that’s over, time to rest,’ only to be reminded by the teens I serve that there’s never a dull moment.

The projects that didn’t turn out exactly as I hoped taught me to pay better attention to my community.

For example, here in Portland, ME, my teens are crazy about soccer—playing it, watching it, reading about it, and more. I tried some programs when I first started here that were very typical teen library programs: craft nights, writing nights, movie nights, and none of that worked. I found out that my teens really wanted soccer!  It brought them together as a community. It made them excited to be in the library and be together with people that share similar passions as them. [At] our weekly video game nights…we play the latest FIFA soccer game on the XBox 360. It never gets old because the teens love it so much. Listen closely to what your community wants and give them just that.

I also learned patience! Sometimes my ideas might be ahead of where the library currently is and that’s OK. Sometimes it best to put those ideas on the back burner for a bit and let them really develop.

Do you hear from kids who participated in your programming? What’s that like for you?
All the time! When people ask what it’s like being a teen librarian, I tell them that it’s about 95 percent hi-fives, fist bumps, and talking to teenagers about anything and everything. So yes, I’ve had the good fortune of having a really open stream of conversation with the teens at all times. I love this. It lets us know what we’re doing right and what we’re doing that’s not working out. It allows us to continue to grow at all times and best serve the teens that are in our library.

Next month you start your new job. Why Chattanooga, TN?
So many reasons! [Those] are just a few. There’s just a great buzz going around the city of Chattanooga and I am so excited to be part of it. Corrine Hill is bringing together an awesome team of people at the Chattanooga Public Library and they are all very dedicated to doing amazing things for the community.

Do you have a plan of action on what you’d like to do in Chattanooga?
I want to sit back, listen, and take everything in for a while. I want to understand the community, the teenagers, and really get an idea of my place on the Chattanooga Public Library team.  Moving, integrating into a new community, and starting a new job is all very hard work and I don’t want to let it overwhelm me. Lots of breathing and lots of listening!

What was your reaction to being named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker?
My eyes got really big and I said ‘Wow!’ Honestly, I am so honored. I look at the list of the past recipients of the award and I’m just like ‘holy cow, there are so many awesome people doing so many wonderful things on this list.’ It’s just so nice to be included in a list with such wonderful people.

Justin gets into the teen services zone at Portland Public Library. Photo credit: David Chu.

Also, I was so jazzed to get on the cover of LJ.  My younger brother Brandon was on the cover of a magazine when he was a little kid and I was always bummed that I wasn’t on the cover with him!  Now there’s balance in the family.

LJ pegged you as an “Advocate.” Do you think that’s accurate?
Totally accurate. I think librarians that work with children’s and teens always have to have advocacy in focus. We’re the community leaders for these age groups and many times we’re their biggest champions. We need to stand up and advocate for tools, materials, programs, and more that can give these folks the best possible experiences in the library and in the community.

What reactions and feedback have you gotten on being named?
Lots of hugs, smiles, and good vibrations. It has really been a lovely experience.

What do you think is the state of teen services right now, the big issues and challenges?
So I’ve been a teen librarian since 2007. At that time, it felt like teen services were really a one-person show. Libraries found someone who was passionate about working with teens, breaking down boundaries, and just wanted to do exciting things.

However, there’s only so far one person can go. After that, you have to start collaborating and building a team. I think that’s where it’s heading right now. Teen services will be less about one teen librarian working alone and doing amazing things and instead we’ll see teen services become something bigger…more people working together to do awesome things.

What do you think teen services should look like going forward?
Less solitary teen librarians doing amazing things, more teams of amazing people coming together and doing amazing things for teens! Seriously, I think collaboration is key. Look at The Beatles. Of course, all of their solo careers were super awesome; they made some great music. But think about the music they made together as The Beatles. Great things can happen when you get amazing people together. Libraries should bring amazing people together and see what happens.

What’s on your career wish list? What would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?
I spent a lot of time as a teenager in video arcades: great games, great people, and great conversation. I’d love to build a video arcade in a library someday. There’s just something so great about a bunch of people enjoying a video game together. It’s a great community building exercise.

What are the best professional development experiences that you have ever had?
The connections I have made through my blog, Twitter, Facebook, and listservs have been so key in helping me grow as a librarian and as a person. Without my connections with these folks (you know who you are), there would be nothing. I cherish these connections more than anything else and I highly suggest that everyone make connections just like these and to always have an open heart!