This textbook was collaboratively written by the instructor and students of a graduate-level course titled Instruction for Youth in School and Public Libraries, taught by Dr. Casey H. Rawson in Spring 2019 at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS). This work deepens and extends the work begun in Instruction and Pedagogy for Youth in Public Libraries, an open-access textbook written through a similar process and published in 2018. That text is hosted at publiclibraryinstruction.web.unc.edu.
Other than Dr. Rawson, all of this book’s authors were SILS master’s students at the time of writing.
Author Bios
Note: Bios were written in Spring 2019 and reflect students’ accomplishments and goals at that point.
Jesse Akman is a second-year MSLS student at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. He has worked in research and education services for multiple academic health sciences libraries. His primary area of interest is information literacy instruction, with a particular emphasis on helping researchers and clinicians better communicate consumer health information to patients. After graduation, he plans to continue working in library education services for the life and health sciences in North Carolina’s Piedmont region.
Megan Boland is a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. Prior to attending UNC-Chapel Hill, she earned her bachelor’s degrees in English Literature and International Studies at Western Carolina University. She currently works at Chapel Hill Public Library as a Youth and Family Experiences Assistant, and she is the Student Success Intern at Duke University Libraries. Megan also currently serves as the New Student Outreach Coordinator for the Information and Library Science Students Association (ILSSA) at SILS. She is interested in youth services and equity and access in public libraries and is dedicated to ensuring that all patrons have positive experiences at their local library. After completing her MSLS, Megan hopes to work in a public library as a children’s librarian.
Nadia Clifton is a MSLS student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. She is a 2017-2019 Association of Research Libraries/Society of American Archivists Mosaic Program Fellow, and she works as a Graduate Assistant in the Rare Book Collection of UNC’s Wilson Special Collections Library. Before starting her MSLS, she received a BA in English with a minor in Cognitive Science and an MA in English literature from UNC-Charlotte. Nadia’s interests include rare books and special collections, academic librarianship, instruction, and outreach.
Isabel Crevasse (she/her/hers) is a library science graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the Amy Elizabeth Morgan Assistant at NoveList, where she helps with book discovery for juvenile materials. Before coming to the Triangle Area, she spent time teaching English as a foreign language and earning a master’s degree in English Literature. Isabel is equally passionate about working with teens and working with stories, so she looks forward to a life spent pursuing both passions upon completion of her MSLS degree.
Ellie Edwards is a second-year graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. She has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a second major in History, also from UNC-Chapel Hill. After earning her MSLS, she hopes to work with people of all ages in a public library. Ellie is passionate about helping people find new stories in any format that enrich their lives and discover novel ways to tell their own stories.
Catherine M. Gallagher is a first-year graduate student in the School of nformation and Library Science at the University of North Carolina. Before coming to Chapel Hill, Catherine received her undergraduate degrees in Studio Art and Individualized Art History with a Spanish and Latin American Studies minor from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, in April 2018. She is passionate about incorporating the arts into librarianship, maintaining an inclusive and diverse collection featuring #OwnVoices literature and POC authors, and providing accessible media for students with disabilities. After graduation, she plans to return to her hometown of Chicago, Illinois, and work as a middle or high school school media specialist to educate students about social justice issues through information literacy.
Caitlin Kennedy (she/her/hers) is a second-year master’s student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. She started her career in human services in Atlanta, and now she is interested in “whole person librarianship,” which leverages social work principles to support library patrons. Currently, she applies this philosophy in her work as a Carolina Academic Library Associate at UNC’s Robert B. House Undergraduate Library and Wilson Special Collections Library.
Amelia Midgett-Nicholson is a master’s student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the School of Information and Library Science. After working in public libraries for 3 years, she decided to pursue her MSLS at UNC-Chapel Hill in order to become an academic librarian. Amelia is interested in community outreach, reference, instruction, and creating diverse and inclusive spaces in libraries. In May 2019, she joined North Carolina State University Libraries as the NC LIVE Community Engagement Librarian.
Brittany Norwood (she/her/hers) is a second year master’s student in the School of Information and Library Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her career, she hopes to utilize her prior education in psychology and sociology to help promote diversity and inclusion in academic libraries. Her other interests include academic librarianship, collection development, outreach, research, and instruction.
Alyssa Putt is in her first year as a masters student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science, where she is completing her MSLS with a specialization in School Media. Before SILS, she worked for four years as a sixth-grade English teacher at a STEM magnet school in Durham, North Carolina, where she practiced culturally responsive and trauma-informed instruction. She is committed to the social justice framework and especially interested in the role of libraries as community centers and institutions of equity. During her time at SILS, she has worked for the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and the State Library’s Government and Heritage Library to expand public—and especially student—access to archival, heritage, and historical materials. After completing her MSLS, she hopes to bring her experience as an educator to a school library where she can support students in their exploration and development of multiple literacies and classroom teachers in their development of engaging and empowering instruction.
Kristen Stockdale (she/her/hers) is a first year master’s student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. She currently works as a Graduate Assistant in the Park Library at the School of Media and Journalism, and she is a Children’s Activity Tent intern at the South Durham Farmers Market. Kristen is passionate about community collaboration and outreach services. After completing her MSLS, she plans to work in a public library setting as a youth librarian.
Allison Thompson grew up in the big woods of Wisconsin and Minnesota. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with an undergraduate degree in English, with a focus on professional writing. Allison spent all four years of college working in libraries, including the Joseph F. Morbito Architecture Library, the UNC-W University Archives, and the Randall Library Government Documents. While studying abroad in England, Allison focused on historic preservation, taking classes on the heritage industry and exploring how different sites approach interpretation. After graduation, she spent a year as an archivist intern for Preservation North Carolina. She is currently studying library science with a focus on Archives at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Faith Wahlers (she/her/hers) is a second-year library science master’s student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. She is a graduate reference assistant at Davis Library. Her interests include public libraries, community partnerships, event programming, and accessibility. She recently co-lead a symposium presentation on romance novels about LGBTQ+ people and people of color and plans on publishing her findings in the future.
Lauren Wise is a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science. While pursuing her MSLS, she is focusing on services for children and youth. She is particularly passionate about early literacy development and how public libraries can help prepare families for the transition to kindergarten. After graduation, she hopes to work with young children in a public library, designing programs that develop school readiness skills.
Kat Zimmerman (they/them/theirs) is a first-year MSLS student at UNC Chapel Hill specializing in youth librarianship in public libraries. They currently work at the Chapel Hill Public Library in the Youth & Family Experiences department. Their focus lies in promoting LGBTQ+ youth representation, inclusion, and programming, and fostering support for diverse communities. Upon graduation they intend to work as a youth librarian in a public library.
Funding
This work has been generously funded by a grant from EBSCO Information Services.
