VAASL MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Recent Episodes
Heather Murfee
Meet the superhero school librarians of Virginia!
Thank you for tuning into the podcast that shines the spotlight on VA school librarians who actively support student learning and so much more!
Jenni Cooper, Librarian @ Potomac Senior High School, VAASL President-Elect
YALSA Non-Fiction Book Award Committee, 2018-2020
ALA LEARN Round Table Committee, 2018-Present
VLA Continuing Education, Committee, 2018-Present
VAASL Potomac Region Librarian of the Year, 2017
Formerly Held VAASL Positions: VAASL VOICE Co-Editor | VAASL Student IGNITE Award Committee | VAASL Conference Publications Chair | ALA Legislative Day Rep | Potomac Regional Director
Click to learn more about the VAASL Ready Initiative.
Click to register or to learn more about the 2020 Annual Conference: Branching Out.
Originally recorded Summer 2020
Heather is a non-stop librarian who leads her students through breakouts, lessons with a focus on STEAM and engineering design process and has also created and implemented an adapted library program for self-contained autism classes.
Contact Heather at htbaucum@fcps.edu or follow her on Twitter at @bookybaucum.
Richmond Public School's Instructional Specialist for Library Media, Judy Deichman, describes how the Lit Limo supports RPS's Dreams4RPS program and helps reduce both Summer and Covid-19 slide.
https://www.rvaschools.net/lit-limo
https://www.wtvr.com/building-better-minds/the-lit-limo-is-making-stops-around-richmond
Kelly Passek, Librarian at Blacksburg Middle School, collaborates with Wing to deliver library books to students. Kelly advocates for the power of reading and the positive impact of school libraries on student learning. Based on Kelly's recommendation, Montgomery County (Va.) Public Schools became the first in the world to offer a library book drone delivery service.
Kelly has been featured in numerous news outlets for her innovative solution; click the links below for each feature:
CBS News
US News & World Reports
Washington Post
Wing delivers library books to students in Virginia
Barbara serves as a librarian to primary and intermediate students at two different schools and also teaches literacy classes to students! Catch up with Barbara & Bella the Bulldog on Facebook: Edgemont Primary and Jeter-Watson Intermediate.
Lisa exemplifies what it means to be a librarian through every action and strives to meets the needs of her students and faculty everyday. To learn more about Lisa and her amazing library program, visit bit.do/sjhslib.
Meet Kim Allen! Kim works collaboratively with staff to provide deeper learning opportunities for students and has transformed the library into an active learning center that highlights literacy and STEAM activities.
Meet Heather Thomas! Heather is known for her energy and innovation. Listen to find out how Heather thrives on creating a positive and inviting space for students, staff, and the community.
Nathan Sekinger, librarian at T. Benton Gayle Middle School in Stafford County, VA
VAASL Rappahannock Regional Director-Elect
NBCT, Makey Makey Ambassador, Tinkercad Educational Advisor, Raspberry Pi, Google Level 2 Certified Educator, Apple Teacher, Swift Playgrounds Apple Teacher
For more information about Nathan, his library program, and news coverage on 3-D printed PPEs, please visit:
Twitter: @SekingerN
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkyrg7jl1qrxGT-Lamit0Uw
Fredericksburg.com news story: Stafford couple, both educators, create mass mask manufacturing with printers in basement
WUSA9 news story: Librarians turn basement to 3D print shop to make masks for health care workers
Meet Katie Kier! Katie is known for building relationships with students, teachers, and the community; collaborating on cross-curricular lessons with multiple subject areas, and meeting the needs of diverse groups of learners.
Monica Cabarcas, librarian & former VAASL Shenandoah Regional Director chats about the goals of VAASL's new Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee focuses on fostering diversity and inclusivity in (1) school library collections, (2) the school workforce, and (3) school-based systemic structures. One of our first steps as a committee was to learn more about our current membership and how it is distributed across various regions. Using the criteria outlined in the ALA Spectrum Scholarship, we asked members if they identified with one of the following groups: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. The survey was voluntary and distributed through E-News on two occasions. Results currently indicate that 1% of our total membership of 1,156 school librarians identify with one or more of the following groups. The committee hopes to broaden the scope of this survey and embed questions in the annual registration process to increase the accuracy of our membership data.
Kelly Passek, librarian & VAASL Roanoke Regional Director chats about Montgomery County's Book Delivery System during the COVID-19 school closures.