MLIS 2013
Assistant Principal (Former STEAM Teacher-Librarian)
Los Angeles, CA USA

What I am doing now.

I was the STEM Teacher-Librarian for Young Oak Kim Academy, a STEM Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. My library program supported the school-wide instructional focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in many ways: STEM-themed library orientations and lessons, STEM nonfiction book talks, STEM research lessons, and STEM book displays. I coordinated various literacy/numeracy events, guest speakers, book fairs, book swaps, quiz bowls, and contests. I was also the school’s master calendar coordinator, marquee programmer, and webmaster. My main goal was to collaborate with teachers to support their instruction in innovative ways such as with my “Traveling Libraries,” which entails choosing thoughtful collections of books & DVDs and sending them to the teachers’ classrooms to be used as supplementary materials for their daily lessons.  To connect with students, I opened the library before and after school as well as utilized various social media and technologies to deliver information, reminders, and recommendations. My career as a librarian has been incredibly rewarding because I helped students develop a love of libraries while supporting their success in all content areas, especially STEM subjects. You are welcome to read my “Community Profile.”

What are the most valuable skills I use in my job?

I found each SLIS class to be incredibly insightful and directly related to my work. The classes that especially helped me develop expertise were LIBR 233: School Library Media Centers, LIBR 264: Materials for Tweens, and LIBR 266: Collection Management. When I took LIBR 233, I was so impressed by the ideas presented, and I learned many strategies about transforming my library into a “learning commons” and turning my website into a “virtual learning commons,” which I feel will keep my learning program both progressive and relevant. As a middle school librarian, LIBR 264 helped me develop expertise about tween literature with all its major themes, motifs, popular authors, and most of all defining what tween literature really is as well as researching the issues tweens face. Lastly, LIBR 266 was beneficial because I learned in-depth methods for assessing community information needs, criteria selection, evaluating collection use statistics, and developing a collection policy. Additional skills I utilize often in my position are public speaking, event coordinating, and grant writing. 

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