Education

Texas Woman’s University  Denton, TX

§     1965-1969    B.A., English, Minor, Psychology

                           B.S., Library Science, Minor, Sociology

§     1970-1971    M.L.S., Library Science

Master’s paper:  “The Crisis and Process of Growing Up as Currently Seen in Fiction for Young Adults”

§     1980-1983    M.A., Psychology

Master’s paper:  “Bibliotherapy:  An Adjunct to Parent Training and Family Therapy”

§     1979-1985    Ph.D., Library Science, Minor, Psychology

Dissertation:  “The Effect of a Booktalk Presentation of Selected Titles on the Attitude Toward Reading of Senior High School Students and on the Circulation of these Titles in the High School Library”

Scholarships

Genevieve Dixon Scholarship,  Texas Woman’s University, 1970

Presidential Scholarship, Texas Woman’s University, 1979

Experience

1995-Present     University of Denver                         Denver, CO 

Adjunct Faculty, College of Education, Department of Library and Information Science

Adjunct Faculty, University College, Department of Library and Information Services

§     Teach courses:

               Understanding the Information User

               Collection Management

               Patterns of Information-Seeking Behavior

               Readers’ Advisory Tools and Techniques

               Genre Fiction for Adults

               Young Adult Materials and Services

               Children’s Materials and Services

               The Art of Booktalking (scheduled, but not yet taught)

               Storytelling for all Ages (scheduled, but not yet taught) 

               Practicum

               Capstone

§     Research course content in print and non-print sources on quarterly basis.

§     Advise and mentor students.

§     Participate in departmental meetings and social activities.

§     Collaborate with other faculty members and the department director to refine and expand the curriculum, including developing new specialty tracks and new courses.

§     Developed the Public Services Track, and designed courses for it.

§     Developed and taught the first Summer Institute on Youth Literature, “Radical Reads:  Gritty Fiction for Teens,” with nationally known YA literature critic and expert, Patricia Campbell.

 Experience (cont.)s

1996-Present                  Denver Public Library                      Denver, CO

Reference/YA Librarian, Northwest Branches Cluster

§      Supervise paraprofessional staff as “Librarian in Charge” at the five branches in the cluster when appropriate.

§      Supervise weeding programs at Woodbury and Broadway Libraries.

§      Alert professional and paraprofessional staff in the cluster about new materials in branch reference and circulating collections and important websites, databases, and search engines they should be aware of.

§      Plan and implement programs for teens and adults at the Woodbury Library.

§      Plan and implement school visits, including library orientation, booktalking, and reading aloud to students at four middle schools and two high schools.

§      Plan and set up displays at the Woodbury and Broadway Libraries, focusing customers’ attention on specific parts of the collection.

§      Staff reference desks at the five branches in the cluster, and staff circulation desks as required.

§      Assist individual customers of all ages on research, reference, and reader’s advisory questions, using print, non-print, and online resources.

§      Instituted weekly outreach services to local nursing home, including selecting and delivering materials in various formats for recreational and informational needs.

§      Member of Outreach Committee for the cluster, planning activities for customers of all ages and participating in training paraprofessional staff members to do various kinds of outreach.

§      As Computer Liaison for the Woodbury branch (1996-2001), trained individual customers to use computers, databases and the internet; taught internet and database searching classes for staff and customers; evaluated sites and search engines; maintained bookmark file for staff; helped train staff in database and Internet searching skills; and did hardware and software troubleshooting for 17 branch computers.

§     In charge of Woodbury branch teen summer reading program and served on system-wide committee running the program for two years. 

Experience (cont.)

1990-Present                  Self-employed                                  Denver, CO            

School/Library Consultant

§     Conduct lectures and workshops on young adult literature and services in schools and libraries in the United States and Canada.  (A selected list is attached.)

§     Write articles and books on booktalking and young adult literature. (A bibliography is attached.)

§     Boston Public Library, Project Coordinator, “Picturing Our World:  Enhancing Creativity and Self Esteem in Boston Youth.”  Administered twelve month, $64,000 grant from The Boston Foundation.  Drew up project budget.  Designed and coordinated programs for teens in five branch libraries.  Trained librarians and project artists in group leadership and motivational skills.  Organized and implemented “The POW! Showcase,” presenting the five projects and the teens who participated in them to the community, and celebrating their achievements.  Reported results of the program to the City Librarian.  Wrote articles on the project.  (1996-97) 

§     Write approximately 25 Booktalks per publishing season for Scholastic Books for Young Readers published in print and electronic mailing lists. (1994-Present)

§     Plains and Peaks Regional Library System.  Developed and ran the “Booktalking the Rockies”  program in 25 middle and high schools.  Evaluated school collections, and reported to the system director on their quality and quantity.  Did presentations for approximately 100 classes per year. (1994-96)

§     Putnam County (Florida) Library System, Young Adult Services Consultant.  Set up program and area for YA services at the new Main Library, trained staff in programming and materials selection, did classroom presentations at three high schools, developed and presented a YA author program featuring Todd Strasser, reported to the County Board of Supervisors concerning library service to teens and how to improve it in the future. (1992)

1985-1988                          American Library Association               Chicago, IL

Editor, Top of the News and Journal of Youth Services in Libraries

§     Responsible for soliciting, editing, and publishing articles in the journal for the Young Adult Services Division/Young Adult Library Services Association and the Association of Library Services to Children.

§     Responsible for all other material published in the journal, other than advertising, including columns, letters, divisional and national news, and reviews.

§     Spearheaded a campaign to change the journal name and to make it a refereed journal with a more scholarly focus.

§     Chaired the TON/JOYS Advisory Committee, a joint committee of the two divisions that works with the editor and makes suggestions on the content and focus of the journal.

§     Reported to the Boards of both divisions on the journal’s progress and content.

§     Invited to edit the journal for a second term; declined for personal reasons.

1983-1990                         Emporia State University                      Emporia, KS

Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Management

§     Hired to help design and implement the new curriculum developed as part of the reaccreditation process

§     Developed and taught courses:

     Psychology of Information Use

     Information Transfer and Young Adults

     Information Transfer and Children

     The Recreational Function of Libraries

     Recreational Literature for Adults

     The Art of Booktalking

§     Participated in successful reaccredidation process for the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association.  Chaired Faculty committee and wrote that section of the Case Study Document..  Member of the Curriculum Committee, and contributed to that section of the Case Study Document.

§     Designed and taught distance education classes in Iowa and Colorado.

§     Designed and taught the first class presented on videotape for distance education.

§     Designed and taught Telenet courses to students across the state via telephone lines.

§     Advised and mentored students.

§     University-wide committees:  Graduate Research Committee, Faculty Senate.

§     SLIM committees:  Faculty Team-Building Committee, New Curriculum Committee, Distance Education Committee, Accreditation Committee/Faculty, Accreditation Committee/Curriculum.

§     Research topics:  effects of booktalking on students and libraries, communication patterns of teenagers, coordination of youth workers in different disciplines, organizational culture, information psychology.

1982-1983                         Survival House                                        Krum, TX

Business Manager/Therapist

(Facility was a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed adolescents, which closed in 1985.)

§     Member of three person management team.

§     Supervised and trained less experienced staff members.

§     In charge of bookkeeping, accounting and payroll. 

§     Compiled financial records and reports.

§     Did individual, group and family therapy.

1982                                 Sam Houston State University             Huntsville, TX

  Visiting Professor, Department of Library Sciences

§     Developed and taught graduate course, “The Art of Booktalking.”

1978-1979                         Stanislaus County Public Library         Modesto, CA

Young Adult Coordinator

Responsible for YA collection, YA area, services and programming for teens.

§     Developed and ran services for middle and high school students.

§     Maintained the young adult materials collection and the YA area in the Main Library.

§     Provided outreach service to inmates of the County Juvenile Hall.

§     Provided space for monthly rock concerts by local teens.

§     Visited classes in eight middle and high schools to do Booktalks and publicize the library’s services to teens.

§     Staffed adult and children’s reference desks.

1973-1978                         Alameda County Library                      Fremont, CA

Regional Young Adult Librarian, Fremont Main Library

Responsible for YA collections, YA areas, services and programming for teens in five branches.

§     First YA librarian hired by the system.

§     Helped maintain YA materials collections and YA areas in each of the five branches.

§     Solely responsible for the YA Room, YA collection, and services to teens at the mail library.

§     Staffed adult and young adult reference desks.

§     Helped train young adult librarians and library assistants.

§     Supervised clerks and shelvers working in the YA room at the main library.

§     Visited classes in five high schools to do Booktalks and publicize the library’s services to teens.

§     Developed innovative programming for teens, including young filmmakers festivals, art shows, and Star Trek festivals.

§     Worked with local radio station to arrange for the donation and maintenance of the only water couch in a YA room in the country.

1971-1973                         Sonoma County Library                  Santa Rosa, CA

Young Adult/Reference Librarian

§     Was the first YA librarian hired by the system.

§     Maintained the young adult collection.

§     Staffed adult and children’s reference desks.

§     Was “Librarian in Charge” when working at night and on weekends.

§     Instituted the position of Readers’ Advisory Librarian and staffed the RA desk in the fiction area, working with teen and adult customers.

§     Participated in Bay Area Young Adult Librarians (BAYA), 1971-79, served as President, Vice President, Secretary, Book Review Editor, Program Chairman.

1969-1970                         Albuquerque Public Library          Albuquerque, NM   

Children’s Librarian/Assistant Branch Head, Los Griegos Branch Library

§     Responsible for all services and programming for children.

§     Maintained children’s materials collection.

§     Managed branch while head librarian was on extended medical leave.

§     Supervised shelvers working in the children’s area.

§     Staffed branch reference/circulation desk, working with customers of all ages.

§     Ran year-round programming for children, and the largest summer reading program ever done at the branch.

Teaching & Research Assistantships

1980-1982                         Texas Woman’s University                     Denton, TX

Teaching Assistant, School of Library Studies

§     Complete responsibility for developing and teaching graduate course, “Current Trends in Children’s and Young Adult Literature,”

§     Complete responsibility for teaching undergraduate course, “Basic General Reference.”

1979-1980                         University of North Texas                       Denton, TX

Research Assistant, Department of Sociology

§     Helped design and run study on combined school and public libraries.

§     Collected and organized study data.

§     Did literature survey, wrote final report and articles on the study.

Grants

The Boston Foundation/Boston Public Library, $64,000, 1996-97

    “Picturing Our World:  Enhancing Creativity and Self Esteem in Teens”

Whitney-Carnegie Grant for the Creation of Scholarly Bibliographic Materials of General Interest, $2000, 1988-89

    “Researching Adolescence:  Resources Across the Disciplines”

Professional Memberships

American Library Association, 1973-Present

     Young Adult Services Division/Young Adult Library Services Association

              Best Books for Young Adults Committee (chair)

              Nominating Committee

              Research Committee

              Top of the News/Journal of Youth Services Advisory Committee   (chair)

              Media Selection and Usage Committee(chair)

              Horror Genre Fiction Committee (chair)

              Booktalking Discussion Group (moderator)

              “Teen Hoopla” Website Virtual Task Force

National Council of Teachers of English, Assembly of Literature for Adolescents, 1985-Present (intermittent)

             ALAN Workshop presenter