ALSC Bloggers

All regular contributors to the ALSC Blog are members of ALSC. If you are a member of ALSC and would like to be a regular contributor to the ALSC Blog, please send an email expressing your interest to alscblog@gmail.com.

Angela Reynolds is the Head of Youth Services for Annapolis Valley Regional Library in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada. Other adjectives to describe Angela include storyteller, reader, duct-tape enthusiast, and bellydancer.

Bethany A. Lafferty is currently Assistant Branch Manager/Head of Youth Services at the Green Valley Library branch of the Henderson (NV) Libraries. She has been working in libraries for five years in youth services. Bethany was a participant in ALA’s 2007 Emerging Leaders Program. She is a past member of ALSC’s Children & Technology Committee and currently serves on the ALSC Public Awareness Committee. In addition to ALSC service, Bethany is also a member of ALA’s New Member Round Table and served on the 2009 Midwinter Social Committee. Bethany moved to Las Vegas in September 2005 from Oak Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago. She is a 1999 graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a 2005 graduate of Dominican University (IL) with a Masters of Library and Information Science. Bethany lives in the southwest area of Las Vegas with her husband Brian and their two cats, Artemis and Avery and new puppy Roxy.

Dana Zakrzewski is the Youth Services Librarian at the North Branch of the Denton Public Library in Denton, TX. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Dallas in 2001, Dana moved to Madison, WI with the intention of earning a PhD in History. She soon heard about the School of Library and Information Studies at UW-Madison and became intrigued by the future it offered. As a graduate of UW, Dana did not expect to start her career in Denton, TX, a city with two library schools of its own. She lucked out, however, and landed a great gig where she is surrounded by her passion—Children’s Literature. She spends her days honing her collection development skills, trying to find that perfect book for storytime, managing her library’s blog, inventorying a ridiculously massive puppet collection, and trying to keep those impish teens from the middle school next door from burning down the building. Dana’s favorite aspect of children’s librarianship is the opportunity to act silly with kids while introducing them to great books. When she’s not at work, she enjoys walking her dog Butters, watching too much reality TV with her boyfriend Tuck, and reading piles upon piles of manga.

Ernie Cox is the Media Specialist at St. Timothy’s School (K-8) in Raleigh, NC. He received his MLIS from the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa. Ernie is currently serving on the ALSC Bechtel Fellowship Committee, and has been on the North Carolina Children’s Book Award Committee since 2005. He will begin serving on the ALA Committee on Research and Statistics at the conclusion of ALA Annual in Anaheim.

Eva Mitnick is a Senior Librarian with the coordinating office of Children’s Services at the Los Angeles Public Library. What this means is that after 17 years of presenting storytimes and puppet shows, running the summer reading club, speaking to classes in schools and at the library, creating crafts on a budget, honing the children’s book and AV collection, and reading children’s books during every spare moment, she is now training children’s librarians to do the same. When Eva has a bit of free time, she runs a little, reads a lot, and blogs at http://evasbookaddiction.blogspot.com.

Jeanette Larson is the former youth services manager for Austin Public Library. Her experience with continuing education includes serving as the Continuing Education manager for the Texas State Library for six years. In January 2006, Jeanette “took her pension” in order to pursue freelance work. As an independent consultant and trainer, she teaches for the library school at Texas Woman’s University and presents workshops for libraries around Texas and, increasingly, around the country. Jeanette and her husband live with their cats and two schipperke dogs in a small town just outside of Austin, TX.

Jennifer Schultz is a youth services librarian with the Fauquier County Public Library in Warrenton, VA. As a senior studying Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences at Louisiana State University and planning to earn a master’s degree in social work, she accepted a part time job as a page/circulation assistant with the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. After a year of full-time library work and putting off the dreaded GRE exam, she entered again the hallowed halls of LSU (Go Tigers!) to learn about storytelling, children’s services, and readers’ advisory. Despite some bumps along the way, she has discovered that youth services librarianship in public libraries is a nearly perfect blend of her family social services education/background and her love of storytelling and children’s literature. She enjoys dance, musical theatre, zoos and aquariums, playing her new chromaharp, and all things New Orleans and Cajun (not the same thing!). Her New Year’s resolution is to take up knitting.

Kiera Parrott is a children’s librarian with the Darien (CT) Library. She spends her days picking books for storytimes, sweeping up spilt glitter, uniting kids with great books, practicing tongue twisters, learning silly new fingerplays, reading, booktalking, cleaning up more glitter, weeding crusty old books, adding shiny new books, reading, making book lists, planning programs, doing class visits, trying to get that stuff (what is it? glitter glue??) off the chairs, talking to kids, parents, and caregivers, pointing the way to the bathroom, and trying to fight off the encroaching crazy with good humor and deep-breathing. In her spare time, Kiera enjoys watching bad movies, crocheting and learning American Sign Language.

Mary Burkey is a National Board Certified teacher-librarian in the Olentangy School District in Columbus, Ohio. She is the past chair of ALSC’s Notable Children’s Recordings and was part of the Odyssey Award Task Force. She is the first chair of the Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production, which is awarded jointly by ALSC & YALSA. Mary writes Book Link Magazine’s audiobook column “Voices in My Head.”

Roxanne Hsu Feldman is the Middle School Librarian at The Dalton School, New York, NY. She works most closely with 4th to 8th graders but her students keep growing older and she has a close tie with the high school students as well. Roxanne’s passions are children’s and young adult literature, strange and new technologies, anything fun and funky, and currently, Guitar Hero and Animes and AMV’s on Youtube. Roxanne has two masters: one MLS and one in Children’s Literature, from Simmons’ children’s literature masters’ program. She has served on many ALSC Committees, including Great Websites, Children and Technology (Chair), Notable Recordings, Organization and Bylaws (Chair), and the 2002 Newbery Committee. She is now serving on the Notable Books for Children Committee and will continue on the Committee for at least another year.

Stacy Dillon is currently the Lower School Librarian at The Little Red
School House and Elisabeth Irwin Highschool located in New York City’s
Greenwich Village. She has been a librarian for 12 years working both in
public libraries and in the school setting. She loves the challenge of
getting the right book into the right hands of the right kid! Stacy is
passionate about children’s literature, and has been blogging about it
since 2005! She is currently on ALSC’s Maureen Hayes Committee. You can
find her online at Welcome to my Tweendom(http://tweendom.blogspot.com).

ALSC Blog Manager, Teresa Walls is a stay-at-home mother, temporary children’s librarian for the Allen County (IN) Public Library, and a virtual member of both the ALSC Children and Technology committee and the AASL/ALSC/YALSA Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation.