Degrees and Certifications: Portland State University. Portland, Oregon, Masters of Education: Librarianship and Educational Technology, 1989; Portland State University. Portland, Oregon, Bachelor of Science: Elementary Education, 1981.
Current Position: Teacher-Librarian, Monroe High School, Monroe High School, 2005-Present.
Previous Positions: Teacher-Librarian, Monroe High School. Monroe, Washington, 2006-Present; Library Program Coordinator, Monroe School District. Monroe, Washington, 2005-Present; Teacher-Librarian, Monroe Middle School. Monroe, Washington, 2004-06; Teacher-Librarian, Clancy Elementary School K-8, Clancy, Montana, 1997-2004; Adjunct Professor, University of Montana-Western, 1990-2004; Director : Law Related Education, Montana Office of Public Instruction, 1996-97; Director: School Library Media Specialist, Montana Office of Public Instruction, 1990-96; Supervisor: Audio Visual Library, Montana Office of Public Instruction, 1990-92; Teacher-Librarian, Chehalem Elementary School. Beaverton, Oregon, 1989-90; Teacher-Librarian, Rocky Heights Elementary School. Hermiston, Oregon, 1985-88; Instructor, Portland State University. Portland, Oregon, 1982-84; Teacher, Clara Brownell Middle School. Umatilla, Oregon, 1981-84; Children's Librarian - part time, Lake Oswego Public Library. Lake Oswego, Oregon, 1982-83.
ALA Activities: AASL: Chair, Affiliate Assembly, 1991-92; AASL: Chair-elect, Affiliate Assembly, 1990-91; AASL: Regional Coordinator, Oregon, Affiliate Assembly, 1988-90; ALA: Chapter Counselor, 1986-88.
Offices Held Outside of ALA: Washington Library Media Association: Member, Scholarship Committee, 2006-Present; Washington Library Media Association: Secretary, Board of Directors, 2006-Present; Oregon Educational Media Association: Regional Representative, 1986-88.
Publications: Team Leader; Writer, Library and Information Skills Curriculum (Monroe School District), 2005; Team Leader; Writer, Indian Law-Related Education Model Curriculum (Montana office of Public Instruction), 1997; Contributor, Creative Ideas for the Library Media Center, 1990; Contributor, Interchange, Journal of the Educational Media Association, 1985.
Accomplishments: Presenter: Alaska Library Association; Hawaii Library Association; Montana Education Association; Montana Library Association; Northwest Council for Computers in Education; Oregon Educational Media Association; Washington Library Media Association. Storyteller: Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon, Washington. I believe that my greatest accomplishment has been striving to be the best teacher-librarian possible and being a strong advocate for school libraries.
STATEMENT: I have always believed—and try my best to practice—that the library is the hub of the school and the portal to the world. As the years have passed and resources have grown and changed, the teacher-librarian has needed to grow as well-and we have. Yet, we still “fight” to keep librarians’ hours from being cut or positions eliminated entirely. As Director-elect, I will continue to fight for teacher-librarians by helping to educate the population at large—and school districts in particular-on the importance of having a certified teacher-librarian in every school. I also believe that we need to be our own best advocates. It is imperative that we reach out to the faculty as much we do to the students, trying many different ways to lure them into the library. We are information professionals in the Age of Information—yet somehow it seems the message does not always get out. Through the position of Director-elect and Director, I provide support and leadership for all teacher-librarians. Thank you for your support—and for making the commitment to be part of the Affiliate Assembly, the heart of AASL. Please, feel free to contact me at any time!