PSLA Spotlight Librarian of the Month

This is a current PSLA member who highlights their students, school, and district throughout the month. They complete this by taking over the PSLA’s social media accounts during their weeklong social media takeover. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and follow along with the #spotlightlibrarianPSLA and #PSLA.

October 2024: Natasha Lewis, Whitehall Coplay School District, Whitehall High School

What is your favorite thing that you do at school?

I have been doing a "Book Tasting" that has taken off with multiple content areas! I started only doing it with some English classes, but it's become so much more with a variety of themes! I have expanded the themes to include AP Lit selected titles, Hispanic Heritage Month, "Book"-toberfest (for our German classes), and various TikTok hashtags. It's always a hit with any class that comes in.

May 2024: Andrea Clarkson, Pine-Richland School District, Wexford Elementary

Why do you love being a school librarian?

What's not to love about being a librarian? Literacy is the great equalizer. It opens doors. It takes you places, and I get to work in the realm of literacy every day. I love sharing new stories with students and cultivating their curiosity about our wider world. I am also so lucky to teach tomorrow's reliable researchers and civic online reasoners the integral skills they need at the middle school level.

March 2024: Andrea Clarkson, Pine-Richland School District, Wexford Elementary

What is your favorite thing that you do at school?

I love to read books and connect those book to a fun hands on activity--like building with Legos, or using robots or creating a Rube Goldberg machine.

February 2024: Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central School District, Manheim Central Middle School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

Middle school students are at an age have A LOT going on as they try to figure out who they are. Any time I can peek under that protective shell of that lets me take a peek to see them literally growing into a young adult it is special, it could be in the form a short conversation, a thank you, a note or email and sometimes a smile.

January 2024: Candice Bustos, Pleasant Valley School District, Pleasant Valley Elementary School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

One of the absolute best things about being a librarian is being able to make so connections with so many students.

October 2023: Sandra Reilly, East Stroudsburg Area School District, Lehman Intermediate School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

Getting to work with everyone in the building -- all students, staff, and teachers.

May 2023: Katherine Kauffman Roth, Norwin School District, Norwin High School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

Just one? I love having the opportunity to work with students one-on-one in order to help them reach their personalized learning goals. And I love getting to nerd out about books with my readers!

April 2023: Shawn Green, Northern Lehigh Area School District, Slatington Elementary and Peters Elementary

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

I love having the opportunity to share literature with my students. I truly believe that the literature I share should represent every student I see. There is nothing greater than to have a student find themselves represented as a character in a book.

February 2023: Elizabeth Doll, Pen Argyl Area School District, Wind Gap Middle School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

I love meeting with students about books and keeping the joy of reading alive.

January 2023: Lindsey Mason, Wilson School District, Southern Middle School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

There is so much I love about being a librarian, but the one thing I love most is my relationship with the students. The librarian has the potential to reach every student in their building, having multiple opportunities throughout the year to get to know individuals. The relationships I've formed through those moments have been beneficial for both them and me.

November 2022: Angela Tarr, Fort LeBoeuf School District, Fort LeBoeuf Middle School and Fort LeBoeuf High School

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

Helping students and staff find the resources they need is very rewarding. Seeing a face light up when I connect them to what they are looking for, whether it is an article from a database for an assignment, or a book to read for pleasure, brings me great satisfaction.

October 2022: Marie Mengel, Reading School District, Lauer's Park Elementary and Reading Virtual Academy (grades 2 and 3)

What is one thing you love about being a school librarian?

One of the most unique and best aspects of an elementary school librarian is the face to face interaction and instruction with every single student in my school. I am able to build relationships with students and families, share quality and diverse children's literature, and teach students Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grades. Librarians play such an important role in a child's social emotional growth; and it is an honor to foster SEL growth with every student.