“I’m incredibly proud of that work,” she says. The new requirement went into effect in 2021. The certification Taylor proposed provides affordable foundational courses to prepare them for entry-level library careers without requiring a full LIS program. “We didn’t want to create a barrier for people who wanted to become librarians but couldn’t afford that,” she says.

She wanted to find a route to certification that adequately prepared aspiring librarians for the job but wouldn’t be cost-prohibitive. Taylor had another plan: Revamping the state’s school librarian certification program. The Missouri Exemplary School Library Program is now in its third year. The group also succeeded in establishing a state-level award of excellence to recognize outstanding school libraries. One of the Advocacy Task Force’s first efforts was a billboard in Jefferson City, located where legislators would see it on their way to the capitol, reading “Missouri school libraries transform because they provide students with access to books, technology, and so much more.” The Task Force then worked with a lobbyist to push for a bill that would officially define the role of school librarians in Missouri. Taylor stepped up to chair a task force studying how school librarians could raise awareness of what they do. Gild: The Plated Prisoner Series (Unabridged) Raven Kennedy 3.6 71 Ratings 14.99 Publisher Description By best-selling author Raven Kennedy, comes the first book in a stunning new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Sarah J. While public libraries have a legislative committee to lobby at the state level, no school library advocacy committee existed. When Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education stopped gathering data on school library collections (e.g., number or age of books), Amy Taylor found herself talking to others equally concerned with the loss of the information school libraries needed to advocate for funding.

If she gets 100 percent, she takes a screenshot. Taylor is a news junkie and does the NYT News Quiz every week. Coordinator of Library and Media Services, Lee’s Summit R7 School District, MO

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