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What kind of library is this?The Mount Vernon Library is structured around three main ideas: representation, access, and expression.
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Representation.Every student should be able to see themselves reflected in the books on the shelves. Literature can serve as both windows and mirrors-where our students can look into a different world, but also see themselves. [This analogy comes from Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop. Read her powerful words here.]
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Access.The physical space and check-out policies are structured to encourage and increase student reading and discovery, as engaged and choice-based reading leads to increased reading stamina and achievement.
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Expression.The library should be a place where students can safely express themselves through creative writing, art, and the creation of digital tools.
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What do we do here?
Students at Mount Vernon can use their library to support their pleasure reading, conduct research projects, learn about different literature genres and formats, choose texts for guided reading during Language Arts, and gain knowledge and practice on digital tools.
Who am I?
I'm Julie Stivers and began as Mount Vernon's Librarian in August of 2015. I've worked with teens in many different settings, including schools in Durham and Wake Counties and with incarcerated youth at the Durham Youth Home. I believe in a vibrant, student-centered library that can serve as a learning commons for the school. I'm committed to building an inclusive library that is a safe and welcoming space for ALL youth.
Education: BA in Sociology from Wake Forest University and MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
I've presented on diverse youth literature and inclusive libraries at conferences including SLJTeenLive!, YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium, the National Conference of African American Librarians and Librarianship, UNC's World View, and AASL's National Conference. My work has been published in scholarly journals such as School Libraries Worldwide, Knowledge Quest, and YALS and on youth literature-centered websites such as YALSA, School Library Journal, and American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL). I am the co-author of two chapters in Libraries, Literacy, and African-American Youth (Libraries Unlimited, 2016) and am the author/editor of an upcoming book from the American Association of School Librarians titled Include (ALA, 2021).
I served as the Taskforce Chair for the 2017-2018 YALSA Presidential Theme of Youth Activism through Community Engagement and was a 2018 American Library Association Emerging Leader where I was privileged to help create resources related to Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ Materials in School Libraries for the American Association of School Librarians. I was named a Library Journal 2019 Mover & Shaker.
What do I love about school libraries?
Education: BA in Sociology from Wake Forest University and MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
I've presented on diverse youth literature and inclusive libraries at conferences including SLJTeenLive!, YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium, the National Conference of African American Librarians and Librarianship, UNC's World View, and AASL's National Conference. My work has been published in scholarly journals such as School Libraries Worldwide, Knowledge Quest, and YALS and on youth literature-centered websites such as YALSA, School Library Journal, and American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL). I am the co-author of two chapters in Libraries, Literacy, and African-American Youth (Libraries Unlimited, 2016) and am the author/editor of an upcoming book from the American Association of School Librarians titled Include (ALA, 2021).
I served as the Taskforce Chair for the 2017-2018 YALSA Presidential Theme of Youth Activism through Community Engagement and was a 2018 American Library Association Emerging Leader where I was privileged to help create resources related to Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ Materials in School Libraries for the American Association of School Librarians. I was named a Library Journal 2019 Mover & Shaker.
What do I love about school libraries?
- The school library is a place where EVERY student can fit--you do not have to be a reader or a book-lover. You do not have to have a special skill or ability to use and enjoy its services. Libraries have materials to interest and engage every student! To help every student feel like they FIT in school...and in life.
- I love finding the perfect 'gateway' book--that one amazing story that will open the world of reading for an emerging or 'not-yet' reader. That book IS out there for every student--it might just be in a unique format or creative package. It may not be a 'book' at all--but a magazine article or online resource. I love helping students find material that engages them!
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For the 2020-2021 Mount Vernon Middle School Collection Management Plan, please click here.
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