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Becky Calzada, school library coordinator at Leander ISD and a long-time, active Texas Library Association (TLA) member was elected to serve as president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) last year. Becky will take office as AASL President at the end of June. We spoke with her about her work at TLA and AASL, the value of professional associations, and how to balance work, volunteering and life.
PLEASE SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF - WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A SCHOOL LIBRARIAN, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A SCHOOL LIBRARIAN, WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
I'm a first-generation high school and college graduate.
My parents, who both immigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens,understood the benefits of education and especially the importance of reading.
My mom read to us every day and took us to the library to check out books at what is now the Dr. Hector
P. Garcia Memorial
Library in Mercedes, Texas. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and once I got my degree in Elementary Education, I started teaching first grade.
The librarian at my school asked if I'd ever considered going to library school to get certified in school librarianship. I had never considered this path before, but the seed was planted. I eventually moved to Leander, Texas and attended the University of Texas to obtain my Masters in Library and Information Science. I was truly driven towards this profession because of my love of literacy and the early 2000's was such a pivotal time to be a librarian. Technology was becoming an integral part of libraries and school librarians were stepping up to help teachers. I also loved the fact that school librarians had the opportunity to work with students over several years vs. just one year. I got to know my students and their families and understand what they loved about reading. Over the course of my 10 years as an elementary school librarian, I worked under three principals who were all invaluable leadership mentors. I began my current role as district library coordinator in Leander ISD in 2011. In this position, I assist principals with hiring, support and provide training for the district's 45 school librarians, assist in new...