Maria Paz Alegre | Artist & Librarian

LIBRARIAN

American Library Association:

2023 Caldecott Award Committee Member

In the summer of 2021 I was notified that I had been selected as one of the 16 librarians in the country to stand for election for the Caldecott Award Committee! The election was held in March-April 2022 and am I thrilled to announce that I won! I will be serving on the 2023-2024 Caldecott Award Committee!

On the original voting ballot, I described my aspirations if elected:

"When I immigrated to this country as a child from the Philippines, books and libraries were my sanctuary. As an adult, I have created my own refuge of literature and creativity and am serving in my twelfth year as a 'defender of wonder,' an elementary school librarian. I’ve introduced the Caldecott to thousands of excited children who have delighted in our annual Mock Caldecott.

I have had particular satisfaction introducing titles that reflect the diverse faces both in and outside of the classroom in our hometown of NYC. It has been my mission to ensure that the heritage of every student in my school is represented in our curriculum. If elected, I will bring my lived experience as a BIPOC librarian to the committee to offer valuable insight for the underrepresented voices portrayed in the books we review. Thank you so much for your consideration for this prestigious committee."

American Library Association: ALSC Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award Committee Member

I had the honor of being appointed to a national committee for the ALSC - the Association of Library Services to Children, a subgroup of ALA, the American Library Association fro 2019 - 2021. I worked with a committee of librarians to select, judge, and award different types of media for their distinguished contribution to children's education. During my tenure, I was proud to give an award the app Molly of Denali, which is related to of a popular PBS Kids show of the same name created by indigenous natives of Alaska. "The committee was especially impressed by the roles Alaskan Native peoples played in every phase of development and production of the story, resulting in an app with ample opportunities for children to engage in cultural exploration." The following year we gave the award to a podcast called The Imagine Neighborhood by Scotty Iseri and produced by the Committee for Children. Their recent season includes a series calledImagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right.

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Volunteer Librarianship

Volunteer Children's Librarian in Ferguson, MO

Following the state of emergency in Ferguson, MO after the murder of Michael Brown, parents found themselves at a crossroads when they were expected to go to work when all of the public schools were closed. The Ferguson Municipal Public Library opened their doors taking in thousands of students and sheltering them until their parents could pick them up after work. Librarian Scott Bonner would later go on to win the Librarian of the Year award for his altruism and support for his community during their difficult times. He announced in a press conference that he was happily overwhelmed with donations and only wished he had librarian help to process them and begin the work of building their budding children and young adult section. I was happy to answer the call and spent a week as their volunteer children's librarian, cataloging books for the new UNITY collection and lending a hand to help local students with literacy.

Volunteer Librarian in Orlando, FL

I happened to be in Orlando, Florida for a library conference when the horrific attacks against the LGBTQ Latinx community at the Pulse nightclub occcured. This was a particular blow to the local Latinx community, who were the prime targets during this awful crime. As someone who speaks Spanish at an intermediate level, I saw there was an opportunity to provide service and volunteered for several days as a guest librarian in the local libraries. Using my Spanish speaking skills I was able to help elder members of the Latinx community sign up for email, participate in bilingual story times and assist during their children's movie time, a program that provides free lunch to school children over the summer.

Resume

Librarian Statement

Libraries are the beating heart of any great community. Librarians have the enviable joy and responsibility of providing information, education and service. Technological innovation is at the forefront of our profession, scaffolded and supported by a magnificent world of reader's advisory and literature. While it is paramount to enrich your local community, there is great purpose and fulfillment in finding opportunities to provide expert aid and guidance in at risk communities that would benefit from assistance.

Librarian Experience

Ballerina and author Misty Copeland with librarian Maria Paz Alegre

Library Experience & Core Skills:

Children & YA Services

K-12 Teaching Experience

Community Outreach

Archival Research

Public Speaking

Information Literacy

Computer Proficiency

Lower School Librarian 2019 - Present

The Allen-Stevenson School, 132 East 78th Street, NYC

Children's librarian teacher for all 11 classrooms in lower school, grades K-4
Research project collaborator with each grade as a literature and media specialist
Responsible for lower school collection development for both physical and digital materials
Distributing access to shared materials for the Pollyana anti-racist curriculum
Administrator for Clever App to coordinate digital apps and databases
Tech Tuesday host for seasonal parent-library activities and guest lecturers
Frequent host and participant for weekly assemblies as a reader and guest speaker
Advisor for BOCAS: Boys of Color at Allen-Stevenson and ASIA: Asians and South Asians In Allen-Stevenson
Professional development collaboration with organizations including the People of Color Conference, NYSAIS, the YA Book Club and the Faculty and Staff of Color group

Lower School Librarian 2014 – 2019

The Dalton School, 53 East 91st Street, NYC

Children's librarian for prestigious independent school, K-3 Division
Responsible for collection development and library maintenance, including cataloging and circulation
Creator of independent library curriculum for several grades of the lower school
Teaching 15 - 25 weekly classes as a library specialist
Creator of Book-A-Day Kindergarten project, where each kindergartner can take home one library book every day

Booking and/facilitating authors for school visits including Jack Gantos, Grace Lin and Misty Copeland
Extracurricular guidance for First Program Human Rights Club, Middle School Asian Cultural Club and the High School Habitat-for-Humanity program in New Orleans
Professional involvement with various Faculty groups including the Equity Council, the Ally Week Council and the Faculty of Color Affinity Group

Library Media Specialist and Computer Technology Teacher 2010 – 2014

York Preparatory School, 40 West 68th Street, NYC

Solo librarian and library department chair for private school grade 6-12
Fully responsible for all collection development and library policies
Creator of programs for library outreach with regard to New York Public Library collaborations
Advisor to teachers with print and digital curriculum as well as an instructor for literacy workshops

Fully responsible for all cataloging, shelving, archiving, digital archiving, book repair and budget proposals
Skills as an educator including differentiated instruction to assisting students with special needs
Creating and teaching classes for photo editing, digital video editing, research methods and information literacy, term paper writing skills, online microfinance and information literacy

Architecture and Design Product Librarian February 2008 – October 2010

Info Edge, 19 West 21st Street, NYC, NY

Daily maintenance and organization of libraries for architects, designers and furniture dealerships
Growing and maintaining an online virtual library database for each firm
Responsible for surveying, ordering, archiving and cataloging materials and literature
Responsible for professional outreach to ensure familiarity with current trends in design

Tutor September 2007 – September 2010

826 NYC (Non-Profit Education)

372 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Tutoring children ages 5-16 with varying degrees of subject comprehension and English language skills in a variety of subjects including but not limited to Algebra, Science, Geography, History, Social Studies, Spanish, French, Language Arts, Performing Arts, Literacy, etc.
Field Trip Advisor for primary school students for storytelling and story creating workshops
Editor and instructor for high school workshops about creating graphic novels and short stories

Reader's Advisory

Drafting Library Policies

Collection Development

Website Design

Spanish Language Proficiency

Education | Professional Development

American Library Association Annual Conference ...................................................................................................................................................................2015 - Present

ALSC Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award Committee ..........................................................................................................................................2019-2021

ALSC Newbery & Caldecott Banquet ......................................................................................................................................................................................2015 - Present

ALSC Coretta Scott King Breakfast Awards.............................................................................................................................................................................2015 - Present

NAIS People of Color Conference - Facilitator ......................................................................................................................................................................2015 - Present

Introduction to Responsive Classroom: Elementary Grades ..........................................................................................................................................................2016, 2017

UBD Understanding By Design Curriculum Planning.....................................................................................................................................................................2017, 2018

Hudson Valley Library Association: Member .............................................................................................................................................................................2011 - Present

American Library Association: Member ......................................................................................................................................................................................2011 - Present

MLS Queens College ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2012

BFA Emerson College ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2006