Library Science

Are you interested in adjuncting an undergraduate class for us? Please fill out our interest form and we'll be in touch.  Want to stay up-to-date on the Program's latest happenings? Join our listserv by emailing group-applibsci@appstate.edu with the subject line "Join."

We love our alumni! Please let us know if you have any news you want to share with our community — we’ll gladly feature you here. Stay in Touch!

Join Drs. Becnel and Moeller in Concord  this October at NCSLMA! The Library Science Program will have a booth in the vendor hall.  We'll also have a meet-up with students, alumni, and friends! 

Applications to join the Library Science Alumni Association (LSAA) are open! Please fill out an application. Questions? Email moellerra@appstate.edu.

LSAA representatives for the 2024-2025 academic year are: Tiffiny Francis, Maddie Moore, Belle Wilson, Ashley Rose, Laurie Johnston, Sarah Northington, Alisha Broce, Katie Moose, Jennie Greenway. Thank you, alumni, for your service!

Crystal Joyce

When did you graduate?  Received MLS in May 2010; received ITF Certification in May 2020.

Where do you work?  Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy, a 6-12th grade magnet school

What does that entail?  I

I am a certified K-12 librarian currently working in a middle/high school. My responsibilities include: 

● working with students and teachers to purchase diverse resources that facilitate access to information in a wide variety of genres and formats. 

● planning/instructing lessons that meet the diverse, personal, and curriculum needs of students. 

● collaborating with teachers on resource development, instructional planning, and co-teaching. 

● instructing students and teachers in how to research to identify, acquire, evaluate and use information and the technology needed in this process. 

● introducing students to resources that develop and deepen their passion for reading, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. 

● creating presentations to present for trainings during Professional Learning Communities, professional workshops, and state library and technology conferences to increase understanding and strategies, support learning of others, and reflect on my own professional teaching and learning.  

●  staying informed in the school library and technology field by reading professional journals that allow me to creatively collaborate, share, develop, promote, and implement lessons, events, digital tools integration, and library programs to prepare students to be effective users and creators of ideas, information, and projects. 

● advised the NCDPI West Central cohort of school librarians as we explored ISTE standards and Portrait of a Graduate durable skills then collaborated to design S.M.A.R.T. Goals and lessons to ensure our students are engaged and are successful in acquiring the necessary skills to meet their academic goals. 

Some of the projects that I have designed and implemented are: 

○ Broadcast News Team 

○ EBOB Team 

○ Makerspace and Lego Wall 

○ WSFCS Young Creators Showcase collaborative projects 

○ Family Literacy Nights with authors 

○ Hour of Code/Coding Club 

○ Poetry Slam 

○ School Spelling Bee 

○ STEM Club 

What do you like about your role?  Watching students light up when they finally connect with a book. Then they continue to read to satisfy that hunger. I love instructing teachers in various tools and ways to use those technology tools and strategies when designing lessons and instructing students. I love connecting with my students in the library, whether it’s over books, games, makerspace activities, down time, or technology assistance. It’s all about creating a trusted space for them.

How do you think the MLS program prepared you for your position?  It prepared me to critically think as I had been out of college for 21 years. AppState’s MLS program was pivotal in preparing me for my school librarian role by providing a strong foundation across key areas essential for effective library management and student support. Courses in Cataloguing and Collection Development equipped me with the skills to organize, weed, and maintain a well-structured collection, ensuring resources are accessible to students and staff. Reference classes trained me to assist diverse learners in finding reliable information efficiently, fostering their research skills. 

Technology classes coursework enabled me to integrate digital tools and resources into the library environment, keeping the library relevant in today’s tech-driven educational landscape. Even though in the last 15 years technology has changed drastically, it laid a foundation that I can add to to stay a successful digital native. Additionally, children’s and youth literature classes deepened my understanding of age-appropriate materials and diverse voices, helping me curate a collection that inspires and engages students. Together, all of these experiences from my MLS program have allowed me to create a dynamic, supportive, revolving, and resource-rich learning commons for my school community.

What is your advice for current or incoming students in the MLS program?  Take the time to connect with teachers you know and start co-planning with them now. Always take the time to sell your services to teachers and staff and how you can help them, whether it’s to design more effective lessons, save them time by incorporating a new tool or strategy, or simply creating and building that relationship. This is part of the Advocacy role that is so vital to our profession. Others need to be able to tell the story of our value so that we have a community that fights for us. Then at the end of the year, create an infographic that highlights your successes from the current year. Get involved in your local, state, and national library or education associations. Serve on a committee or a board. These connections will be priceless as you navigate your career as it gives you a peer group to lean on. 

Anna Booraem

 When did you graduate?  May 2013

Where do you work?  I'm the manager at the Leicester Branch of the Buncombe County Public Libraries. 

What does that entail?  I manage a small staff and do lots of scheduling, approving time and absences, and training/support.  I also purchase the books for the adult collection, plan programs, work with our Friends of the Library group, run a book club, and continually try to expand our reach into and support of our community. 

What do you like about your role? I love how every day is different. I also enjoy the creativity of my job whether it's in problem solving, coming up with a program idea, or helping to develop things for the library system as a whole like our Library Mentorship Program. And finally, the people I work with across the Buncombe County Library system and the library patrons really make it all so wonderful. 

How do you think the MLS program prepared you for your position?  One of the things the MLS program really focused on was collaboration. We had so many group projects through grad school! Sometimes it was hard (since I had a terrible internet connection and was a working mom and always overwhelmed), but overall it paid off. Those group projects really helped prepare me for my career. I have so many meetings and collaborate with so many groups as part of my job today. Teamwork really does make the dream work in libraries. 

What is your advice for current or incoming students in the MLS program?  If you can work in a library while you're in grad school, that's the way to go!  But if you don't have that opportunity and still want to pursue Library Science, have faith that through internships and time on the job you will learn so much and put the good things you learned in grad school into practice.