My name is Beth Wyant and I am the librarian at Paducah Tilghman High School and president of First District. I have the good fortune to teach in the most diverse school in the state of Kentucky!  I constantly feel the need to recreate my library and its offerings to meet the needs of my student population. With a paltry budget, I have to be creative like so many others.

Is there any project or activity that you participated in last school year that you’d want to tell other librarians about and how do you stay passionate about your job?

Creating readers is my passion. I am especially proud of our book club called PT Page Turners. The group is active, vibrant and passionate about the books we read. I choose current young adult titles and purchase most of them through Book Depot for only a few dollars each. This allows us to read more books and keep the momentum going. In turn, these titles are loaned out as classroom sets and heavily book-talked with students coming to the library. Because the students love the books, it has created a lot of excitement and many are becoming readers for the first time.

What librarian mentor, if any, has played a role in your professional life? How?

I have been blessed to live in the same town as my librarian mentor, Terri Grief. I’m so thankful for her help in all areas. She has shown me the importance of libraries and best practices. We frequently walk/exercise together and we love to catch up on the latest YA titles and upcoming library events. Through Terri, I have gained knowledge and a passion for my field. I’ve truly learned from the best.

What is the best conference you’ve ever attended that helped you in your role as a library media specialist? What made it so amazing?

As a newbie, I’ve never attended a national conference but I’ll never forget hearing Donnalynn Miller at the state conference several years ago. She embodied my reading philosophy and gave me a lifetime of inspiration.

Beth Wyant
First District President
School Librarian
Paducah Tilghman High School
beth.wyant@paducah.kyschools.us
@BethWyant