About+Us

As members of a local “School Librarians Support Group” (...which does not involve a 12-step program...truly...), Michelle and Amy met and began discussing challenges, ideas, and “cool stuff” for their libraries. When the topic turned to interactive whiteboards, both bemoaned the fact that all the awesome information out there was for every kind of teacher //except// a teacher-librarian. Since they couldn’t find what they were looking for, they decided to create it themselves and invite everyone to join them. Thus, this session was born. Join the party! 

Michelle began her library experience with 8 years as “the Storytime Lady” at the Heyworth Public Library in Heyworth, IL. Realizing that as long as she didn’t have to wear cardigans or sensible shoes librarianship was the career for her, Michelle enrolled at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library & Information Science. Master’s Degree in hand, she landed the position of District Librarian at Heyworth CUSD #4 where she is the sole librarian for both the Elementary and Junior-Senior High Schools. Beginning her ninth year, Michelle teaches students in grades K-6 on a fixed schedule and 7-12 on a flexible, as-needed basis. Her schools have both SMART and Promethean interactive whiteboards and Michelle is thrilled to navigate such a wide range of student grade levels and technology needs daily. (Not a cardigan in sight.) 

As a result of her various teaching positions over the past 14 years in Bloomington, IL, Amy Oberts has been affectionately labeled a “teaching gypsy” by her principal. She has embraced working with junior high school students at the eighth and sixth grade levels, enjoyed teaching within a self-contained fourth grade classroom, and is finally “putting down roots” as a media specialist at Oakland Elementary School. Amy has earned a Masters degree in Curriculum in Instruction from Illinois State University, National Certification in Early Childhood/Young Adult Mathematics, and recently completed her information specialist endorsement at Illinois State University.

To support her Starbucks addiction, gotta-have-the-latest-techno-gadget obsession, and totally-need-(not want)-Coach handbag habit, Amy conducts a variety of staff development workshops for K-12 teachers and library media specialists. She is "mochagirl" on twitter, "cuppajava" on delicious, and hopes to complete her professional website ["The Daily Grind: The Musings of a Caffeine-Dependent Media Specialist"] before changing careers.

Oops...she changed careers...several years after this website debuted, Amy moved on to work at Illinois State University!