Three ODU MLIS students were selected to participate in the National Forum on Computational Thinking (CT) in Library and Information Science Youth Services Courses, a project supported through the Institute of Museum and Library Services Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. Amanda Henderson, Julie Hermonat, and Christine Pedersen will join 17 other pre-service and in-service school and youth services librarians who will learn about computational thinking and methods for employing CT in library curriculum and programming. They will collaboratively develop youth-focused modules and activities grounded in CT created during a previous phase of the Forum.
Amanda Henderson
Amanda Henderson has been working in public libraries for almost six years and is currently a teen programmer. She enjoys presenting engaging and impactful programs and volunteer opportunities for the 13 to 17-year-old crowd in her community. She hopes to one day break into program coordination or outreach services. In her free time, she enjoys hitting the gym, playing video games, and watching anime with her teenager. She has wanted to be in libraries since she was in kindergarten and is so excited to be in her dream career.
Julie Hermonat
Julie Hermonat is a first-year student in the MLIS program at Old Dominion University. After teaching K-3rd grade in both public and private schools and homeschooling her son and daughter, Julie became a Library Assistant for the Roanoke City Library. Seeing her passion for engaging children in literature and hands-on STEAM programs, the staff encouraged her to pursue a career in librarianship. Her concentration is in Youth Services. Inspired by her childhood love of Robert McCloskey's book Blueberries for Sal, she and her family vacation in Maine each summer. When not perusing bookstores to add to her children's literature collection (roughly 400 books), Julie enjoys running or time in the kitchen baking and decorating cookies and cakes.
Christine Pedersen
Christine Pedersen is a first-year librarian at Middlesex High School with many years of classroom teaching experience. She is passionate about teaching economics, financial literacy, and computer literacy. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is her happy place, and blockchain makes her heart beat faster. Future aspirations include perfecting her Spanish accent, interning at the Library of Congress, and meeting Laura Bush, with whom she shares a birthday. Pedersen holds degrees from the University of Michigan-Flint and Brandeis University and is working on her MLIS from Old Dominion University. Connect with her via Twitter @BusyBeeLibrary.