Melissa Corey, media specialist at Robidoux Middle School in St. Joseph, MO, is making a big difference in the lives of her students. As a school librarian, she has made it her mission to build access and equity into her collection and programming. Corey’s efforts include launching the school’s first entirely free book fair, Novel Nation, and creating a visual book list, which she uses to amplify diverse voices and make it easy for students to find books on topics that might be difficult for them to ask for out loud. Corey is a finalist for the 2023 School Librarian of the Year award for her work to supplement her yearly budget, which covers books, supplies, consumables, and makerspace equipment, and to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment in her school’s library. In addition, Corey is a defender of the freedom to read and the founder of Missouri Allies of School Librarians.
Melissa Corey: Bringing Books to Every Student
Melissa Corey, the media specialist at Robidoux Middle School in St. Joseph, MO, is a finalist for the 2023 School Librarian of the Year Award. Corey is on a mission to build access and equity into her school’s library collection and programming.
Robidoux Middle School is a Title I school with nearly 400 students in grades six through eight. All of the students receive free and reduced-rate lunch, and the school is located in a community with higher-than-average poverty. Many of the students cannot afford to buy books. To address this issue, Corey has launched Novel Nation Book Fair, an entirely free book fair that offers every student three titles of their choice, free of charge.
Using Title I funding along with grants and community support, Corey has purchased 1,200 brand-new books each semester since the launch of the book fair in October 2021 from First Book and Book Depot. The school’s family involvement coordinator came to Corey with a big ask in 2020 when funding typically used for in-person events was unspent and available. Corey rose to the challenge and launched the school’s first book fair, giving away books to every student.
Corey decorates the book fair with decorations, prizes, and giveaways, so it looks like any other fair. It has made a huge impact on students and families. Marta Sansone, a social studies teacher who has taught at Robidoux for 26 years, shared that one parent was in tears after visiting the fair for the first time because her child never had money to buy anything at previous fairs. “She said, ‘We’d never be able to afford books, and now we have them in our home,'” Sansone says. “That’s because of Melissa.”
In December 2021, Corey was recognized as among “20 Who Count” by the St. Joseph News-Press, selected from a community of over 75,000 residents. Throughout her 10 years at Robidoux, Corey has found other ways to build equity for her students. She raised money through DonorsChoose to create a Little Free Library outside the school’s front door, always stocked with free books for kids who don’t have easy access to their own public library. Before the holidays, she sets up a free book cart and wraps books that students want to give to family members. She also collaborates with staff on interactive lessons, from one on the anniversary of 9/11 to a Black History Month gallery.
Corey’s initiatives have made a significant impact on her students and their families. She is a true advocate for access and equity in education and is an inspiration to her colleagues and students.
Melissa Corey: A Champion for Equity in Education
Melissa Corey, media specialist at Robidoux Middle School in St. Joseph, MO, is a finalist for the 2023 School Librarian of the Year Award. Corey has made it her mission to bring equity and access to her school’s library collection and programming.
Weeding Outdated Volumes
Corey weeded more than 1,000 outdated volumes from the library to make room for new, diverse, and representative titles. She received LGBTQ-affirming titles through GLSEN’s Rainbow Library program. Corey also received a $5,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries to supplement her $2,300 yearly budget, which covers books, supplies, consumables, and makerspace equipment. Some of the grant money has gone toward replacing lost or damaged books.
No Late Fees Policy
Corey does not charge her students replacement fees or late fees. Some of her students have experienced fires in their homes due to financial hardship. Corey’s goal is to grow readers, not impose additional barriers. She believes in giving students grace when they are faced with poverty.
Visual Book Lists
Corey created her first visual book list using Canva to make it easy for students to discover the books they most need. The visual book lists are an easy, eye-catching way to share library book recommendations with students. Corey has used the lists to amplify diverse voices and make it easy for students to find books on topics that might be difficult for them to ask for out loud. The visual book lists sit on Corey’s desk, where students can flip through and easily spot books with LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent characters.
Library Standards Task Force
This year, Corey is president of the Missouri Association of School Librarians. She is working on issues such as helping build an online database of K-12 library lesson plans and creating the Missouri School Library Standards Task Force to write Missouri-specific standards.
Impact on Students
Corey’s efforts have made the Robidoux library “our happy place in the building,” says social studies teacher Marta Sansone. “Before, I felt like students came in and checked out books. Now, it’s a whole experience in the library. It feeds all the senses.” Corey’s initiatives have made a significant impact on her students and their families. She is a true advocate for access and equity in education and is an inspiration to her colleagues and students.
Melissa Corey: A Defender of Freedom to Read
Melissa Corey is not only a school librarian but also a defender of the freedom to read. As the founder of Missouri Allies of School Librarians, she works to protect school libraries from book banning and harassment. Corey has also coordinated with her state ACLU on litigation efforts against SB 775, a state senate bill related to book censorship, and to measure its negative impact on librarians.
Adding a Graphic Novel Category
Corey has added a graphic novel category to the Missouri Association of School Librarians Readers Awards. The Denny O’Neil Award is named for the Missouri comic book artist who championed social justice in his work. The award recognizes the diverse voices that graphic novels often represent and provides a great way for students to connect with those voices. The first list of exemplary novelists will come out in 2024.
Advocating for Students
Corey’s work always comes back to the impact it will have on students. She cares about her students as readers and individuals. Corey’s colleagues and students recognize her dedication to education and her efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in her school’s library. Shannon Grieshaber, a Missouri librarian, wrote in Corey’s nomination letter, “Everything she does comes back to one thing: the impact it will have on students. And not just her students, but also the students throughout Missouri.”
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
