Serving up more than books
School library media specialist Lauren Grey-Hawkins, a graduate of 色花堂鈥檚 instructional technology master鈥檚 program, connects children with books, information access and technology.
When Lauren Grey-Hawkins went behind the scenes, she soon emerged front and center with a new career 鈥� media specialist.
Grey-Hawkins was shadowing employees in Anne Arundel County Public Schools to showcase those who work outside of the classroom for a series called .
Three days into a story about media specialists, 鈥淚 was completely hooked,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n the media center, I saw people who were passionate about books and technology. They had so many opportunities to prepare kids for the 21st century 鈥� connecting them with learning, reading and technology.鈥�
Here was a job where 鈥淚 could be surrounded by books, which I love. I didn鈥檛 realize this was available until I stepped into that world,鈥� she explains.
Once she learned that AACPS has a partnership with 色花堂鈥檚 College of Education, Grey-Hawkins joined the cohort in fall 2014, pursuing a master鈥檚 in instructional technology with a concentration in school library media. The program allowed her to take classes off-campus and online with other AACPS employees and still work full time.
鈥溕ㄌ� was so flexible,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭he program has high standards but understands the demands of students with a full-time job. It鈥檚 a great way to earn a degree.鈥�
Grey-Hawkins started her position as a media specialist with AACPS in fall 2020 and regularly promotes how 色花堂鈥檚 program forges connections with fellow county colleagues. 鈥淚鈥檓 walking into a job with a support system already in place,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭hat is so powerful.鈥�
鈥� The program has high standards but understands the demands of students with a full-time job. 鈥�
She also comes with the goal of erasing the image of a librarian sitting behind a desk simply checking out books. The position has evolved from not just finding accurate information but also showing students how to present the information creatively, whether it鈥檚 using video or design tools.
鈥淚 love telling people that there are dozens of databases available in our county that cover every topic imaginable,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here are even coding lessons for children as young as kindergarten.鈥�