Get to know Jason Driver (MS '11), early literacy specialist

Jason Driver is looking out for the little guys—literally. As an early literacy specialist for Chicago Public Library’s seventy-nine branches, he works with fellow children’s librarians to create programs that support young readers and their families. For more about his professional insights and interests, check out Jason's blog.

Where do you work and what is your role?
I work for the Chicago Public Library in system-wide children's services. In this capacity, I manage grants and outside resources to deliver effective early literacy programs to children ages 0-5 and their caregivers.

What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy working with a group of talented and dedicated children’s librarians and support staff who collectively deliver outstanding programs and initiatives to the children of the City of Chicago. I believe passionately in what I do—building the social, literary, and emotional capacities of our smallest library users.

How did GSLIS help you get to where you are today?
GSLIS helped me by providing a learning environment where I had to work collaboratively with groups of individuals, sometimes with disparate interests and experiences. These experiences have been invaluable in preparing me for my current role in a department that is team oriented. I loved the learning community at GSLIS, and I feel fortunate to have experienced caring and competent instruction from such dedicated faculty and staff. GSLIS taught me that my contributions to the field of librarianship are as important, or more important, than what I can take from the field as a professional librarian.

What advice would you like to share with GSLIS students?
The most important advice I was given when entering GSLIS is the same I would give to prospective or current students: to be open-minded when selecting courses. I took several classes outside of my area of interest, including management and administration of libraries, web design, and programming (Python). These classes helped build my LIS repertoire. Besides, the job you start out doing in libraries in all likelihood won’t be the job you end up with. It’s important to be well rounded.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy cooking, listening to NPR, and spending time with my wonderful family. I also enjoy corralling my family into listening to my dramatic readings of Dr. Seuss books, which they happily try to tune out. My favorite Dr. Seuss story is Yertle the Turtle. I like having an audience for stories and do miss conducting weekly story times in the neighborhood branch where I used to work.    

What’s next for you?
I am entering my second full year on the job as the early literacy specialist for our seventy-nine branch libraries. I am in the process of developing a set of early literacy standards to guide children’s librarians in implementing services for early learners. I also endeavor to become more involved in association work with the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Public Library Association (PLA). I am committed to growing professionally through service, and, who knows, maybe I’ll wind up back in school to pursue further education.

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