CURRENT POSITION High School Librarian, NJL Consulting, LLC; Adjunct Professor, University of Texas, Frisco DEGREE University of North Texas, 2010 FOLLOW @NancyJoLambert; linkedin.com/in/nancy-jo-lambert-28a36b10a; nancyjolambert.com Photo by Marie Vasquez

Educate with Pride

Recently Nancy Jo Lambert met up with a former student and was wowed, but not surprised, at the incredible adult they turned out to be. “As an educator, I have served thousands of children over the last 18 years,” says Lambert. “One thing that continues to awe me is the miraculous nature of the relationship kids develop with their education, and by proxy, their educators.”

In 2019, Lambert was selected to be part of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Equity and Action Forum. ISTE wanted participants to work on a yearlong project involving equity in education. Lambert was in a group that formed #EduPride Alliance, which focused on her queer community of educators advocating for LGBTQIA+ visibility and supporting one another by curating resources to assist all educators. The group’s work was absorbed into the larger organization, but Lambert has continued work in her queer community as director-at-large for the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table and on the Texas Library Association’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.

In 2021, Lambert helped start the #FReadom movement in response to an uptick in book challenges in Texas and beyond. “School libraries should not be political battlegrounds,” she says.

While Lambert is no longer publicly affiliated with #FReadom, she still supports school librarians advocating for quality representation in resources for children and youth. The many challenges posed by outside forces related to her identity and equity work offer an opportunity to broaden her own receptivity to those who would disparage her and others doing this work, she says. “When someone speaks their truth to me, I listen,” she says. “I am a better librarian for learning this about myself and ensuring that I treat every person and their perspective with grace and dignity.”