Persistent Organizer 

Arlene Laverde has a contagious energy, a positive spirit, and a brain rich with genius ideas, says nominator Sue Kowalski, librarian at Pine Grove Middle School in the East Syracuse Minoa School District.

“But if I had to pick one word,” Kowalski says, “it would be persistent.”

That persistence kicked into overdrive in May 2020 when Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), announced that librarians would be excluded from receiving compensation for summer school. Laverde immediately launched an email and social media campaign asserting the role of librarians as teachers, their importance in the lives of students, and their support of fellow educators. Her campaign highlighted the role of school librarians during the pandemic. Though UFT didn’t reverse its decision, it did pass a crucial resolution recognizing certified school librarians as teachers and essential members of the school community who play an important role in student learning, instruction, and classroom teacher support. Equally important to Laverde, who served as president of the NYC School Librarians Association and on the executive board of the New York Library Association Section of School Librarians, the resolution advocates for mandating full-time certified school librarians in every school library in every school in New York State. It passed with 96 percent of the vote.

“We are educators,” says Laverde, “experts in finding the right information for teachers and students.... I believe that’s needed in our society.” Thanks to Laverde’s efforts, school librarians are being recognized for this vital role.