CURRENT POSITION CLOUD901 Teen Learning Lab Agency Manager, Memphis Public Library DEGREE BA Communications, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 2014 FOLLOW linkedin.com/in/jessica-chaney-41630317 Photo by Amanda Willoughby

Full STEAM Ahead

During a job hunt while unemployed, Jessica Chaney learned about the opening of CLOUD901, Memphis Public Library’s social, creative, production, research, and performance technology lab. Chaney thought she might be able to contribute her film experience—but library leadership realized she had management potential.

“I didn’t have library experience,” Chaney says. “I don’t have an MLIS. I didn’t see a leader in myself, but they did. And that’s forward-thinking leadership.”

CLOUD901 provides access to top-of-the-line technology and training for youth. Under Chaney’s direction, CLOUD901’s diverse team delivers 21st-century skills that can lead to career pathways, college opportunities, and entry into the workforce. Cloud901 also houses Memphis’s only FIRST Robotics Team, one of the few library-based robotics teams in the country, breaking barriers for populations traditionally underrepresented in the field, including Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) community members, women, and homeschooled students. In 2021, Chaney’s team produced several STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics)-based virtual camps that saw more than 50 teens learn film, robotics, and art. The STEAM skills taught in CLOUD901 are creating pathways out of poverty for at-risk youth and those historically excluded from extracurricular educational opportunities. The team provides close, mentor-based relationships that offer stability and a sense of family for those who need it most.

The team has garnered national attention, including a 2021 feature in Smithsonian magazine. CLOUD901 participants have become activists, creators, and leaders in their community. 

Chaney ensures that kids and teens have a voice, and are heard. “It has been amazing to see the youth come back and tell us what they’re doing or pursuing or passionate about because of the work we’ve done,” she says.