Heather T is the Youth Services Programming Librarian at Kenosha Public Library in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She was a 2017 Emerging Leader, sponsored by PLA; a participant in the Youth Experience (YX) Post-Graduate Certificate program at the University of Maryland in 2018, which is part of Phase II of ALA’s Libraries Ready to Code project; and the recipient of the 2015 Penguin Young Readers Group Award.

Heather T delights in tackling large scale projects that have an immediate impact in her community. With the help of the ALSC and Dollar General Literacy Foundation mini-grant, she created an innovative and expansive STEAM Outreach program, that reached out to 10 after-school sites serving Title 1 schools and introduced the hundreds of children attending those programs–many of whom could never make it to the library otherwise–to the joys of STEAM.  She also created a unique partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha to provide library-sponsored tech programs for K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 8th-12th graders, focusing on Introduction to Coding and LEGO Robotics with WeDo. She has also recently launched a “Tiny Libraries” project that places free libraries in after-school care sites throughout the city of Kenosha, stocked with popular kids books, that kids can borrow without needing a library card.

When not at the library, Heather T is a certified Kidding Around Yoga instructor, and offers classes in both Wisconsin and Illinois, frequently donating class proceeds to area charities.  Heather T also volunteers her time at local animal shelters.

Contact Heather T

Upcoming Presentations and Webinars

Thursday, February 7, 2019: Science and Math in Storytimes Webinar for the Missouri State Library.

Presentations, Conferences, and Webinars

2018 ALA Annual Conference: Bridging the Tech Knowledge Gap: Empowering Your Community Through a Seamless Youth Experience (YX) Design

2018 ALA Annual Conference: Beyond the Bots: Teen STEM Programs on the Cheap

2018 PLA Annual Conference 2018: Engineering Partnerships: How to Take STEAM Programs to New Heights in Your Community

2017 WebJunction Webinar: From Tots to Teens: STE(A)M-Powered Ideas for Programming

2017 Keynote Speaker at the STEAM Mini-Conference for the Kenosha and Racine chapter of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association in October 2017

2017 RAILS Sponsored Staff Development Day: STEM Programming on a Dollar Store Budget

2017 Missouri State Library Webinar: STEM and STEAM for Children

2016 ALA Annual Conference ALSC Hot Topic Session: 52 Weeks of STEM @ Your Library

2016 PLA Virtual Conference: 52 Weeks of STEM @ Your Library

2016 PLA Conference: 52 Weeks of STEM @ Your Library

2015 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference: 52 Weeks of STEM @ Your Library

Professional Involvement

ALSC School Age Programs and Services Committee (2017-2019)

NMRT Shirley Olofson Memorial Award Committee (2012-2013)

STEM in Libraries ALA Member Initiative Group Co-Leader