CURRENT POSITION School Library Membership Coordinator, Illinois Heartland Library System DEGREE MLIS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2004 FAST FACT Librarianship was Gregory’s third major career shift and the only one that stuck. FOLLOW illinoisheartland.org/members; aisled.org; Can’t Shelve This podcast: spoti.fi/4j7kFOK Photo by Emily Knowles

The Librarian’s Librarian

You could say that Leah Gregory is a librarian’s librarian—she’s curious and creative, and has a passion for helping others. Previously, she worked as a middle school librarian doing what she calls “the fun stuff,” connecting kids with books they might love and building relationships that helped them view the library as a safe space.

Then came COVID. The scaffolding that Gregory developed to support students all but disappeared, and her work shifted to the purely transactional: Check books in, check books out. When the opportunity to join the Illinois Heartland Library System opened, Gregory transitioned from helping students to helping her fellow librarians.

Now, her work involves continuing education and support for school librarians. “When I was a school librarian, the professional development hours available to me did not apply to my job because I wasn’t teaching, so I was desperate for something that applied to being a librarian,” she recalls. To help others in a similar situation, she collaborated with RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System) to launch the Illinois School Library Workers Symposium, providing training for library staff on everything from intellectual freedom to patron privacy. 

She’s also involved in advocacy, educating both legislators and superintendents about the importance of school librarians. Her goal? To pass legislation requiring certified school librarians in every district. “My biggest strength is teaming up with like-minded people to achieve big goals,” says Gregory. Her most recent (and fun) collaboration is a new podcast—You Can’t Shelve This—with RAILS Data Analyst Janette Derucki, aimed at amplifying the voices and stories of school librarians.