Courtney Shaw | Movers & Shakers 2023—Change Agents

Courtney Shaw's innovative programming across numerous communities—including prisons and a local nonprofit that supports youth and adults experiencing homelessness—features Techie Senior classes to help decrease social isolation for the elderly, story time and early literacy education, youth STEM programs focused on coding and robotics, health and financial literacy programs, library card signups and mobile phone circulation, and arts and cultural offerings. 

Courtney Shaw

CURRENT POSITION

Programming Outreach Manager of Connect Crew, Memphis Public Libraries, TN


DEGREE

MS in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, University of Memphis, 2017


FOLLOW

Facebook MPLConnectCrew; memphislibrary.org


Photo by Barrett Shaw, Jr/GeneNoir Productions

Books on the Road

Courtney Shaw’s work with the Memphis Public Libraries’ (MPL) Start Here Mobile Technology Van puts the “reach” in library outreach. Her innovative programming across numerous communities—including prisons and a local nonprofit that supports youth and adults experiencing homelessness—features Techie Senior classes to help decrease social isolation for the elderly, story time and early literacy education, youth STEM programs focused on coding and robotics, health and financial literacy programs, library card signups and mobile phone circulation, and arts and cultural offerings. “Anything that the community requests, Courtney is immediately thinking of a way to make it happen,” says MPL Grants Coordinator Jordan Howard.

Shaw manages a dynamic team with more than 200 active community partners, including schools, service organizations, and businesses. Connect Crew members bring programs to branch libraries that lack equipment and capacity, and offer cross-training so that the staff of those libraries can gain skills to develop new programs. In FY22, her team hosted 286 programs with 3,433 participants.

With a focus on meeting people where they are, Shaw specializes in bringing story time and other reading events to nontraditional spaces such as laundromats, barbershops, parks, community centers, and apartment buildings. During the early stages of the pandemic, an outdoor story time animal meet-and-greet at the Memphis Zoo allowed people to congregate and read in a safe environment.

“That’s what I like to think of when trying to reach people who aren’t able to come to the library due to certain restrictions, such as living in library-desert neighborhoods or lack of transportation,” says Shaw. “I’m passionate about bringing helpful resources and activities beyond library walls.”

Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.


RELATED 

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?