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.”