Upper school students at Christ Church Episcopal School are becoming critical thinkers and finding their voices with the help of Jamie Gregory. Coupling library instruction with her role as the school’s journalism teacher, Gregory is equipping students with strong news and media literacy skills as well as a deeper understanding of censorship and intellectual freedom.

In one collaboration with a history teacher, Gregory curated a variety of resources for students learning about labor unions, including political cartoons, photographs, a memoir and virtual visit from a local author, and a documentary that had been censored in the state. The school’s location in a rural-suburban area with previously functioning mills enabled students to connect lessons and resources to family stories related to mills and labor unions while building media literacy skills.

Gregory was selected from more than 1,500 nominations from library users nationwide for the 2023 award. As part of her award, she will receive a $5,000 cash prize as well as complimentary registration and a travel stipend to attend ALA's LibLearnX event in New Orleans.

The I Love My Librarian Award is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support from the New York Public Library. Since 2008, library users have shared more than 23,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond to promote literacy, expand access to technology, and support diversity and inclusion in their communities.