Jack B. King University Librarian
Today I believe libraries are more important than ever - not just because of the collections we steward but because of our people. Our campus and community libraries should not just celebrate knowledge but also serve as a forum where we can engage in sometimes difficult conversations about topics and issues that will make our world a better place for all.
Director
For years I have been working in contact with old books…the feeling of complete satisfaction for the opportunity to travel back in time every day and interact with the authors and readers who left their mark on our manuscripts or printed records, and then to return to the present and learn from the experts who visit us today, increasingly through wireless connections.
University Librarian
An information literate society (not just university students) enables a society that is aware, a society that is seeking solutions to problems, a society that focuses on learning new ideas and ultimately a society that can actively contribute to a better world.
Director of the Amherst College Library
A good librarian is supposed to be interested in everything -- our curiosity is one of our greatest assets, and I love the ability to dive into different topics without having to chose a speciality. More importantly, I get to help people find what they need, so there's a real sense of accomplishment.
Library Media Specialist South Plainfield Middle School
I became a librarian because I wanted to help people and later focused on children and teens. Librarians help people to find and evaluate information, which is becoming a more and more vital skill in today's complicated society.
Director of Library Services at Musicians Institute Library
I've been in and out of libraries since I was a kid. My local public library (LAPL Westwood) was a space of refuge where I could be myself, explore the world, and learn without limits.
Library Director at Western Piedmont Community College
I grew up going to my local library and have always found them to be magical places.
The Pure Imagination Program is honored to celebrate the wonderful work of Ryan T. Parker, Justice Lopez, and the students participating in the Open Mic Movement. Their passion for reading and writing is infectious and an inspiration to teachers in the inner-city and beyond of the power of student-centered learning. By empowering and honoring the voices of students taking part in Open Mic Fridays, you can see how they are inspiring not only more committed students but more committed citizens engaged in their communities.
Ryan T. Parker is a Manchester based poet, teacher of the year recipient artivist. Raised by a strong, single mother in Norwich, Connecticut, he has been penning poems and preaching peace since the age of ten. After graduating from Norwich Free Academy, he went on to receive a degree in English at Eastern Connecticut State University and a Master’s degree in teaching at Sacred Heart University. Influenced by the strength, wisdom and humor of his mom, love for hip hop and people, his practices with tutoring at ECSU, and his personal frustrations with his own educational experiences and education system as a whole (his 10th grade English teacher had a sign in her classroom which read, “Silence is Golden” –Ahhh! Freaky stuff!), Ryan developed a passion for teaching and promised himself he would break that golden silence and bring golden noise into education! For the last fourteen years, he has kept his promise teaching English in Manchester, CT public schools, coaching youth poets, and performing and presenting on hip hop poetics and the significance of empowering youth. In addition to teaching middle school students, Ryan also consults with educators running workshops and professional developments centered on The Open Mic Movement in Education and teaching educators strategies for establishing and maintaining effective classroom environments.
Ryan has also presented at numerous educational conferences including LID, CONFRATUTE, NYCORE and COESBOC, NEAG, delivered a TEDx Talk titled 'Transforming Struggle into Strength', featured as a guest poet performer along with Pam Nomura in Hartford Connecticut’s Riverwood Poetry Series, starred as the feature poet at Hartford’s RealArtWay’s’ Inescapable Rhythms Poetry Series and is currently writing a Memoir and a guide to The Open Mic Movement in Education. Ryan also devotes time towards traveling to various school communities performing poems, giving motivational talks and training staff and students in igniting open mic movements. When he’s not teaching or presenting, Ryan loves rapping, laughing, poeming, coaching youth poets, running, snowboarding, kayaking, hiking with his bloodhound, Otter, and eating chocolate chip cookies (preferably organic).
