Melissa A. McDonald earned her Master of Library degree at University of Maryland, College of Information Studies (Maryland’s iSchool) in December 2012.  She specialized in School Library Media, and added the Information for Diverse Populations specialization to her graduate work after she realized that she hoped to work in a school with underserved populations.   Melissa was a half-time media specialist at two Title 1 schools the first two years of her career, and is now happily the full-time media specialist at one elementary school in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Melissa is the mother of four amazing adult children, four fur babies, and ‘volunteer extraordinaire’ as she finds great intrinsic satisfaction from serving others.  A strong supporter of librarianship, she has served on the boards of Maryland Association of School Librarians,  Maryland iSchool’s Alumni Chapter and the local school librarian professional organization MCEMSA.  She is a member of the Gaithersburg Book Festival Committee, and is the children’s and young adult author recruiter, and coordinator of children’s and teen’s workshops.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County. During the summer, she is a leader at Girl Scout Camp Tuckerman, and a co-chair at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair’s Arts and Crafts, Hobbies and Photography building.

As a school library media specialist, Melissa looks forward to a fruitful career helping students reach their goals through 21st Century information literacy, technology, and nurturing their love of reading.     Everyday she lives, works, and breathes the five roles of the school librarian – teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, program administrator, and leader.

She lives by the words of Helen Keller, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”