Meet Christine Ambrose

We want you to meet some of our talented Nebraska school librarians.  In today’s librarian spotlight, you will meet Christine Ambrose, librarian at Chadron Intermediate School.

NSLA:  Hi Christine, can you tell us a little about yourself and your journey to becoming a librarian?
Christine: I am the librarian at Chadron Intermediate School (3-4) in Chadron, NE. Before that I was a paraeducator at the same school for 12 years. I am also our school Acadience Learning Reading program and Acellus online program coordinator.
I have a Bachelor's in Sociology with a minor in Geography from Chadron State College. I also attended Western Washington University where I studied  Anthropology.  I am currently working on my library endorsement and I only  have one class left!
I have published 2 history books, (Land of Mirages: The People & History of Mirage Flats, & The Mueksch Blacksmith Shop & Branding Iron Reunion) and write a history column for the Hay Spring Hip Hop newspaper called Sheridan County Memories.

NSLA: What do you like most about being a librarian?
Christine: I love helping kids find and enjoy great books. I believe that if you can read well everything else will come more easily. It is the building block for education. I could not read until the 3rd grade and finally had a teacher that took the time to figure out why and how to help me. I love books and read over 300 a year on average. 

NSLA: Tell us about one of your favorite library programs?
Christine:  Our Pen Pal Program is definitely one of my favorites! This year we decided to have our students write letters to people in our local Prairie Pines Lodge & Assisted Living complex. We knew the effects on our kids from being home for 5 months due to Covid-19 and knew that the Prairie Pines adults were struggling with loneliness as well. It has been a huge success. The response from both adults and students is wonderful. They write back and forth, sending cards or letters monthly or more. We then read the letters in library classes. The students love hearing from people who are almost 80-100 years old. They talk about what school and life was like for them then and now. We plan on continuing the program next year. 

NSLA: What is your favorite book, author, series, or genre?
Christine: My favorite general authors are Kimbra Swain, Nora Roberts, and Stephanie Meyer. I love history books of all kinds and am currently researching Mari Sandoz & family as they lived in Sheridan County which has been the focus of our writing. 

NSLA: What are some ways you promote literacy in your school?
Christine: I tell kids to expand their brain's and reading choices by pushing a diverse library collection.  For my displays I tend to pick books that are not so currently popular, and especially choose non fiction choices on history topics or science. We do read aloud with every class as well. During the 1st semester we were reading the I Survived Books and Who Am I? books in the lunchroom and then discussing the actual historical facts. It was fun and the kids learned a lot. 

NSLA: How has NSLA helped you grow professionally?
Christine: I have enjoyed working on my library certification classes and talking to other librarians and getting ideas and feedback. I also enjoy the the suggested book lists. 

You can contact Christine at christine.ambrose@chadronschools.net
Christine’s writing email is mirage.flats.history@gmail.com.