Church, Audrey P. 1957–

(Audrey Puckett Church)

PERSONAL: Born December 12, 1957, in Richmond, VA; daughter of Aubrey Green (a farmer) and Faye (a nurse; maiden name, Fore) Puckett; married Michael Wayne Church (a banker), August 10, 1980; children: Samuel Michael, Chelsie Faye. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Bridgewater College, B.A.; Longwood College (now University), M.S. Religion: Methodist.

ADDRESSES: Office—School Library Media Program, Longwood University, 201 High St., Farmville, VA 23909. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Library media specialist for public schools in Lunenburg County, VA, 1980–2000; Longwood University, Farmville, VA, coordinator of school library media program, 2000–.

MEMBER: American Library Association, American Association of School Librarians (member of Educators of Library Media Specialists Section, 2000–), Virginia Educational Media Association (president, 2001), Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Kappa Gamma.

AWARDS, HONORS: Certificate of commendation, American Association of School Librarians, 2003; Media Educator of the Year, Virginia Educational Media Association, 2004.

WRITINGS:

Leverage Your Library Program to Help Raise Test Scores: A Guide for Library Media Specialists, Principals, Teachers, and Parents, Linworth Publishing (Worthington, OH), 2003.

Contributor to journals, including Today's School Media Specialist, Virginia Journal of Education, Multimedia and Internet at Schools, and Library Media Connection.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on principal perceptions of school librarians, teacher perceptions of school librarians, and the history of school libraries in Virginia.

SIDELIGHTS: Audrey P. Church told CA: "Research studies have shown the tremendous impact that school library media programs and school library media specialists have on student academic achievement. I feel that this is one of the best-kept secrets in education. My primary motivation for writing is to share this information with others—parents, teachers, and administrators—so that libraries will be utilized to their fullest potential."