Librarian Kevin Kelley with Jamie Thome

On 11 June, 2020 we visited with Kevin Kelley, the Coordinator for After School Programs at the NYPL. He has an extensive history working in educational settings, and formerly worked here in Evanston at the Teen Loft at Evanston Public Library.  

Kevin's library work has always centered social justice with a special interest in queer stories. Kevin is a (sometimes) contributor to Public Libraries Online and serves on a number of local and national library committees. Currently, Kevin is serving on NYPL's Best Books for Kids 2020 committee as well as the American Library Association's Stonewall Youth and YA Awards committee. We spoke with Kevin about librarianship in the time of COVID-19, about keeping your sense of humor around teenagers, about elevating and amplifying queer stories, and about working with youth when you have to keep social distancing in mind! 

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