Oreta Taylor

Autobiography and Resume

Resume and Work Experience

Oreta Hinamon Taylor
550 Boulevard SE, Atlanta, Georgia 30312
404-622-6740/e-mail  ortaylor@atlanta.k12.ga.us  

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY  

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Dunbar Elementary School, June 2004-present
McGill Elementary and Peterson Elementary Schools, August 2003 – June 2004
Library media specialist: selected, ordered and processed media, restored automated circulation system to functionality, inventoried and reconciled database, organized media center; Created and taught information literacy skills, enrichment classes and Direct Instruction reading classes; created displays and bulletin boards to promote reading and literacy;  provided resources for teachers, students and staff; collaborated with local public library to promote literacy programs.

FRANK DRAPER COMPANY
Office Manager, April 1994 – June 2003
Organized and supervised office procedures, maintained client investment records, dealt with compliance and regulatory issues, supervised computer systems, word processing, bookkeeping.

PAT HOIN, ATTORNEY aka HYATT LEGAL SERVICES
Office Manager/Legal Assistant, December 1990 – February 1994
Supervised staff, organization of office procedures, delegating tasks and setting priorities, typing and word processing legal documents and correspondence to clients, accounting, client intake.  

C. DICKENS BOOKSELLER
Search Service Manager, August 1989 – October 1990
Managed out of print search service and supervised clerical assistants for retail store and search department.  Maintained computerized database and functioned as assistant to the system manager.  Telephone sales to clients, published fortnightly newsletter to suppliers (circulation 1300).  

B. DALTON BOOKSELLER
Store Manager, March 1977 – February 1989
Managed a profitable CBD store (including day to day supervision of employees, hiring, merchandising, store acquisitions and bookkeeping).  Modified standard store stock to suit special customer needs including large business and computer sections.  Created, ordered and maintained a Black Interest section (proving it to be profitable enough that it was adopted in other stores).  Assisted at store openings and with troubled stores.  

VOLUNTEER HISTORY  

Atlanta Radio Theatre Company
(1993-present) Executive Producer, Vice President, Sales Manager and staff writer (Long Road series)

Church of Our Saviour
Board of Directors, 1998-2001, Editor, Church Newsletter, (2002-2004); Sunday school teacher, Altar Guild Director

Grant Park Learning Center
Treasurer and Board member (1994-1996.)

Myriad literary magazine
Regular contributor (1995-2003)

Society for Creative Anachronism
Beacon Principal Herald, in charge of heraldic research for Southeastern region of medieval research organization.  Duties included overseeing 40 local officers, researching heraldic devices, organizing meetings, and bookkeeping.   

EDUCATION  

2005 – present	University of Georgia, Athens Georgia, non-degree, certification program
1975-1976	Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Master of Librarianship
1974-1975	Wesleyan University, Macon, Georgia. B. A., Major: American Studies, Minor American History.  Dean’s list three out of four semesters attended
1972-1973	Clayton State College.  No degree
1969-1973	Jonesboro Senior High School, Jonesboro Georgia. Graduated.

HOBBIES/SKILLS

Author (one published short story)
Japanese embroidery and other fiber arts
Computer – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Athena, Centerpiece

Autobiography

My road to becoming a school library media specialist has been a little different from the normal career path. Some media specialists know that they want to be media specialists and they go from high school to college to graduate school and then employment as a media specialist. Most start out as teachers and then after working as a teacher for several years discover a desire to become a media specialist. They then enroll in graduate school and earn a Media Specialist degree.

It didn't work out that way for me. True, as a child, I was never a popular student and spent most of my time working in the school library and reading. I don't remember deciding to become a librarian. I don't think I ever seriously considered anything else. Little did I know...

Because of my grades and PSAT score I was able to start college during my senior high school year. Clayton Junior (now State) was not your typical college or university at the time. It was considered one of the most handicapped-accessible colleges in Georgia and was not only an academic college but had strong vocational programs. The student population included returning veterans, older people returning to school to get a degree, some students straight out of high school, and a few joint enrollment students like myself. I would go to college in the morning, take my classes and then sit in the cafeteria and talk to people. I had never experienced such a diversity of people. Clayton taught me that every person has a story - you just have to learn how to hear it. It was also at Clayton that I met Daniel Stewart Taylor, whom I later married. Like many, if not most of the students at Clayton, I had a job to pay for my education - I worked at Sears, first in the credit department and then as a sales clerk.

But even here I didn't follow the normal academic routine. I tested out of three classes, took an overload and went to summer classes. Thus when I transferred to a four-year college, Wesleyan College, I entered two classes short of being a junior. Wesleyan was not quite sure what to do with me - I was a new student but also a sophomore. Then I took an overload and graduated in two years with the class ahead of me.

I worked in the college library and because the librarians knew I wanted to be a librarian they did not simply assign me to sit at the circulation desk. They gave me a practical education in being a librarian, teaching me how to catalog and process books, and discussing issues like selection and the difference between Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal system with me. Their recommendations helped me get into graduate school at Emory University, one of the few ALA-accredited library schools in the United States.

Emory was not a cheap school. Although I qualified for a tuition cut, worked ten hours a week in the Emory Library and full-time at Sears, where I was transferred to the Hardware Department, finances were tight. The normal student takes six quarters to graduate from Emory. I couldn't afford that so I did it in four quarters.

Unfortunately, I discovered several unpleasant facts upon graduating from Emory. First, there were more librarians looking for jobs then there were jobs available. Secondly, even with my bright, shining degree, I wasn't qualified. Academic libraries wanted applicants with two Masters Degrees. Public Libraries were not going to hire a twenty-year old to run a library when there were loads of experienced librarians looking for jobs and at that time, I was not qualified to be a school librarian - I would have had to go back to college for two years and earn an education degree. Fortunately, I had my job at Sears. I was transferred to the Hardware Department and entered their management training program. I also married Daniel.

Through a fortuitous happenstance - I mentioned my library degree to the manager of a local bookstore and I was hired as a "Senior Sales Clerk". There I was, back working with my first love, books. I ended up being promoted to manager of the downtown store. Here I was able to use the skills I had learned at Emory. Because I knew how to evaluate the needs of my customers I was able to select and purchase the books they wanted to buy. I added an "Alternative Life-Styles" (Gay and Lesbian Studies) and a Black Studies section. My black studies section was so popular that other stores began to add one. While I was certainly not the first store to have a black interest section, I was one of the few stores that did not have a majority black constituency to have such a section. I sold lots of books and my downtown store was one of the few downtown stores in the chain to show a profit. I gained a practical experience in weeding, purchasing, supervising and budgeting.

All good things come to an end, however, and the store's lease ended. The company closed the store and I moved on. I worked for an out-of-print bookstore, a law firm and an investment firm. I also had two lovely children, Sarah and Naaman and I found myself spending a lot of time doing volunteer work at their school. The teachers came to expect me to bring them books and other resources. I ran book fairs, I worked in the classroom, I recorded audio tapes for their reluctant readers. My daughter qualified for the gifted and talented program and my son is not only gifted and talented, but also ADD, dyslexic and dysgraphic. Thus I gained an understanding of how the modern public school treats special needs students, from both ends of the spectrum.

One day my boss decided to retire. This was not a sudden decision; we took nine months to close the firm. During this time I had the opportunity to think about my life and my career. I knew that I wanted to do something meaningful - something that would make a difference. I thought that maybe something in education would be good. When I spoke to the teachers at my son's school, they were in no doubt. With near universality they declared that I was going to be a media specialist. In fact, one of them insisted on signing me up for the "exceptional children's" class herself. In the face of this support, what else could I do? But how?

Discussions with the Georgia Professional Standards Commision gave me two alternatives. The first, their preferred method, was that I enroll at an education college and get a degree in media services. This was not practical because I needed a job to support my family. The second alternative, which they strongly discouraged, was that I get a provisional or conditional degree. Since I had a Masters degree in Librarianship I could take the Praxis I and Praxis II, and if I could persuade someone to hire me I would be certified. A friend, currently a media specialist loaned me her media administration textbook and told me to purchase and memorize Information Power.

After exempting the Praxis I and passing the Praxis II, I sent in the paperwork and received a confirmation that if someone would hire me, I had a provisional certification.

In the meanwhile, I had started looking for a job as a media specialist. I attended job fair after job fair and filled in application after application. Finally, I received a call late one afternoon from the personnel office at Atlanta Public Schools. McGill Elementary School needed a media specialist and I should call for an appointment. I asked what time in the morning to call and the official said that the principal, Carol Wesley, was probably still at the school. I had to laugh - for many years, Ms. Wesley had been the principal at my children's school. Ms. Wesley is a dedicated principal and she doesn't work by a time clock. She works as long as she has to to get the job done. So I called, interviewed, and a week later was hired!

This was not the end of the story, however. I had only received a provisional certification. I had three years to take the college classes that would allow me to receive a clear and renewable certification.

It was indeed fortunate that I had Ms. Wesley as a principal. She knew exactly what she wanted from her media specialist. Because of my retail management background, I knew how to run a facility. I cleaned out the media center, organized the office, set up displays, created a manual circulation system (the automated system was not functioning), read every report and piece of paper in the file cabinets, and prepared for my "customers." Ms. Wesley wanted me to focus on teaching information literacy skills. She agreed that teachers must accompany their students when they come to the media center. Because I was from a retail background it did not occur to me that I should wait for the teachers to sign up. I showed up at their classrooms with a clipboard and asked them when they wanted to come!

About a month into the school year, I was informed that I would be working at two schools instead of one. Peterson Elementary School would be combined with Burgess at the end of the school year and they needed a media specialist in the meantime. Rather than hire someone just for the remainder of the year, they decided that I should work both schools. So I worked three days at one school and two at the other. This did not allow me to do everything I had wanted to do but it did give me experience with two different school reform models, two different principals and two different sets of students. What it did not do was give me time to find a library school to take the classes I needed to complete my certification. I was not worried, however, because I had a Masters in Librarianship so I believed I would only need to take a few, school specific classes. Little did I know….

Because McGill was under-enrolled it was decided to close McGill as well as Peterson, so my first year as a media specialist I closed two schools. The system offered little guidance but fortunately, I had closed a retail store, so I checked my timelines and notes from that job and was able to pack and close both schools.

In the meantime I was hired to work at Dunbar Elementary. I asked to work during their summer program so that I could meet the students and teachers and clear up some issues in the media center. By the time the school year started I had cleaned out the media center, created a professional reference area, moved the reference books and computers to their own section, separated the fiction into an "easy" book and a "fiction" book section, and moved the books down to shelves the students could reach. I was also successful in securing the removal of broken furniture and clearing out the audio-visual room. The teachers were thrilled.

Needless to say, my first semester at Dunbar I was too busy to think about certification issues. During my second semester, I was able to research library schools. UGA offered a flexible schedule and the best distance-learning options. However, I discovered that the course load would be much heavier than I expected. Thus I ended up taking a two year program in one year again!

Unique Characteristics

Throughout my life, the church has been a major influence on me. Father Tanghe, the priest at my church, once said that one of the ways we would know we were doing God's work because we would be able to look back at our lives and see how He had prepared us for it. I feel very strongly that being a school media specialist, or as the students at my school call me, the library teacher, is what God has called me to be.

As I look back at my varied career, I can see how my experiences have taught me to be a better media specialist. My courses at Emory helped me to become a good bookstore manager and the management courses and experience in the bookstore reinforced my library skills. While I missed the progression from OCLC to MARC records to computerized databases in the library, I witnessed it in the bookstore. There isn't much difference between the computer kiosk at Borders and the library's computerized catalog.

Working with my children's teachers gave me experience with the educational system. Having a special needs child, a special-needs niece and a sister who is a special ed teacher has given me an understanding of these children. Working as a media specialist and taking courses at UGA has been a synergistic experience. I had a large amount of practical experience, and what UGA has taught me is how to organize this experience. The experiences I have had as a media specialist and retail manager are like jigsaw puzzle pieces. The knowledge I have gained at UGA has helped me fit these pieces together to become a much better media specialist.

Goals

I want to make a difference in the world, perhaps not a big difference, but a difference. I intend to become the best media specialist possible because I can make a difference in the lives of my students. I especially want to work with students with lower demographics because all too often they get left out. They need the best media center and the best media specialist, the best school and the best teachers. If I can teach them to want to learn and then how to learn then they will continue to learn and ultimately become successful students and citizens.