Hello! I am Valerie Byrd Fort, sometimes known as "Library Goddess." I am an Instructor for the School of Information Science at the University of South Carolina, a Ph.D. student in Language & Literacy at USC, and the Coordinator for Cocky's Reading Express, USC's Literacy Outreach Program. This site will take you to my blog, my social media links, and other resources that I feel are important to my work and teaching.
Opinions and words are my own.
About Valerie Byrd Fort
I was a practicing elementary school librarian for 15 years before deciding to stay home with my daughter. After a couple of years staying home, I had the opportunity to apply for and accept a full time position at the University of South Carolina. For years, I taught Children’s Literature at USC as an Adjunct Instructor for the School of Information Science. In August 2018, I started teaching for USC full-time. In addition to teaching, I lead Cocky’s Reading Express, the university's literacy outreach program.
I am passionate about literacy, libraries, inclusion, intellectual freedom, equity, and reading aloud.
I am a member of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, American Library Association, Association for Library Service to Children, American Association of School Librarians, National Council of Teachers of English, Children's Literature Association, and Association for Library and Information Science Education.
I am married to Marty Fort. He owns the Irmo Music Academy, Columbia Arts Academy, and the Lexington School of Music (all in South Carolina), as well as a music studio owners consulting business. We have a daughter and four dogs.
I enjoy Target, Barre3, and reading. My favorite things to read are true crime, graphic novels, funny memoirs and young adult novels. I adore picture books.
Thank you for stopping by!