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 and a Ph.D. student in Teaching & Learning at USC. 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.
I was an 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. For five years, in addition to teaching, I led Cocky’s Reading Express, the university's literacy outreach program. I now wear many hats as a full-time Instructor for the iSchool.
I am passionate about literacy, libraries, inclusion, intellectual freedom, and equity.
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, four dogs, and two guinea pigs.
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!
