By Anthony Stanford –
The Aurora Public Library (APL) continues to see its services, programs, and activities grow through the expansion of outreach programs that fortify its relationship with Aurora area school districts, teachers, and classrooms. To bolster efforts and expand its presence toward promoting a culture of school success in the community, APL has hired David Quiroz to serve as its school services coordinator.
When the Aurora native and former bilingual preschool teacher talks about his career and background, it’s obvious that he is a hands-on professional who has a passion for bringing the library and schools together to create an environment where children can excel. Moving from his experience at West Aurora School District 129 connecting families to programs and resources to his new role as APL school services coordinator is just like a natural progression.
He will participate on various APL committees and interact with the Outreach Services Department to create and present special programming activities. On his first day on the job, he talked about his new role, and said, “I’m excited to continue working with the local school districts to create meaningful partnerships for both organizations with the outcome of students’ and families’ long-term success.”
Dana Russell, APL senior manager of children’s services, said, “I’m very pleased and excited to have David join the library and the Kiwanis Children’s Center team. David’s background is in early childhood literacy, most recently with Todd Early Childhood Center. His experience in early literacy and his work with Aurora families will be invaluable as we move forward in providing services to area schools.”
Another key element of Quiroz’s role will be working with APL staff members at all three locations to coordinate the activities that APL provides to schools. Through visits to schools and other outreach efforts, he will help to build relationships by sharing information about APL and the services it offers to students, parents, and educators.
The school services coordinator position is in keeping with APL executive director Daisy Porter-Reynolds’ focus on building alliances and growing APL’s presence throughout the community. Porter-Reynolds commented that “helping our children succeed academically is critical to the success of Aurora, and connecting teachers with library resources is a big part of that. I’m excited to have David on board as he can help us determine the best ways to reach out to teachers, who are always incredibly busy with the work of educating our youth.”
Anthony Stanford is an author and Aurora Public Library media consultant.