bound together
AppState University's Library Science Program News v2, iss2
From the Program Directors' Corner
Happy New Year, Mountaineers and Friends!
We hope this quarter’s newsletter finds you excited for new opportunities in 2026. The Library Science Program faculty certainly are! At the end of October, we were notified by the American Library Association that our application for Pre-Candidacy Accreditation status had been approved! We are well on our way to preparing our application for Candidacy to Accreditation, which will be submitted in January of 2028. Thank you to everyone in our community for your help and support. We know you’re just as excited as we are to say that the App State Library Science Program is now taking part in the ALA Accreditation process.
This past Fall, we had several new curriculum proposals that were accepted, including three new undergraduate courses that will be offered in the 2026-2027 academic year. These include courses about the horror genre, using photovoice to explore vulnerability and wellness, and the environmental history of the book. These courses join our growing list of undergraduate offerings that alumni can take part in by teaching them as adjuncts. As of Fall 2026, at least two courses will be offered completely asynchronously, which will provide those interested in adjuncting a bit more flexibility in terms of schedule. If you are interested and want to know more, or apply to teach any of our undergraduate courses, please visit our interest form: https://forms.gle/CDmys1cc6tbvmCws7.
For those of you wanting to take classes instead of teaching, school librarians might want to consider starting work this summer toward their 078 Media Supervisor License! Our first class, LIB 6100 - District/Regional School Media Supervision, will be offered online this Summer and taught by Dr. Melanie Honeycutt, Executive Director for NCTIES and former Chief Information Officer for Burke County Public Schools. Find out more about Dr. Honeycutt in this quarter’s newsletter.
We will also be offering a public library certificate beginning this Fall, for anyone looking to hone their expertise in this area of librarianship. Feel free to reach to Dr. Becnel with questions at becnelke@appstate.edu.
You can catch MLS faculty at NCTIES this spring – we hope to see you! We’ll also be hosting another of our Pink Noise Speaker Series events this Spring. On Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30 PM, App State MLS alumna Jennie Greenway, Media Coordinator at East Rutherford Middle School, will speak about Free Books for All: How to Get Free Books in the Hands of Your Students! Visit our website to find registration information: https://forms.gle/4TLrgP22mKYdp8Gd7.
Dr. B. and Dr. Moe are working on research into bibliotherapy, and we’d love to hear about how you help people through tough times with books and stories. Keep an eye on your email for opportunities to participate in a survey, interview, or focus group soon.
Did you know that the MLS Program has a listserv where we post professional development opportunities, job openings, grant opportunities, and other noteworthy information? If you’d like to join, please email Dr. Robin Moeller (moellerra@appstate.edu) with “subscribe” in the subject line.
If you have anything you’d like to share with us or if we can celebrate you, please let us know! Moellerra@appstate.edu or becnelke@appstate.edu. We’re always thrilled to hear from you.
Dr. Kim Becnel and Dr. Robin Moeller, MLS Program Directors
An Invitation: Free Books for All: How to Get Free Books in the Hands of Your Students!
Pink Noise
School librarian Jennie Greenway will be presenting the next Pink Noise session on Tuesday March 31st at 6:30 PM. Jennie will share in her presentation, "Free Books for All: How to Get Free Books in the Hands of Your Students!" information about how to develop a free book fair. As with all Pink Noise events, this is free and open to the public via Zoom. Please click here to register.
Congrats to our Winter 2025 Graduates!
We are thrilled to celebrate our Winter 2025 graduates! We know you'll create welcoming and transformative spaces wherever you go.
Brooke Avery, MLS
Michelle Beard, MLS
Aimee Burleson, MLS
Abbigail Coleman, MLS
Amy Deyton, MLS
Alexandra Houle, MLS
Meredith Hudson, MLS
Kara Lindsey, MLS
Sheena Minton. MLS
Libby Pearce, MLS
Spotlight on Kara Lindsey, MLS 2025
Kara Lindsey is the Media Coordinator at Hendersonville Elementary School in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Kara enjoyed classes that explored cultural understanding and literature. She enjoyed diving deep into her own cultural identity while learning about others' and analyzing others' points of view, including her classmates' and characters' in stories (e.g. LIB 5050, 5195, and 5060).
Kara enjoyed learning from every single one of her professors! She feels App State is so lucky to have them run this program. Each professor Kara worked with made "all students feel seen and valued through assignment feedback and conversations." She gives special shout outs to the fact that she specifically enjoyed discussing the owl theory with Dr. B and Dr. Moe :)
Kara's most memorable experience in graduate school took place her first semester. She recalls, "My first semester I reached out to a classmate regarding an APA formatting question and we became instant friends. I feel so lucky to have met a lifelong friend to go through this experience with!"
“Be your best self” is Kara's personal motto and one that she tries to instill in her students. She also created a brand logo for her library during LIB 5080 that has become more prominent. She included it on her graduation cap: “Every story matters; every voice belongs.”
Kara loves to read. She also loves traveling and going on adventures with her husband and 3 year old daughter. Fun fact: Kara was on the Jimmy Kimmel show! If you look up “Jimmy Kimmel People Do Fake Tik Tok Challenges on Hollywood Blvd” you'll see Kara representing with her App State shirt. She remembers, "Not my finest moment with a tablespoon of salt."
Her advice for graduate students is "Don’t be afraid to ask questions!"
Spotlight on Alexandra Houle, MLS 2025
Alexandra currently works in Buncombe, NC, and she hopes to be land a school librarian position in the fall in her county.
Alexandra loved a class with Dr. Becnel where the class read a million books from different levels, talked about them, and made book trailers. She learned a great deal in her internship class and her mentor librarian.
Alexandra believes the Library Science has the best professors. From her perspective "they are all so supportive, kind, and taught me so much throughout the whole process with awesome class discussions and meaningful assignments.
Alexandra's most memorable experience in graduate school was being told she should send her research manuscript out for publication.
Alexandra loves hiking and camping and swimming in waterfalls with her family. She also loves her Cricut crafts and reading all of the time :)
Alexandra's advice is "Don’t wait until the end of the semester to complete those journal entries!"
Spot on Doc: Kelsey Cummings
Dr. Luetkemeyer poses here with her doctoral student, Kelsey Cummings, at her commencement. The title of her dissertation is "The Effectiveness of External School Safety Emergency Preparedness Measures: a Mixed Methods Study."
Congrats to all College of Education graduates!
We're grateful for our adjunct professors, including Dr. Melanie Honeycutt, Ed.D.
I have over 34 years of educational expertise in education. My career spans the roles of Media Coordinator to District Media and Instructional Technology Lead to NCDPI Consultant to Chief Information Officer then retirement from Public Education and moving into the role of executive director the North Carolina Technology in Education Society (NCTIES).
Throughout my career, my mission has remained constant: supporting educators and students by seamlessly integrating meaningful digital practices into the curriculum. At the helm of NCTIES, I am passionate about fostering state-wide relationships and helping PSUs, media coordinators and instructional technology facilitators align their digital goals with the resources they need to thrive.
I am a fierce advocate for the modern media center, believing that libraries should serve as a "window, door, and mirror" for the society students and our communities we live in. In an era of rapidly expanding AI, I believe we need to develop critical thinkers who can navigate an information-rich world ethically and equitably. I believe that every student should have access to the right book and the right digital tools at the right time.
Outside of my professional life, I am married to a retired correctional sergeant for 37 years. Together, we enjoy life with their son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons, and our Blue Heeler, Max. I am an avid outdoorswoman, who loves deer hunting and fishing. On Saturdays and Sundays, I am a devoted football fan, cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs, the LA Rams, and the Philly Eagles.
Faculty Publications & Presentations
Faculty publications
Becnel, K.E. & Moeller, R. A. (2025). “Immediate, apocalyptic freaking out?”: School librarians and the phenomenon of the graphic novel. North Carolina Libraries, 8(2), 2-7.
Faculty presentations
Becnel, K. E. & Moeller, R.A. (October 15, 2025). Supporting children’s mental wellbeing with just-right reads. Keynote presentation to librarians at the Women in Libraries Roundtable, North Carolina Library Association Annual Conference, Winston Salem, NC.
Moeller, R.A. & Becnel, R.A. (October 16, 2025). From Page to Peace: Supporting Children’s Mental Health the Good, Better, and Best Way. Presented to school librarians at the American Association of School Libraries Biannual Conference, St. Louis, MO.
Frye, J.M, Moeller, R.A., Beverly, C., & Luetkemeyer, J. (November 17, 2025). Global librarianship in action. Presented to Appalachian State University community during International Education Week.
Faculty Awards, Special Recognition, & Social
Awards
Dr. Frye’s proposal, Civic Choreography: How Librarians Rehearse Democracy, was selected as the pretenured winner of Appalachian State University’s internal competition and will represent the university as a nominee for the Carnegie Fellowship.
Dr. Frye and Dr. Moeller received an Appalachian State University Civic Engagement Grant for "Global Library Partnerships: Experiential Service-Learning in Kenya."
The RCOE Mentoring Guild, of which Dr. Luetkemeyer is a member, received a grant to create a database of grants and publication outlets specific to College of Education faculty.
Service
Dr. Moeller became an American Library Association Office of Accreditation External Review Panelist this fall. This role will give her the opportunity to visit other MLIS programs who are applying and/or renewing their ALA Accreditation.
Dr. Frye now serves as an editor for the Global Journal of Transformative Education journal.
Social
Dr. Becnel and Dr. Moeller were at the North Carolina School Library Media Association's Annual Conference in October where we were able to host a meet-up with current MLS students and alumni at the Speedway Club.
New Course Offerings
We'll be offering the following undergraduate courses next year:
Horror Genre
Exploring Vulnerability and Wellness: A Photovoice Experience
Print and the Planet: The Environmental History of the Book
Each of these will be offered online. If you'd like to serve as an adjunct for these courses, please fill out this form. Some courses may be offered completely asynchronously.