About the Authors
Kim Archer
Kimberly Archer is the Public Services Manager for the Pasadena Public Library System, where she recently oversaw the opening of a brand new teen library in the newly renovated central library. Kimberly is a former teen services coordinator and youth services manager who served 3 years on the Texas Teens Read! Committee. She received her MLS from Texas Woman’s University and her MA in Humanities from University of Houston-Clear Lake.
Deban Becker
Deban Becker received her MLS with a specialty in Youth Librarianship from the University of North Texas. Ms. Becker was a member of the Texas Teens Read! Advisory Committee from 2006-2009. She has worked as a co-author of two chapters of Game On! TTR.08, the 2008 Texas Teens Read! Manual, wrote four chapters of Time Twistin’ TTR.09, the 2009 Texas Teens Read! Manual, and she wrote three chapters and the introduction for the Within Arms Reach…The Future is Yours! 2010 Texas Teens Read! Manual. Ms. Becker also presented workshops on the 2009 Texas Teens Read! manual in several Texas cities. Ms. Becker presented workshops on the 2009 Texas Teens Read! manual in several Texas cities and presented programs on the manual at the 2008 and 2009 Texas Library Association. Ms. Becker is happily expecting her first child.
Natasha Benway
Natasha Benway is the Young Adult Librarian at South Regional Library, in the Montgomery County Memorial Library System, where she has worked for the past three years. Ms. Benway’s passion is working to have libraries be a place where teens can explore the fine arts. Ms. Benway received her MLS and completed 32 Graduate Hours in Dance from Texas Woman’s University.
Maritza Hernandez
Maritza Hernandez is a 17-year-old high school Senior at Anahuac High School in Anahuac, Texas. Maritza is an active library user and has been instrumental in increasing the teen population at the library through her assistance with programming and collection development. Maritza is a current member of the Student Teen Advisory Board (S.T.A.B.) and has had the opportunity to attend the Texas Library Association's annual conference for the past 3 years. Maritza plans on attending college to study publishing or editing where her dream is to get paid to read.
Valerie Jensen
Valerie Jensen is the Assistant County Librarian at the Chambers County Library System in Anahuac, Texas. Ms. Jensen is responsible for teen programming at the main branch and has helped implement teen services and collections at the branch libraries. She served 3 years on the Texas Teens Read! Committee and helped establish Texas Teens 4 Libraries (TT4L) teen day at the Texas Library Association’s annual conference. She obtained her MLS degree from the University of North Texas in 2005.
Ashli Pingry
Ashli Pingry is 19 years old and recent graduate of Anahuac High School in Anahuac, Texas. Ashli worked at the Chambers County Library System as a Library Page and was president of the Anahuac Anime Club and vice president of the Student Teen Advisory Board (S.T.A.B). Ashli also assisted with programming and was very helpful with the collection development of manga and anime. She is currently a student at FIDM in Los Angeles, California.