Simmons College

Valerie Diggs is the Department Head of School Libraries for the Chelmsford Public Schools. Valerie manages the operation of seven school libraries and a staff numbering fourteen. She has served as Department Head for five years and as High School Librarian for eleven years. Valerie has most recently completed the transformation of the Chelmsford High School Library to a true Learning Commons space. This transformation took place programmatically over many years and physically during the summer of 2008.

Ms. Diggs has published articles in major journals. Valerie's Learning Commons program and space was be the feature article in the April 2009 publication of Teacher Librarian. Valerie's article on inquiry-based learning, entitled Ask, Think, Create, appeared in the June 2009 issue of Knowledge Quest. Valerie, in collaboration with her son, Paul Mihailidis, will be published in Public Library Quarterly's Fall issue with an article on "The Media Literacy Learning Commons".

Ms. Diggs is a member of the Massachusetts School Library Media Association's Executive Board, and is currently President-elect of this organization. She is also the director-elect of Region One for the American Association of School Librarians. Through all of this work, Ms. Diggs has a keen focus on the importance of the preparation of young adults for life through the acquisition of 21st-Century skills.

Valerie Diggs CV