Hello! My name is Katie Duncan, and I am excited to be working on my MLIS at Old Dominion University. I am originally from a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was very fortunate to grow up with parents who were wonderful examples of lifelong learning and literacy. I have vivid memories of them constantly reading and bringing books everywhere we went. Going to the library was a regular occurrence and going to the bookstore for a new book was a coveted reward and special treat.

I decided to channel my love of reading and learning into a degree in elementary education, graduating from Penn State University in 2008. After college I accepted a position to teach second grade and moved to Woodbridge, Virginia. After two years in the classroom, I started working on my Masters Degree to become a reading specialist through Regent University. I wanted to make a greater impact on the students who were struggling the most to develop the skills they needed. As I went through the program, I was able to directly apply what I was learning and see the impact that it had on struggling readers. I obtained my Masters in 2010 and started working in the reading specialist role shortly afterwards. I loved being able to work not just within the four walls of my classroom, but with the entire school, as well as parents and the community.

While working as a reading specialist was rewarding, I started feeling a pull towards something more. I decided to pursue this MLIS program to take the next step in my career and to start supporting my community in a different way – as a youth services librarian. I left teaching in May 2022 and I now work as a programmer for the Central Rappahannock Regional Library System. It has been wonderful getting to apply my learning from this program directly to the work I am doing daily.

I currently live in Fredericksburg, Virginia with my husband, my four boys (ages 4, 7, 10, and 21), and a  black lab named Duke. I am also very lucky to have a bonus daughter, who is 17 and headed to VCU this fall. In my spare time I love to read, do puzzles, travel to new places in our RV, work on home improvement projects with my husband, and run. One of my life goals is to run a full marathon in all 50 states. I have completed 14 states so far!

Thank you for taking the time to review my portfolio!