About Me

Hello everyone! I am Kathy Cool from Staying Cool in the Library. When I first met my husband I didn’t believe that his last name was really Cool. I loved the name so much I told him that was the only reason I was marrying him!

I do strive to live up to my name and make the library a fun and “cool” place to be for my students. I am a firm believer that children have to enjoy reading or they will never become lifelong readers. When I first started out I replaced a retiring librarian who was very strict and formal. Of course, the students did not want to go to the library and did not want to read. So I made it my goal to change that. I created lessons that were engaging and interactive and began to build the collection to appeal to all those reluctant readers. This in turn led me to want to share my lessons and resources with others.

I opened my Teachers Pay Teachers store in the fall of 2012. Most of the lessons I create are ones I have used with my own students. With so many demands on our time my goal is to make your job easier by providing quality lessons that you can use with your students.

I currently live in Virginia but was raised in Pennsylvania. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in library science from Lock Haven University in 2000 (one of the last programs that offered this degree). There were only 4 of us in the program so we had very small classes. However most of the classes we were required to take were the same as those pursuing a degree in elementary education. I began working a year later in a K-5 school in Virginia. In 2007 I completed my MLIS online through the University of Southern Mississippi.

I am married to my wonderful husband Steve and I am a mom to 4 fur babies. My 2 dogs Rusty and Dusty and 2 cats, Gizmo and Lightning. When I am not teaching or creating resources I spend most of my time reading and playing with my dogs.