“With the school library literally the heart of the educational program, the students of the school have their best chance to become capable and enthusiastic readers, informed about the world around them, and alive to the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.” (Mary Gaver, 1958, Every child needs a school library)

CISSL builds on the foundation of excellence in school library education that Professor Mary Virginia Gaver brought to Rutgers University a half century ago.

Professor Gaver spent a selfless career advocating for libraries, librarians and learners. She was a driving force in the establishment of national professional standards and fought for the recognition of school libraries as centers of dynamic information exchange.

Professor Gaver put her research into practice at Rutgers University's School of Library and Information Science where her leadership has ranked the educational media specialist program first nationally.

Professor Gaver's scholarship reaches far beyond the walls of this New Jersey institution. The professional standards she helped put in place have come to be recognized internationally. Her prolific writing served to win funding and strengthen school libraries worldwide. A career of dedication to the field won her the American Library Association's prestigious Herbert Putnam Honor Award and gained her recognition in the society's list of 100 of the Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century.

While the great portion of her career occurred before electronic information exchange transformed libraries and schools, Professor Gaver would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity these new media provide for the collaborative efforts of librarians engaged in active practice and research.