Loretta M. Gaffney has taught courses on intellectual freedom, reading research, young adult literature, and youth services librarianship for nearly a decade. A former middle school librarian at the University of Chicago Lab Schools, she defended her dissertation, "Intellectual Freedom and the Politics of Reading" in 2012. Loretta's current research projects include the politics of young adult literature, Common Core, and school librarians’ knowledge. She lives and works in Los Angeles.