Her scholarship is balanced between education and library science with two research concentrations: one in the use of educational media to support literacy development and the other in school library education. Maria served as the PI on an Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program-funded training grant designed to prepare individuals to serve as children’s librarians with expertise in early literacy and family literacy programming. She is a former school librarian and is currently a member of the Editorial Board for School Library Research.