The second theme in LIBE467 underscores the
responsibilities and privileges associated with the role of Teacher Librarian. We
have a unique position with a network of important relationships, that if
treated well, can influence the entire school community in its’ quest for
information and knowledge creation. The
lessons visited over the past weeks were self-reflective in nature and required
the evaluation of our role and of reference services to take place, in order to
make changes that support access to information literacy.
 |
| Juggling the TL responsibilities!! |
Some of the responsibilities come more naturally to me while
others require procedures in place that guide the way forward such as "Riedling's Selection Process". I take comfort knowing that my professional relationships
with students and teachers will create positive learning opportunities. I am committed to and enjoy connecting with
them all in various ways. “I love being
that coveted person who delivers awaited books or plans fun activities which
puts a smile on their face as well as mine. I appreciate that the Library is a free place to come. Free from formal
assessment, free to participate or not, to read or not. It's such an
important safe space to be offered for students to come, unjudged.”(Monroe)
 |
| How Libraries Changed Maya Angelou's Life |
I struggle with the amount of evaluation that has yet to
take place in order for reference services to be running optimally. I can think of it in terms of running a
business. The business has two sides
that need to run smoothly for it to be profitable.
The heart has to be present to passionately drive and believe in the business and the books have to balance to keep the heart afloat, never mind the pun. In our library "business", the heart is present, but the books are not
yet balancing.
There is so much to do, I
am overwhelmed by information and certainly, have not learned how to do it all yet. What is the saying? “Ignorance is bliss.” Well,
not really anymore, now that I know better. I know it will be a while before it’s
as good as I want it to be, and even then, I know the bar will be raised again and again. Really, it should be or we would become stagnant and. This quote sums up the paralytic state that I have to work on getting out of from time to time when I see the accomplishments of others. I am always striving to be relevant to the needs of students.
"We often wait when we don't know what to do because we've seen others do things better. Don't let the accomplishments of others intimidate you. Do the best you can with what you know now. You'll learn more later. You'll learn more from doing. When you learn, then you can do better."(Dachis)
Understanding the role of the TL, my challenge moving forwards will be focused on “developing and monitoring the library collection by setting priorities and establishing procedures for the evaluation and selection of library resources.”(Surrey Schools) Also I want to be able to help students find books they will be interested in reading and I will utilize helpful digital resources such as Novelist and School Library Journal to help.
"We often wait when we don't know what to do because we've seen others do things better. Don't let the accomplishments of others intimidate you. Do the best you can with what you know now. You'll learn more later. You'll learn more from doing. When you learn, then you can do better."(Dachis)
Understanding the role of the TL, my challenge moving forwards will be focused on “developing and monitoring the library collection by setting priorities and establishing procedures for the evaluation and selection of library resources.”(Surrey Schools) Also I want to be able to help students find books they will be interested in reading and I will utilize helpful digital resources such as Novelist and School Library Journal to help.
Bibliography
Reidling, A. Reference Skills for the School Library Media Specialist: Tools and Tips, 2nd Edition
Monroe, C. Discussion Post from Lesson 5, Reference
Services
www.surreyschools.ca * Careers *Teacher Librarian Job
Description
Dachas, A. Blogger www.lifehacker.com June 28,2013
Images
www.homegrown.ph : The
Balancing Act of Managing your Businesses’ Budget June 24,2013
www.huffingtonpost.com
: Interview: How Libraries Changed Maya Angelou’s Life May 25, 2011
Video
www.oprah.com/oprahs.../the-powerful-lesson-maya-angelou-taught-oprah-video
Video
www.oprah.com/oprahs.../the-powerful-lesson-maya-angelou-taught-oprah-video
Good reflective post that discusses and highlights the key learning you have made over the last few weeks. I also appreciated the discussion of the passion we bring and the special role we play in engaging and supporting all of our students by creating a safe space and a place to expand curiosity and develop new passions. Good discussion of the 'heart' we bring to the school, as well as the importance of balance. We can't beat ourselves up for not doing everything that needs to be done right away. Good reflection, good links.
ReplyDeleteCarly!
ReplyDeleteI love your quote in this post! “I love being that coveted person who delivers awaited books or plans fun activities which puts a smile on their face as well as mine. I appreciate that the Library is a free place to come. Free from formal assessment, free to participate or not, to read or not. It's such an important safe space to be offered for students to come, unjudged.” It is a great description. I also appreciate your balance - it is a great analogy.
Self-reflection is so important. It ensures that we keep learning and evolving as educators and people!
Thanks for your thoughtful post...
There are so many quotes I love in this post. I love the one Lesile- Jo mentioned. Especially the part about the library being a free place, it just resonated so well with me and gives me that warm feeling to think we get to be part of creating that type of space for students.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the metaphor about the library balancing as a business. It is so true we have to manage both and I think as teachers lots of use, well I know myself have a preference towards the heart side
I know this might sound repetitive- but there are so many things I love about this post too! The graphic is definitely one I can relate too- I wish I had multiple arms to complete multiple tasks some days! I also like the attention you drew to the library being a space free of formal assessment and full of choice. In many ways the library is a refuge for some of our most vulnerable students. Thank you for your insight.
ReplyDeleteSorry to get to your blog so late this week...
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed the Shiva The Librarian multi-armed image. Definitely feel like that every day being a T-L. Partly it's terrifying like juggling swords and axes. Once in awhile it feels more like all the balls got dropped, or are just barely being recovered and re-tossed.
But, mostly, I find all that variety of doing so many varied things is just FUN! Once in awhile it's good for us to step back and look at all the different things we've managed to pull off today, this week, etc.
Variety, the old spice of life. Never a dull day as a Teacher-Librarian.
The quote about not waiting and just leaping in was a good reminder: better to get something half-way decent up and running rather than being nervous to only pull it off half way—we can build it better as we go. We just need to start with small steps and have a longer-range plan to continue adding on.