It's hard to remain skeptical when surrounded by passionate practitioners. The presenters at MASL this year (and it is the Maryland Association of School Librarians conference) are so positive, so full of ideas and innovation, I am hopeful for a profession that has been battered in recent years.
So how do we do it? We think innovatively, creatively, link to standards and advocate for what we do strategically.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Philosophy of a School Library
This was created for a class, but it reflects what I think.
I believe in the power of a good story to transform a life.
At one point I would have said I believe in the power of a book and meant a traditional novel. But stories have been freed from the sole provenance of books and transmuted into audio books, graphic novels and video – and it is all to the good. Students now have so many options to get the transformative power of literature that we should be able to reach them where they are at.
Will they need to learn to read, understand and digest a novel? Absolutely. In our increasingly visual world, they will also need to be able to read and digest visual information through websites, graphic novels and as yet undiscovered formats. In our ever smaller global community, students will need access to audio books to give them time to learn to read English without losing the ideas contained in literature.
A strong library program will have many and diverse stories for students to read for pleasure and for knowledge. A strong library program will be open to new formats if they have the potential of helping their students gain access to the transformative power of literature.
I believe in the power of information to change a direction.
Without information we are not capable of being good citizens, thoughtful consumers and engaged students. The power of the school library is to not only provide access to information, but more importantly teach skills to seek information out and judge its validity. Information can take a myriad of forms, and those forms will be very different in the future. The ability to seek, question and evaluate is universal. This is what a strong library program can give a student.
I believe in the power of technology to revolutionize the world.
Who knows what lies ahead? We cannot hope to teach our students one set of skill and think it will last them a lifetime. Instead, a library program must teach current skills and embed techniques for learning future skills.
When Gil Scott Heron wrote “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” he was right: it will be tweeted. The students of today will be the innovators of tomorrow. A strong library program can give students a glimpse of the possibilities.
I believe in the power of a teacher to shape a student.
A library is only as strong as its librarian. The role of a librarian to teach students all these skills, to expose them to new works and formats, is fundamental to a strong library program. A librarian needs to seek out opportunities to work with other teachers and students and to embrace projects as they come. The librarian needs to wisely and carefully assess the student’s knowledge to craft a lesson that meets their needs and then evaluate the lesson for its impact.
I believe a library is more than a place, it is the heart of a school community
While much of learning is going virtual, I still believe in the bricks and mortar of a library facility. A busy library, humming with students, where resources are in demand and circulating and where teaching is meeting the needs of the community, is a successful library.
A library is more than just the librarian and media assistant and some books; it is the sum of its partnerships with students, teachers, parents and the larger community. I will know a successful program when there is involvement across the board and at all levels.
I believe in the library.
I believe in the power of a good story to transform a life.
At one point I would have said I believe in the power of a book and meant a traditional novel. But stories have been freed from the sole provenance of books and transmuted into audio books, graphic novels and video – and it is all to the good. Students now have so many options to get the transformative power of literature that we should be able to reach them where they are at.
Will they need to learn to read, understand and digest a novel? Absolutely. In our increasingly visual world, they will also need to be able to read and digest visual information through websites, graphic novels and as yet undiscovered formats. In our ever smaller global community, students will need access to audio books to give them time to learn to read English without losing the ideas contained in literature.
A strong library program will have many and diverse stories for students to read for pleasure and for knowledge. A strong library program will be open to new formats if they have the potential of helping their students gain access to the transformative power of literature.
I believe in the power of information to change a direction.
Without information we are not capable of being good citizens, thoughtful consumers and engaged students. The power of the school library is to not only provide access to information, but more importantly teach skills to seek information out and judge its validity. Information can take a myriad of forms, and those forms will be very different in the future. The ability to seek, question and evaluate is universal. This is what a strong library program can give a student.
I believe in the power of technology to revolutionize the world.
Who knows what lies ahead? We cannot hope to teach our students one set of skill and think it will last them a lifetime. Instead, a library program must teach current skills and embed techniques for learning future skills.
When Gil Scott Heron wrote “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” he was right: it will be tweeted. The students of today will be the innovators of tomorrow. A strong library program can give students a glimpse of the possibilities.
I believe in the power of a teacher to shape a student.
A library is only as strong as its librarian. The role of a librarian to teach students all these skills, to expose them to new works and formats, is fundamental to a strong library program. A librarian needs to seek out opportunities to work with other teachers and students and to embrace projects as they come. The librarian needs to wisely and carefully assess the student’s knowledge to craft a lesson that meets their needs and then evaluate the lesson for its impact.
I believe a library is more than a place, it is the heart of a school community
While much of learning is going virtual, I still believe in the bricks and mortar of a library facility. A busy library, humming with students, where resources are in demand and circulating and where teaching is meeting the needs of the community, is a successful library.
A library is more than just the librarian and media assistant and some books; it is the sum of its partnerships with students, teachers, parents and the larger community. I will know a successful program when there is involvement across the board and at all levels.
I believe in the library.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
I don't want your organs and I won't disappear, no matter how much you beg
As I am conducting a review of popular YA science fiction I felt I had to title the post as I did.
Kids, I don't want your organs. Despite what The House of the Scorpions and Unwind imply, I really am not breeding you for the sole purpose of stealing your kidney.
I also don't plan on disappearing and leaving you stranded on
A. A desert island (Beauty Queens)
B. An alternate reality/your own town (Gone)
C. A maze/psychological experiment. (Maze Runner)
Really, I don't.
But it wouldn't hurt to be nice to me.
Kids, I don't want your organs. Despite what The House of the Scorpions and Unwind imply, I really am not breeding you for the sole purpose of stealing your kidney.
I also don't plan on disappearing and leaving you stranded on
A. A desert island (Beauty Queens)
B. An alternate reality/your own town (Gone)
C. A maze/psychological experiment. (Maze Runner)
Really, I don't.
But it wouldn't hurt to be nice to me.
First Post
I have been dubbed the "Skeptical Librarian" by my peers because I have my doubts, want to see the evidence and ask a lot of questions.
This space is a place to explore the trends in librarianship and children's literature and ask the questions we are all thinking:
* Is [insert trend] all it's cracked up to be?
* Will it really work in my library?
* What's next?
I won't claim to have all the answers, I am a baby librarian. But I will ask the questions and research the answers.
This space is a place to explore the trends in librarianship and children's literature and ask the questions we are all thinking:
* Is [insert trend] all it's cracked up to be?
* Will it really work in my library?
* What's next?
I won't claim to have all the answers, I am a baby librarian. But I will ask the questions and research the answers.
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