Can you imagine my surprise when, at a recent job interview, the principal told me that he had visited a “21st-century” library. What would my 21st century library look like?, he wanted to know. I was thrilled by this, and was able to talk about the multitude of resources that my library would have and provide access to (including me!) that satisfy individual curiosities and inspire creativity. The web tools that I used to develop and demonstrate the process of critical thinking in the library seemed to impress them, but the focus was on school improvement, a much broader context in which a 21st century school library program falls.

Our new AASL standards are very liberating, I think. I just need some help “wrapping” my head around how to use them concretely to improve the lives of students and their schools. Is your husband aware of these, and how you are leading us to teach them?

You are welcome to join my secret society of subversives. It’s one way to survive traditional schools. And marriage for that matter.

All the best,

Doug

Your husband gives some food for thought but I don’t agree with him. At HEMMS, our Media Specialist is rather weak and it is hurting our school partially because she is a technophobe. The nature of media is changing and schools need forward thinking and innovative people such as yourself to help make the transition. Don’t let your husband get you down. Just put him in the dog house for a night if he continues. Better yet, take away his TV remote during his favorite show and give him a book to read, maybe one about how technology is changing the world. BTW, what position would he consider you for? See you soon.

John

Like Diane, I sometimes feel like the “Great Pretender” in my school, too! I’m not an “educator” or at least I don’t feel like one since I came to LMS not from an education background, but from the civilian world. I’m “faking” it most of the time, but that’s where the librarian in me comes in handy…I may not know the answer, but I know where or how to find it! And let me tell you, knowing and understanding technology sure makes that much easier.

I also feel that not coming from an education background means I have a different perspective to bring to the table as well as different talents. Whatever it is, my teachers and administration seem to not mind….some even appreciate it, even when I push them to learn and use new technology and take them out of their comfort zones.

As for your not being a good candidate as a media specialist, I think your husband is just trying to get a rise out of you. At least from my experience in my school district. Here, we are perceived to be the expert at everything: literacy, technology, curriculum, collaboration, integration, and anything else they can come up with. I think any school would be lucky to have your forward thinking and zeal for educating teachers and students!

I am very glad that you recognize the value of your friend’s role in the school, and doubly glad to know your state has expectations beyond just book lover/gate keeper. Too few of our schools expect anything more, but I am working on changing that view by presenting every year at the school administrators annual conference. So far, all this has accomplished is getting me invitations to present at district meetings for LMS’s. But that is a start, and a sign that there are admin beginning to make the realization that their Library programs need help.

Thanks for dropping by. PS-I took all my weeded books (3500+) to the cafeteria for pick up Thursday. The company wanted them unboxed and stacked near a door. I should have taken a picture of the humongous mess!!

Interesting the different perspective that your husband has. In Iowa, the Media Specialists are expected to be EVERYTHING in technology and books. While I think that job description is too grand for any one person, I think looking at a librarian as a book-dealer is too limiting.

It seems to me, based on our weeding the library twitter conversation, that you are extremely competent at that part of the job. So, the fact that you also have a deep desire to enhance learning should be seen as a positive attribute. Further, should that be a requirement for anyone who works in a school? We must be in the business of learning what is new that will help out students grow.

Thanks for caring about kids and learning….and for being reflective about your practice. We all need people like that in our schools.

By the way, my best friend at my school is the over-worked and under-appreciated media specialist who is expected to dispense books and fix overheads, printers, computers……you know the drill. Thanks for all you do!