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Libraries have changed. Not that this would be a surprise to anyone, but the pandemic has had some interesting and lasting effects on students and their use of libraries. In 2018 it was the appeal of all the hats school librarians wear the drew me to this position, and in the 2019-20 school year I became a elementary librarian. The pandemic hit, and I got to experience it as a school librarian, and that was actually positive. Several hats like collection development, weeding, and management were shelved and the tech partner, collaborative partner, and virtual educator shined. I share all this because over the pandemic I think the role we have, depending on the school and previous librarians, has been further defined for others. In my FE, the librarians continue to be indispensable and the hats are all in play. The students have changed, and that is where my focus is, creating an environment for the post pandemic student and life. What I have noticed is technology is at the forefront, students are not as social, and there is a desire to escape. The library can be their refuge, and with careful planning paying close attention to the detail, input, and space, we can adapt the library for the new 21st Century Learner. Now, I am in a high school, and am interested to see how the elementary and middle school students have changed compared to the older learners.

The level of involvement by students, teachers, and other stakeholders in the library is something I KNOW is important, but had not considered fully. When designing new programs and spaces, soliciting opinions of all involved was a no brainer, but actively involving them as members of committees or focus groups will create more of a community because they are invested in what we have done. I am excited to consider the new learner, and the needs of teachers in this post pandemic era in upcoming assignments and in a library where I am fortunate enough to work.

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My biggest aha from the semester so far has been how much of the process of the library students should be involved in! Between curation and book talks and the different tasks that student volunteers can help with, students are essential to how a library should function. Students should have a say in the library if they're to feel ownership and belonging in the space!

I love the idea of having students create book displays, either on their own or through interactive displays, to show their fell classmates what they're reading/interested in.

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I think I've been surprised by a few aspects of school librarianship as I have begun to see it through my FE experience.

The first is the realization that you can contribute in a million different ways.  If you're great with technology, there's a need to be filled in schools and you can do that in your school library program.  If you care about establishing a reading culture, you can focus there.  If you want to collaborate with teachers, most will welcome you vigorously.  And I know as librarians we're supposed to want to do ALL of those things, and more.  But as humans, we all have things we want to spend our time on, and other things we must do but they're not our favorites.  It's useful to know that in addition to doing the things you must, you can also focus your time and energy into things you want to do (or where you think the biggest need is).

I'm learning too that teacher partners don't know automatically how/if a librarian can help them.  Sometimes librarians live up to very modest expectations that teachers have for them, and don't do much more than that.  If teachers don't know what you can do (and you as a librarian don't try to get involved to help them), they're not likely to expect much from you, and that seems like a missed opportunity (and worse, boring for you as a librarian).

Lastly, I am seeing how trust is the "universal solvent" in librarian/teacher relationships. If teachers believe you are on their side to help them teach and they trust that you will devote all your energies into helping them, everything works more easily. If teachers don't trust you, they don't have a need to seek you out for anything.

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My takeaway thus far is to realize that the rose-tinted idealized version of this job that I have been carrying around in my head since the start of this program is nothing like the reality. To begin with my FE while being a great and varied experience has opened my eyes to the realities the need for advocacy for the library program. Although the topic of advocacy has been tackled many times over but it but the grim realities about the need for advocacy never truly resonated in me until I saw it in action. My FE supervisor is the only qualified media specialist in the school district. So, although she is officially the high school media specialist she spends much of her week going to all the other schools in the district. These include a middle school (6th-8th), an intermediary school (4th and 5th) a preschool and five elementary schools four of which are K-3rd and one of which is a newly renovated and reopened STEM magnet school currently K-6th with plans to add 7th grade next year and 8th grade the year after that. When I asked her why there weren't other librarians in the district. She told me that when she first began there were other librarians but that they were old school librarians who were gate keeper types that did not promote the library programs so when they retired or moved on the BOE did not see fit to replace them and have turned down requests to replace them for a number of years now. I find this very disconcerting and I must admit that it has caused my passion for this field to diminish somewhat. I have in fact begun to wonder if a public library, or some other library land field such as digital librarian or online librarian or even an academic librarian position would suit me better. Don't get me wrong I haven't completely shut the door on school library and I realize that no job is perfect and all jobs have pros and cons. It has also been difficult since I have no previous library or education experience and I have felt like a fish out of water and under a microscope. I'm not sure what the future holds but I am now open to more opportunities than before.

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I have three main takeaways from this semester. They are similar ones that everyone else has discussed but maybe with a little difference.

My first takeaway, like many others, is the importance of building relationships with students, staff, administration, and parents. These relationships are vital and the foundation to everything else we do. If we don't have them it makes collaborations very difficult, if not impossible.

The second takeaway comes from the bus tour. I went to four schools (ES, MS, and HS) in one day. All of them were applying the guidelines and principles we are learning in this program. However, the way they do it is very different and according to their personality styles and resources available to them.  It was comforting to know there was somewhat of a norm but that I also have flexibility to make the library a reflection of my skills, experience and personality, too.

My last takeaway has to do with how much we do and how many hats we wear as librarians. I consider myself an organized person but feel daunted by all we have to keep track of and organize. I appreciate this week's focus on scheduling and organizing aspects of the library. It has made me do some serious reflection on how I can improve in this area to be more effective.

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Like several of my classmates so far, I think that the importance of cultivating relationships has really come to the fore this semester. Seeing how my FE librarian is a hub for teachers beyond classroom needs is a part of that puzzle, hearing classmates who are already in a library discussing their process of trying to recruit collaborators is another. Advice from our readings brings it all together.

It has been great to see some other libraries on the tour, and with each visit I can start to pick and choose the kind of librarian I want to be- finding aspects of different practices that work (or don't work!) for me. There are so many hats to wear, but also many ways to be a good librarian.  I think that finding a school that will be a good fit can be part of it, but also being adaptable and finding out how you can best serve the learning community will be key.

I think that creating plans on different timescales will be useful in my future library practice, as the day to day in the library quickly gets filled up with so many different tasks! If you want to get to some of the higher level challenges, you will need to create the time to address them, and be able to take advantage of small windows of time or chance opportunities to connect with colleagues.

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One thing I've learned, through the FE checklist we were given, is that the librarian I've volunteered/subbed for the past 6 years doesn't do some of the stuff that should be considered standard these days, like PD for staff.  I do think she does a lot, and that she just runs out of hours, but still.  I'm also more aware, as we go through the semester, that I want to do better than she does in my future, and that includes going beyond worksheets with students - like other types of activities that allow for more flexibility with learning styles and abilities, and are more hands-on.  The problem is, I'm a straightforward worksheet kind of person. :-P

I feel like the librarians I've worked with over the years (as a volunteer or sub) expect me to just be able to waltz into my first job and be amazing, because I've been doing this so long, but the truth is, teaching someone else's lesson, or knowing how to process new books/delete old ones/weed/mend/handle circulation duties, do grading etc - is not the same as coming up with year-long/semester-long goals and lessons for multiple grades, or creating PD, or arranging an advisory committee - or any of those other higher-level skills that are way more important.  So I feel like everyone has these expectations of me that I don't feel remotely capable of.

I do appreciate all the lessons we've had on strategic planning, though (I actually bought a print copy to more easily reference), and the project we did on the community scan. I think those skills will help me get started - but I'm still v v nervous about actually being on my own. I have no idea how those of you who are ALREADY librarians have managed to jump in!

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Christie Nelson Fall '22 Mid Semester Reflection

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Christie Nelson Fall '22 Mid Semester Reflection

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Christie Nelson

Mid-Semester Reflection

The most important “aha” that I’ve had throughout this semester is just how important it is to plan. The planning and projects we have been assigned this semester have brought my attention to how important it is to think critically about what my goals are and how I plan to achieve them. Especially, after completing assignment one, I thought about how a “good” library media center is not one size fits all and it is important to think about the community you serve when creating a plan.I feel like taking this class at the start of my position here in my high school library has been the perfect opportunity to learn about all of these responsibilities and apply them immediately. In my past experience, I never truly felt like I was working as a library media specialist in the elementary school I was at, and honestly they didn’t treat me like I was either. To them, I was another specials teacher with nothing else to give besides covering their prep period. I really didn’t have time in my schedule to do anything else either. I’m glad I’ve found a school that values what I bring to the table and makes me feel like the things I am doing and planning are exciting and important for students. I am extremely excited to be creating this Needs Assessment and Action Plan because it gives me the chance to apply what we’ve been studying all this time as well as being able to think about how I can help reinvent this place that has been ignored for so many years. My principal is even excited to see the finished product of assignment 2!

I think the work we have done this semester has really given me the chance to think about what really goes on behind the scenes in a good library media center’s planning. I don’t think I am there at “good” yet but I feel like with every passing week I have gained more tools and knowledge to help me get there.

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I had a lot of big changes this summer between leaving my job of 8 years and moving. But I know that it was all worth it because I am one step closer to having my own library and making a positive impact on students' lives in a way that is meaningful to me!

My biggest takeaway so far is the importance of relationship building. It is important to develop relationships with the people in your building - teachers, admin, custodial staff, students, parents.etc. These are the people you are working with every day. You have to develop a relationship based on respect and trust that is student-focused. It is also equally important to develop and build relationships with those outside of your school community. This is definitely an area of growth for me, but my field experience has given me a great opportunity to begin to network with other professionals in my area as well as authors and illustrators. My FE librarian has said many times that it takes less than 5 minutes to reach out to someone, whether via email, contact form, or social media, so just do it.

I have also learned that not all libraries are the same, just like not all librarians are the same or all learners are the same. We have learned a lot about theories and best practices, but it is our job to determine what is best for us and our learners. This means being confident in your decisions and being prepared to advocate for your program.

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One of my biggest aha's from this semester is the true importance of cultivating relationships with your colleagues. Going into the school year, I naively expected teachers to be jumping for collaboration or support, but I'm finding that the opposite is true and I am begging teachers to take advantage of what I can offer. I've really learned the importance of taking the time to cultivate these relationships and allowing them to evolve into a place where teachers would trust enough to work with you.
Another aha from this semester is the importance of keeping the library relevant in ever changing times in terms of education and technology. Making sure that we have up to date materials and resources is critical in learning and developing the skills our students need for the future.
I think that overall my biggest takeaway is the importance of just being flexible and taking things as they come. Each day is different, and each student has different needs and being able to put your students above all else is just so important. I don't always get to the things that I want to every day, but my students always feel heard and supported and at the end of the day that is what really matters.

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I can not believe that we are already halfway through this LAST semester.  It went so quickly.  I have a few takeaways from this semester.  First, it has to do with the library’s reach.  We are not just here to provide our students books.  We are so much more.  We provide access, digital resources, researching skills, as well as the love of reading and the love of books.  We are not just here for our students, but also for the teachers, support staff, and administration.  We are here for our school counselors and for the child study team.  Looking back at the first month and a half of school, these are all people who have come to me in need of help or a resource and I with pride was able to guide them to the physical and digital resources that they needed.

Another “aha” would be about media centers in general.  Hearing from all of you and your field experiences, communicating and meeting with my mentor, and talking to other school librarians, I see that not all media centers are the same.  We have different spaces, different focuses, and different budgets.  Administrations have different expectations of their media centers and media specialists.  No way is perfect, no way is cookie cutter.  But by using our learning, our lessons, and the AASL guidelines, we have a great foundation to make our media centers amazing!

One final “aha” is collaboration.  It happens to be one of the areas that I am most passionate about.  Not only working with special areas to collaborate, but being there for all of your teachers.  Making it clear that you WANT to collaborate and are ready to help in any which way you can.   Sending out monthly emails or newsletters to the staff reminding them that you are here and you are ready to assist.  The relationships that I have made with my staff are good and they know I will do anything that I can to help them and their students.

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EMcGookin Mid-Semester Reflection (Fall 2022)

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EMcGookin Mid-Semester Reflection (Fall 2022)

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First of all, so far this year professionally has been a big adjustment for me but coming to the discussion posts each week and reading your reflections and ideas you are trying out in your FE and at work has been really inspiring.

What's been drilled into my brain so far this semester is just how much we do! I think some of my colleagues think it's all about the books. And while a large part of it is, I want them to know that the library and the librarian is more than that. We can help and collaborate on SO many different levels.

Which brings me to the last takeaway - building relationships. It's important to get to know your students and their needs. It's important to learn what the staff wants/needs/wishes from the library. And I've personally found that building relationships with the parents and PTO are essential to the success of the library. Fostering these relationships only helps the library program grow!