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I’ve held off from posting, basically waiting until the last possible day because I’m finding it hard to say goodbye and actually be done with my degree. That is certainly surprising because I have been working toward this for the last two years and couldn’t wait to graduate and now that I’m finally here, it’s bittersweet. I’m going to miss our activities and discussions because I truly feel that they pushed me to grow. If I was giving advice to students just starting this course it would be to savor it. As much as you just want to get through things and BE DONE, take advantage of all the information and ideas that your professor and classmates are offering and LEARN from them. Save their information, follow them on social media, continue to interact with them because that’s what will prepare you for the real world. At least that’s what I feel has prepared me. Even though we’re all fairly new to the field, we have a wealth of information and experiences to share. The people I’ve met in this course, the MI program as a whole, and those that I’ve discovered as I grow my PLN will be the ones I rely on when I want to say “I can’t” because just like I tell the kids I work with, there is no “can’t” there’s only “I can with [help] [time] [input from others].” I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned in this course and for those that I’ve met in this course.

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Always keep asking, always keep learning. Some great ideas just from this week's readings & viewings:
- don't wait for permission (Jen LaGarde)
- "Go where the energy is, where there's an open door" (Ken Robinson)
- "Be the one who demonstrates that it is ok to not know something, to be willing to learn, to fail, to try again" (Nikki Robertson)
To inspire lifelong learners, we need to be lifelong learners. And that means taking risks, trying new things that might not work the first time, learning new tech and new tools, and always being open to learning from other teachers and from students. In my mind, an old mindset of long-ago library times was the view of the librarian as the sole expert on knowledge and information. Information is very egalitarian now, and I'm happy to learn from whoever knows something that I do not.
The words I keep coming back to for my library vision are: "open, welcoming, engaging."
I want to always have a library with an open door and an open attitude, a place that is culturally, emotionally, and socially inclusive.
Recommendations for future students: As Margi said, start the big projects early, then you can keep adding to them and fine-tuning. Don't hesitate to learn new tech and media tools.

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I think that the most valuable thing that I learned in this course that also prepared me for the real world was learning to use social media to stay up to date in our field.  This course reiterated its importance and allowed me to put into practice what I learned from others on social media.  This class also allowed me to put into practice what I learned from all the readings and discussions and I am very grateful for the opportunity.  One of the things that surprised me about being a school librarian, was the lack of collaboration between teachers and librarians. Throughout the semester, I visited different libraries and I learned that this is a very common issue in schools.  By visiting different school libraries, I learned that many librarians deal with many of the same issues, but they all address them in different ways.  This is why my advice to other students, is to observe as many schools as possible, so they can learn from the unique and creative solutions of each librarian and so they can collect ideas to bring back to their own future school library.

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This library program has been so beneficial for my learning and I am so excited for my future in library science. This semester we have explored so many ways to improve the libraries that we work in/will work in and how to connect the concepts we have learned throughout the program to our work. I think that the most important thing that I have learned this semester is that it is so important to have a plan and to push beyond what is expected of us as future librarians. In this field, we have the ability to create a space for students that can either help or hinder their learning experience. We are the ones who make it either positive or negative. We have to make the time to analyze the needs of the community and make a difference or that ability potentially goes to waste. What is most surprising to me is the sheer number of responsibilities that a Media Specialist tackles on a weekly basis, but this also excites me for the future as I love to work and keep busy. This course has helped to prepare me for what I will be working on by teaching me better planning skills. Advice I would give future students is to pace yourself well and enjoy the learning that this course provides.

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Valuable takeaways

Relationships are key to building collaboration. Having personal connections with teachers will lead to collaboration opportunities. Consider “What keeps teachers & principals up at night” and how you can help them.

“Make a room that doesn’t smell like school,” Paul Bogush. The library can be different and feel different from the rest of the school. Make it safe, warm, engaging, and inclusive.

Preparation for the real world: I feel like the course provided so many opportunities to prepare for the real world. Specifically the prep for interviews and resumes was extremely helpful. The hangouts with Ric were so valuable. The crowd sourcing of interview questions and situations also very helpful. I specifically learning how valuable preparing an elevator pitch and presentation to the board are when I had a surprise long one-on-one conversation with the head of my school. Preparing and getting feedback on a critical issues workshop is great preparation for the professional development workshops we should lead.Advice for next semester’s students

Start work on big projects early and keep working! Consider how you will keep track of great recommendations from Dr. V. and your classmates. I would try to immediately follow on Twitter  “movers and shakers” I learned about in class.

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I think the most important thing I have learned this semester was how much others ideas and insights can help me learn. I always knew that this was true, but I really felt like I have seen it happen this semester. Sometimes I feel like I learn more from the other students in my classes then from the readings or lectures - maybe it is because I enjoy hearing others opinions and views on topics or because I know how valuable collaboration can be.

I really enjoyed the assignments in this class, especially the environmental scan and the action plan. I have done an environmental scan for the town that I live (and work) in and I loved doing another one on Midland Park (my sister has worked in that district for ages, and I have tutored a lot of students from there). The action plan was a great experience, especially because I know that eventually I will probably have to do one.

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There are two things that stuck out to me this semester. One is make yourself invaluable. This is not only done by providing materials for teachers and students but taking that role as the quasi-leader and being the problem solver for administration as well. The motto of it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission has helped me to make changes because now I'm more willing to take a chance when I see it could benefit my  students, peers, or the library in general. The End of the Year Reports also gives another view as to how invaluable the librarian is. This is a practice that I will continue as it makes administration aware of all that I do as well as keeps me focused on what I need to do to ensure I am meeting the needs of the community I serve.
The second takeaway is to stay connected. As I participated in my classes, I was able to share what I a had learned with the librarians that I work. The groups that I participate share things as well that I can use in my library immediately. When I attended NJASL, many of the concepts that we learned this semester, were discussed in some of the conferences. Throughout the semester, I understood that I receiving the latest in philosophy and teaching models. Continuing to stay connected be it in NJASL, the ALA or my PLN will allow me to grow as a professional when my studies at Rutgers are completed.
On a side note. I would like to say that this program's reputation precedes itself. One of the librarians in my district had to return to graduate school to ensure her credentials were correct to work in our district. Initially, I felt like many of the things she may have been stating were valid because she has more years of library experience. Sadly she admitted that she as struggling in her position. When I shared what I had been learning and how it had benefitted me, she could only say that they weren't taught some of the things we have learned. Knowing that many of our instructors are on social media and various groups, I know I have a gateway into a great PLN as they are always sharing new and innovative ideas.

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One of the things I have most appreciated about this whole MI program is its practicality.  I have not felt that any course has been a waste of my time.  The learning experiences have been intentionally designed to either be immediately utilized in our practice as librarians or to mimic a situation we will really encounter in our library careers.  That experience of the utility of our learning opportunities has only been reinforced in this semester.  This course, along with my field experience, has given me so many tools to carry with me into a future position as a school librarian.  I've learned how to do a community scan, a needs assessment, an action plan, a school board presentation, and a professional development workshop.  I've learned the AASL standards and how to integrate those into my practice.  I've thought about how to organize a library collection, evaluate databases, and manage staff and volunteers.  The value of continuing to build my PLN has been reinforced as well.  All of these lessons will stay with me as I move forward.  I've been excited for this work of school librarianship for years now, and this semester has only amplified it.

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There was so much of this semester that I know I will take with me into my career.  As a student who was working outside of libraries when I began the MI program and found a position in a public library despite studying for school libraries, I found finally getting inside a school library to be the greatest learning experience. So much of what I have learned in other courses has been tremendously valuable but mostly abstract since I was not able to see it in practice.  This time around I was able to see how my assignments impacted my learning and understanding in a school library. I was able to discuss them in real time with a highly experienced, veteran school library media specialist.  On top of that, I was able to engage in discussions with others in this course and understand how much our situations vary. So taking the content of my studies into a library mattered, but also seeing how differently the same content looked at other school libraries was very eye-opening.
I also see the value of staying in the loop with the latest library tech, news, research, etc. Even though I had little school library experience, I was able to bring value to my FE library just by being up to date on new information and tools. I was lucky to have an FE school librarian who was open to change and trying new things.
My advice to the future students of the course would be to step out of your comfort zone when in your FE.  Sit in an as many classes as you can, eat lunch with the librarian, and teachers if you can. Build relationships there. Also go to library conferences, build the PLN, talk to people, watch the videos, read the library journals.  It all matters. It connects us.

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The most valuable thing that I learned in this course is that the connections you make with people are priceless.  Being a school librarian can be isolating since there is typically only one in each school, so it is so important to build our PLNs.  Social media can be a great tool, but nothing beats the face to face connections we can make by attending conferences and getting involved with our state and local organizations.  We have so much that we can learn from each other, and we need to support one another.  By banding together, and cheering each other on, we can be the best advocates for libraries.

Working as my second year in my school library while taking this course has really helped me grow as a school librarian.  Being able to apply what I was learning directly to my job was definitely a big bonus for me.

I would advise future students to manage their time well.  That last semester can be quite overwhelming, especially if you have a full time job and a family.  With so much to read and discuss each week, along with time consuming assignments, the best strategy is “slow and steady wins the race.”

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Taking a risk on an online only, halfway across the country MLIS program has been one of the best decisions of my professional life. I'm so grateful for everything that the Rutgers program has given me in terms of knowledge, experience, and connections. This class has been particularly helpful because it is very practical in terms of how I can improve my library program here and now. The first year I worked here, I thought I really did a good job. I'm not saying I didn't, but after taking this class, I know that I have a ways to go to meet the needs of everyone that walks through my library doors. I also have found the value in our discussions and it makes me really understand how important a PLN is and how I need to curate my relationships outside of this program because I won't have the luxury of the a discussion post every week to bounce ideas off of.

For students entering this course, I would say that even though it seems overwhelming, it is worth your attention. It feels so daunting to take a course and do an internship (or, in my case, work your regular job) but the readings, videos, lectures, and discussions all offering valuable information that you need to be developing your best practices. I found so so many of them useful to my work. Don't discount any of this as busy work. Dr. V clearly cares about her students and wants us to succeed.

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I have loved all of my time in this program. This semester, the Environmental Scan as our first assignment was incredibly valuable for me. While I have lived and worked in my current district for while, it was so important for me to take a step back and really look at the school and the district. I learned more about the needs of my students, and about the curriculum that I am coordinating with. I was surprised by the details that I learned this semester about librarianship. There were questions that I didn't even know to ask, making this semester truly valuable. The Action Plan absolutely prepared me for the real world. While talking about changes to the library is nice, the action plan took into account approval, budget, vendors, space, and time. The action plan that I created is currently what I am working on in the library. I would advise students entering this course next semester to take advantage of the assignments and learn from them, as well as to read what other students have written as great ideas and resources often come from the discussions and sharing of projects.

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The most important thing I learned this semester is to market yourself. While at work, my VP was curious what I had done about writing contests for students. I showed her the page I made on my library website and she said you need to market this better. It is not enough to simply make things available, they need to be marketed. After listening to what others do in class to market, I have better ideas of how to bring resources to students and teachers.
What has surprised me is how similarly and differently we all handle the same tasks/problems. For many of us, what we do is predicated on what our administration expects of us or gives us the freedom to do. However, it seems like we all have the same goal of increasing all forms of literacy. If I had to give some advice, I would advise students to meet as many people as possible. You meet the most from others and humbling yourselves to others will only benefit you. Take your PLN seriously and learn as much as possible.

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This semester has been one of the most rewarding semesters of my MI journey. My most valuable learning experience was learning how to put my goals and objectives into action through creating an action plan. I have so many goals that I hope to accomplish as a librarian. However, until this semester, I had no real understanding as to how to bring them to life. The assignments were key to my feeling prepared for the real world because I am equipped with the tools and skills necessary to conduct a community exploration, needs assessment, and develop goals, objectives, and an action plan that is best for that specific school community. Before these assignments, I had no idea how to do any of it, which leads me to my little piece of advice. I would tell your future students to give each assignment their whole heart because the assignments will truly guide their path as they prepare for the next step. I would also tell them to take a deep breath, focus on one thing at a time, and remind them that the semester will be over before they know it.