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I am blown away about how little I understood about school librarianship considering I have been working in public libraries for 16 years and most of those years I have worked with school librarians on some level.

As a public librarian you wear many hats, offering programs on lots of different topics, readers advisory for all ages of patrons, copy machine wizard, patron email trouble shooter and so on.  However I was wholly unprepared for how many additional hats school librarians have to wear.

Another take away from this class is that every class, every day is different from the next and you really need to learn to roll with the punches.  Some things will work exactly as you planned and others will land like a lead balloon and you have 20 something kids staring at you on how to react.

My advice to incoming students is curate curate curate! I have heard a lot of fantastic ideas in this course, things like choice boards and book creator and other engaging looking things and became super overwhelmed trying to learn them all at once and figure out how to fit them into my classes immediately. Writing out my goals and objectives really helped me realize not everything needs to be implemented at the same time and sometimes just saving things to look back at later is the best plan.

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I always knew that I wanted to work with either children or teens.  For me, it only seemed natural to take school librarianship as my concentration in the MI program here at Rutgers.  What I wasn't accepting when I started this journey in school librarianship was that I would find an interest in digital citizenship and information literacy, on top of diversity in literature.

We started to learn early on in our coursework the many hats that school media specialists are required to wear.  This course put all of that into perspective!  It's easy to get tunnel vision and associate librarians and libraries with reader's advisory and books but we're so much more than that.  One of my biggest takeaways from this semester in the school library is that we are educators!

We have a responsibility to prepare our students with the skills that they need to navigate this ever-changing digital landscape.   But we also owe it to our fellow co-workers and teachers to educate and help them navigate this same landscape.  We need to advocate for our students too.  Of course, these are just some examples of what needs to be done but there is so much more that we do.

While I loved the experience I had not only in the high school but also in the elementary school. I don't know if being a school librarian is right for me.  I would love to be able to take what we learned this semester and somehow apply it to what I'm currently in the public library.

My advice to any incoming students for this class would be to talk to your FE librarian and use them as a sounding board. Write observations and any questions down and have those conversations!

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I find myself here at the end of this semester, and the end of the program, with a slight sense of sadness that this learning path has come to an end, but also with a sense of anticipation for what is to come. The elements of this course that were most valuable to me were the different ways I was challenged to define and refine my own values and philosophies as they relate the job of a teacher-librarian, and the assignments that focused on understanding school culture and community and the needs assessments. The assignments, in particular, stretched me to analyze the school community in a different way, combining different data sources to develop a more complete picture, and then to consider how that data impacts learning and resources and needs at the school, and particularly in the library. I believe that this will be an important first step for me at whatever school I ultimately wind up at as the librarian.

My experience as a classroom teacher and a department head has already given me skills that I am sure I will apply as a school librarian. But the work of this class afforded me the opportunity to practice that application. The variety of topics covered in this course was also important to reinforcing all the different aspects of work that a librarian does in the course of their job.

My best advice for students entering this course next semester is to enact a strong time management system for themselves. This was a difficult semester for me personally, and while I normally manage my time very efficiently, this semester was not exemplary for me. But, I look at this as a learning moment for me. Sometimes life is going to throw you curve balls, and you need to be prepared both for the curve and for what to do when you miss.

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I really valued this whole program. I’ve learned a lot about planning for the future, individualizing experiences for patrons, and putting in what you want to get out of a library. I really loved doing the environmental scan. I think its extremely helpful to understand a starting point and get an idea of what a specific community might need. I think we all have these ideas of what our ideal library might look like but really, the best library is the one that suits the needs of the people.

There were a lot of things that surprised me. The field experienced taught me a lot about dealing with teachers, the district, and parents in practical ways. I’m surprised at how involved it can be. Librarians truly are at the center of the school in every way.

The best piece of advice is to just jump in with both feet. I was so nervous when I started this course and was scared that I wouldn’t know how to talk to the students or teachers and that I would just be shelving books and not making a real difference. While it’s important to understand the space, the personalities, and the libraries goals, it’s also important to see a need and fill it. If students need help and you can offer a suggestion, do so. If you can make your FEs job easier without stepping on toes, fill that need. Be respectful, humble, and ready.

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This course did a great job of aggregating some of the most critical parts of previous classes. But one overarching guideline that we can all do and model for our students is to continue to learn and grow as professionals. This can be achieved by connecting to other professionals online or in person. I attended the NJASL Fall Conference earlier this week, and I was struck by how inclusive it was - well-established librarians engaged with me in every setting - at lunch, in sessions, in any place we met. I was so humbled to be welcomed in to this community and I think we can remember that in every place we are, and by doing so, our students will do the same. I really appreciated the emphasis on trying new things and not being afraid to fail. This week, I gave my fourth and fifth graders a lesson for Week of Code and used a robot I had no previous experience with, and told them so. I explained that we would be learning together, and it was by far the most successful class, even with some missteps and lack of knowledge. This class in particular empowered me to open myself up to learning alongside my students and I will continue to take more chances.

One thing I might tell future students is to not get overwhelmed by so much engaging information. Take your time, explore, but know that you can refer back to much of the resources as you go - just remember to save the links when you can’t access them after graduating!

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The most valuable thing I learned in this course is that a library position is really what you make of it. The expectations are very different from those of a content area classroom teacher, so communication and collaboration with supervisors and administration are key.  The job will look different in all schools, and not only is that okay, but it’s necessary.  Just like classroom teachers need to differentiate for their students, librarians need to create the library program based on the students and staff.

This course prepared me for the real world by serving as a reminder of a lot of the coursework I did through the program.  It also was great to have tips on interviews and the resume work.  Even though I didn’t think I was ready for any of that quite yet, it actually came just in time for me.

I would encourage future students to take risks and try new things with their assignments.  Each project and learning activity is a chance to grow and discover areas of interest, but also to develop areas that you might feel weak in.  It’s definitely a safe environment to experiment and take a chance on something that might not work out as you originally planned.

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One of the biggest things I learned in this class is how access means so many things.  I know that other classes has touched on this before, but until I got into a library and really saw how students search and what many were looking for it wasn't nearly as impactful.  Access is about the space, the collection (and what's NOT in a collection), the way students search, etc.

I feel this course has helped me with planning for my school and library, and how to adjust my mindset so that I don't take no for an answer. This may not be the way I achieve that goal, but that doesn't mean that I can't get there.  Find the work around.

The library is for the students (first and foremost) and the teachers (a very close second).  I want to represent that in the library that I land in.  I may have priority of how the feel and design are laid out - but the contents are not mine.  Collaboration will not always be easy so I need to show up ready for anything and a plan b (and c-f, just in case) in my back pocket.  I am ever hopeful that I land in one soon - I am so excited to be a part of a library and to be able to work with others doing something meaningful.  What is more meaningful than helping students and teachers?

The only advice I have for future students is to embrace it all - even the parts that may seem less than fun. (Who wants to do balance sheets or fill out reports, or to write a student's ID# down for them the sixth time?) We do it because it is part of what makes a library run and we do it to help our patrons.

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The entire MI program, with special emphasis on this culminating course, has only reaffirmed the reason why school librarianship is the path I chose: I want to do it all.

I want to operate the circulation desk, be the reference librarian, collaborate with teachers, administer information literacy instruction, curate digital resources, manage the budget, and so much more. Higher education and public librarians are often tied to one aspect of librarianship, which to me, sounds boring. I want to be regularly challenged to learn, adapt, and excel in new and exciting arenas.

What was surprising to me? Even after I just expressed looking forward to all the different aspects of school librarianship, and learning about each of them throughout the program, it was still surprising to finally see how an actual school librarian executes all these responsibilities in action. My field experience librarian, Lisa, is a 15-year school library vet, so she basically runs her program on autopilot. She tackles issues and decision-making with ease where a novice librarian might struggle to balance everything and deal with unexpected problems. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from such an experienced professional.

The advice I would give to students for the future would to not be afraid to speak up. There were definitely some opportunities at field experience I missed out on because I was too nervous to ask or didn’t want to interrupt Lisa. I still had a wonderful experience, but I could have done even more if I had just asked.

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The most valuable thing that I have learned in this course is how to plan for the future of a school library program. During this semester I gained experience from volunteering in a school library and completing coursework. These learning opportunities have put into perspective the many responsibilities of a school librarian, and I feel as though I am very prepared to start my first job as a school librarian.  Our major assignments brought into focus how to set measurable goals and objectives for a library program based upon what the school community needs.  Being able to write the goals and advocate for the success of the program was a valuable learning opportunity.  I think this has prepared me for the real world, because I will have a roadmap of how to evaluate and set goals for a future library program I hope to work in.  I also have learned how to articulate and present those goals and objectives to the Board of Education. I was able to practice my role as a leader in the field, designing a workshop.  I really enjoyed that process.  It was rewarding to develop a workshop that could help support other educators and in turn promote future successful lessons.  Utilizing the National School Library Standards was another important component of our coursework, and I now understand many of the resources better.  For instance, I think the Standards Crosswalks are very helpful to help align the National School Library Standards with other commonly used standards as well.  My advice I would give to students entering this course next semester is that the assignments take time and that following the course pacing suggestions was helpful.  Each week you should be making progress towards completing the major assignments.  Time management is very important.

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This course was a little different for me because I have already done field experience for a library program and have worked in a library full time already.  I got my bachelors in library science education and took many classes with very similar topics to the ones I took throughout this masters program but I definitely learned so much from the different experience and from attending all of my classes online.  The online setting was interesting for me because it meant I could do the work on my own time but it also meant I could push it off if I forgot to do it or if there were other things going on in my life.

This field experience semester really put everything into perspective and while I still struggle to always have time during the work week to get my school work done, I have gotten a lot better at planning to get it done earlier in the week and working through it. This course helped me work on my time management while also teaching me to pay attention to my body and how it is feeling in the moment.

When it comes to working in a school, this course really helped me learn more about specific behind the scenes aspects of the library, especially budgeting.  Budgets have always scared me and I have struggled to fully understand what a budget is saying.  Through this course and working with my field experience librarian, I am starting to better understand the budgets that we have in the library and to keep a close eye on what is in our account and what gets taken out.  This learning of budgeting has really taught me a lot and will truely help me in the real world and in the future.

I would advise students who are entering this course next semester to expect everything and then expect to be surprised.  There was so much to learn in this course and there is no way you could expect all of it. On top of what you will learn in the class itself, everyone will be in their own field experience school and will experience so many different things that happen within a school.  No school is the same and no experience will be the same and you get to converse with all of your classmates to learn from them as they learn from you.

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Mackenzie Dunbar - End of Semester Reflection

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Mackenzie Dunbar - End of Semester Reflection

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There has been so much this semester that has really helped to round out how I see librarianship and what I’d like to do moving forward, that I don’t know where to begin! Each of our assignments has brought something new or interesting to the table for me - from our Environmental Scan which helped me understand the population I was serving during my field experience, to our Needs Assessments and Action Plans which aided in analyzing improvements to seek in our FE libraries and how to implements those changes practically, and finally our Professional Growth Workshops, which helped me better understand what goes into an effective, engaging workshop. In addition to this, one of the most valuable aspects of our course here has been hearing about the experiences and thoughts of all my fellow classmates and peers. Particularly as someone new to the field of librarianship, each class I’m in and ever peer I speak with (or read the thoughts of, in the case of our discussions) teaches me something new and valuable. I think being able to see and engage with this many diverse perspectives is one of the best aspects of this type of course. In conjunction with my field experience, this course more than most has taught me the role I should aim to have if I do end up in a school library, as well as the importance of collaboration with teachers and what to expect from the job (as well as what you can make of it). Advice I would give to students entering this course, especially if they’re taking it alongside their fieldwork or are employed in a library already, is to take what you learn about in this class and look for examples in your own library (or make some examples happen yourself!). I find it much more effective to gain first-hand experience and be able to see a concept in action, as opposed to just talking about it. Thanks for a great semester everyone and good luck to you all!

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I feel as though this course may have been a little different for me since this is the third year that I have worked as the first and only librarian in my school. Taking this course while working gave me a sense, as I said before, that I am not alone. Though I have a good support system in my district, being alone in a library can feel very isolating. Having the opportunity to learn from so many brilliant people has enhanced my lessons and my interactions with teachers, students, administrators and the community as a whole. The vast amount of resources made available through this class I think has been the most helpful (and I am including online resources, lists, libguides and most importantly people). Being in this class has definitely shown me that I made the right choice in taking a position in a school library. When I started it felt overwhelming, but now I feel like I can do this. My biggest aha is that libraries are nothing like they used to be, at least the ones that I knew. Looking back, I never felt comfortable or welcome in a library, so I really cannot say why I chose this career path, but I am glad that I did. Speaking with everyone in these classes has made me realize how much libraries are changing and becoming welcoming inclusive centers of thought and learning, and I feel that this generation of students, as well as myself, are so lucky to have the librarians that they do. Thank you all!

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This was a course has hit on many different things that reminded me of how important the work is that I do everything. Resources/strategies to connect with students, teachers, and families in different ways I believe was the most valuable thing I learned in this course. Creating engaging presentations to hook your audience is a powerful skill and although I did not master  this, I feel better equipped to make powerful presentation. Where someone would look at it and take it seriously.

Hmm...it isn't that I am so much surprised by this but more like things have changed over time and school librarians are doing so much more than what people were ever able to see. Everyone always says "I didn't know librarians taught, I thought they just read books and helped kids check out books." Umm, no. Librarians are the heart of the school (some schools). They have so much to offer as far as collaboration and knowledge of children's literature. Their resources are carefully chosen and curated.

This course has prepared me for the real world in the sense of showing me what employers would be looking for. It made me think of issues that are going on in the world and how I should address them with my students. In addition, this class has shown me why taking specific steps in an action plan is important and how to present it to your administration (I'm still working on that).

For a student getting ready to enter this course I would tell them planning is key to making it out of this course without having panic attacks. I would advise them to get a calendar where they could blend all of their life activities...work, school, personal to ensure they are not overlapping dates or missing important deadlines. I would tell them to listen to the lectures first before completing any readings. I could honestly go on and on but I think if the person already has a full time teaching career, it is just essential to set time aside every evening to work on this class assignments rather than waiting till Friday. It all falls apart at that point.

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When I started this program, I only took the school library track because it most closely related to what I thought I wanted to do, become a public librarian with a focus on children and youth programming. As I took more and more of the courses centered on school librarianship, my goals began to shift. I was nervous coming into this final semester because I feel that I generally have a good grasp of theory, but translating that knowledge into effective practice is not so simple.  I was fortunate to be able to complete my field experience at the same library that I had visited and created a process manual for in 525, so I had some familiarity with it going in and it ended up not being nearly as intimidating as I initial thought.

Through this class and my field experience, I learned that school librarianship can and should be so much more that collection development and maintenance.  The purpose of a school library is to serve the entire school community, from student and teachers to administrators and parents. The most important thing that you can do is build relationships, with your student, with the staff, with you community. Once you build those relationships, all else will follow.

What do I want future students to know about this class? When you go into your field experience, include your field mentor in both the assignments or checklist items for 592 and your major assignments for this class. They will likely provide insight that will make the assignments more authentic learning experiences.

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Something that I have learned that will stick with me circles back to the standards. Though I have always thought about the standards in the sense of librarians and their students, they impact so much more than that. All the teachers must incorporate the standards into their lessons and the librarian can help them with that.

Growing up I thought of the library as a place to read, a place to escape, a safe place. It’s more than that though, even though that may be everything I needed. The library and librarian are there for the entire school, from the principal to the teacher to the janitorial staff and guidance counselors. At my school it was a place for the aides and substitute teachers to hang out and for students to take makeup tests, a place for everyone.

What I want students to know for next semester? Remember that the librarian has welcomed you into *their* space and that you need to accept the way they do things, even if that means you have to listen to them talk about Harry Potter with their students. You need to respect the way they run things and even though you may want to make suggestions, make sure you are doing so respectfully and humbly.

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Before I started the MI program, I used to think that school librarianship was simply about maintaining a print and digital collection in a school, hosting author visits, and occasionally running a reading-focused program.  My oh my is it so much more!  While I learned about the instructional and collaborative teaching aspects in several classes, this class really drove home their importance, especially paired with the field experience.  It was hard for me to wrap my head around what school library instruction looked like until I actually did it!  It was MUCH less scary than I anticipated.  I actually enjoyed it!  *gasp!*

This class also strengthened my understanding of our role as administrators and school leaders.  School librarians are in a unique position to support ALL members of the school community, teachers and staff included.  I had no idea this was the case prior to starting the program.  It was exciting to put together the PD workshop for teachers, to learn how to create reports for administrators, and to analyze our school communities.  I didn’t realize how multifaceted this career would be.  While it seems like a lot at times, I love how dynamic school librarianship can be.  As a person who gets easily bored with the same tasks, I’m realizing that this pathway may be a really good fit for me.  While I’m not ready to step into a school yet, it feels in the cards for my future.

For students entering the course, I’d say do your best to keep an open mind. This was something that I struggled with at times.  The more I learned about school librarianship, the more I felt like it wasn’t right for me.  It wasn’t until I actually taught some classes right at the end of my FE that I realized how much of an impact we can have.  I’d also remind incoming students to keep the big picture in mind.  While some of the assignments or tasks seem boring or tedious, they are all part of the larger goal of supporting our school community.  If you take your time and put in your best effort, you'll be much more prepared for when you actually complete those tasks in real life!