Mid-Semester Ahas (575 Fall 2019) by Joyce Valenza https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19 We're halfway done in terms of our official time together. Let's reflect. Please share your biggest learning take-aways so far this semester. Feel free to include links/media if they are relevant. en-us 2019-07-02 21:35:42 UTC 2025-09-25 10:38:24 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.storage.googleapis.com/portrait/brainstorm.jpg Jessica Eschbach https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/400466680 I don't want to be cheesy or obvious, but I really didn't realize just how different school libraries can be, even from elementary school to elementary school, until I started reading about the experiences that fellow students are having in their field experiences.  I knew that some people had fixed schedules as opposed to my flexible schedule, but it seems like the responsibilities and expectations of librarians is really inconsistent across the board. I'm not sure there is a better or worse way to do things, but it would make moving to a new place daunting just because your previous experience may not help you as much as you would expect. 

In terms of other AHA moments, Assignment 1 gave me a new perspective on the community that I serve. Although I've been in my position for a while and have been teaching in this district for 7 years, I feel like I didn't totally understand just how different my school is from other schools in the area and how that might affect what my library needs in order to serve them (and I'll explore this more in Assignment 2). Additionally, last week's readings and links about gentrification gave me the oomph I needed to start a trial genre wall and track how the kids and teachers like it and how it affects circulation.

In general, this course has given me a lot to ponder in terms of what I can do better or differently to make the library a space that exemplifies the AASL standards. I have a lot of work to do! ]]> 2019-10-21 17:40:30 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/400466680 Christopher Lainson https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/400617231 I would say one of the largest aha's for me is what is available and possible in a library outside of your own and why it is important to constantly pay attention to what others are doing.  
This is my second year in district and I sometimes feel bogged down by how hard it is to complete things. I appreciate that the class keeps me asking questions and analyzing the practice. I have always believed in being a "reflective practitioner" but this is different in the library world compared to when I taught music. Librarians are good about networking and always curating what they're doing. My aha is that I need to always keep with newer trends despite how bogged down I get with my current duties.]]> 2019-10-22 00:10:37 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/400617231 Aleksandra Brittain https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/401218130 I think one of the main takeaways I had was just how indispensible I have to make myself if I'm going to run a school library. Through my entire tenure here in graduate school, I've had cheerful relatives sending me lists that say that libraries are one of the more relevant positions, that there's growth, and many positive things that reassure me even when I see posts from real librarians on the "front lines," so to speak. It's nothing like that in schools, though. I've seen and heard about our budgets (some of the elementary schools in my FE district allot as little as $100 to the library every year), and I've experienced just how much we need to interact with teachers in order to make ourselves relevant. It's like fighting a multi-front war. 

I agree with Jessica that the responsibilities and expectations of librarians are SUPER inconsistent. It's exhausting, and I'm genuinely unsure what my FE librarian does when she doesn't have me to help out with certain assignments. But overall, when we say that "culture eats strategy alive," boy, that's the truth.]]> 2019-10-23 01:05:39 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/401218130 Holly Sphatt hcsphatt https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/401782997 The environmental scan was really eye-opening for me as I have lived and worked in this town for the majority of my life. I was able to see just how important it is to learn about every facet of the curriculum and culture of the school. With this information, I also joined the School Improvement Team to work on "Glows and Grows" for the school. I think that my research for the paper will be incredibly helpful for this committee and my library.
I have also been thinking a lot about parent and community involvement ideas for the library. Reading and listening to ways in which we can inspire a culture for reading gave me so much information. There are so many great ideas and programs out there, in a way I have to curate these for the school to decide what to use and in what capacity for out community.
There are also so many easy and small ways to inspire reading. Just this week I showed my students the "Storytime from Space" reading of Rosie Revere, Engineer. Such a quick activity was so inspiring to them. Through our readings and research, I am always reminded of just how much free and low cost programs are out there. ]]> 2019-10-24 00:17:39 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/401782997 Ariel Richvalsky agr64 https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/401805436 Sometimes (a lot of the time) my head feels like it's just bursting with ideas for all of the different ways there are to serve a school community as its librarian.  Creating a LibGuide for student research needs, building Pinterest boards for teacher resources, curating a Destiny Collection for a teaching unit or teaching students how to curate their own Collections, figuring out the most effective way to organize your library space...all of these things are regularly running through my mind, and while this could be exhausting, I find so much inspiration from the discussions in this class and from the online professional communities I've discovered.  I've discovered what the AASL standards are, and they've given me guidance and structure and best practice ideas as I think about setting up my own library someday.  There are just so many ways to learn and improve my practice and serve the teachers and students with whom I come into contact, and I'm excited every morning to do this work.  ]]> 2019-10-24 01:39:17 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/401805436 Amanda Carey https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402620396 This semester has helped me gain a better understanding of putting what I learned to practice. It has also been helpful having 516 during this semester despite the added workload because it is almost an expansion of what we are learning in this course as well as our FE. Therefore, I have had so many AHA moments. Some of the biggest realizations involved meeting facility needs, maintaining a community focus, and the importance of curation.

Facility Needs: I knew it was important to consider the layout and structure of a school library, but I did not realize how important it is for the learners. Between what I have learned in this class and what I have read for 516, I have realized that a library's structure not only sets how the library is perceived by others, but also influences how a student will learn. For example, a student with a  hearing impairment needs an environment with clear signage. They may be too embarrassed to ask questions and so providing clear visuals will help them feel welcome and find the resources they need. This same concept applies in many ways to different needs. The facility must be arranged in a manner that encourages learners to feel welcomed in order to best serve their educational needs.

Community Focus: Assignment 1 helped me understand just how important it is to know the community you are serving including those in the school and their families. I have realized that this is something I must do when I am hired as a school librarian because I cannot meet the needs of my learners and teachers if I do not first know their needs. Does the school have a lot of ELL students? Do they have a strong special education program? Can students come here by choice and if so, can anyone  choose or only those with a specific need? My library will need to planned and structured in a manner that best meets the needs of those I serve and how can I do that if I do not have an awareness of the community. Another aspect that I found important during this assignment was parent involvement. In order to best meet the needs of my learners, I must ensure the parents feel welcome to ask questions, are aware of and make use of our resources, and feel connected to their child(ren)'s learning.  Providing events that involve the entire family is a great way for parents to feel involved, relationships to form and/or strengthen, and the librarian to gain more support by offering more support. Lastly, this assignment reminded me the importance of collaboration among teachers, administration, and librarians. The more interconnected the school faculty, the more holistic the learning. If I am placed in a school library that lacks collaboration among employees, I must brainstorm ways of encouraging this in gentle and subtle ways. Collaboration is key to the success of our learners.

Curation: This class and 516 has opened my eyes to the true importance of curation. For an activity in 516, I have to put together a list of resources for librarians on a specific learner need. Being that my daughter has a cochlear implant and the district I serve has a heavy population of hearing impaired students, I selected this topic of focus. Not only is this activity helping me gain insight as a parent, but it is also preparing me with ideas and strategies when serving as a librarian especially if I am employed in this district next year. Curation is a necessity. It helps the curator gain a deeper understanding, provides helpful resources to other faculty members, parents, and learners, and ensures accuracy and currency of resources. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for the librarian strengthen a community and collaborative mindset within the school. ]]> 2019-10-25 15:28:04 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402620396 Gale Chludzinski galeharrigan https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402768921 In an effort to be completely honest, this semester has taken me on a journey from second guessing my choice to focus on school librarianship and back to being excited about it. In the very beginning the semester, I was overwhelmed by the various demanding tasks and responsibilities that many of our readings and texts, and other students' FE experiences were laying on teacher librarians. I did not see how it was possible to achieve all that was expected AND I certainly did not understand how to anyone was expected to do it well if it was all so exhausting. However, after the days starting passing in my FE, I could see how the 20 year experienced school librarian managed her tasks better. I witnessed her attitude about her work, how she prioritized, how she just handled things and I started to feel better. There was also a point somewhere in a lecture where Dr. Valenza spoke about no one way to do libraries. There is not thinking in or out of the box, there is NO BOX. That really spoke to me. I will not be perfect as soon as I step into a school library, but I am capable. I just need to assess my situation, grow into my role and learn how to manage it all by managing it.]]> 2019-10-25 19:55:33 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402768921 Haley James hmj27 https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402773790 The library really is one of the most important rooms in a school and this is likely because of the amount of information that we as library professionals are able to give students access to through the resources that we provide. I think that my biggest takeaway from this semester so far is the importance of balancing that information that we are able to give while still paying mind to the collaboration and enrichment aspect of our jobs. Lessons that are given in the library and working with faculty/staff to enrich the classes that are given in the library are important and should be diligently worked on. I like the work that we did in week 6 because of it's focus on following standards and collaboration.]]> 2019-10-25 20:10:46 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402773790 This semester has given me inspiration and supported some of my fundamental thinking about the role as librarian in my school. Previously, I thought that I may be relinquishing some of my influence or even seem inept by having basic skill teachers sit in during vendor visits to help select books. According to Woolls and Coatney this is important to a more democratic use of the library. I don't have a formal advisory committee, but now I understand its importance and plan to incorporate one in my library as the decision about materials should incorporate key players using its resources. I think sharing the responsibility of selecting resources not only helps me develop a better collection, it allows others to understand the undertaking of developing a collection as well as helps all key players understand the policies that are put in place in reference to circulation. cnw40 https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402900693 2019-10-26 16:47:28 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/402900693 Ana Sanchez Gil ams852 https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403007595 One of my biggest ahas came from watching Simon Sinek’s video on how great leaders inspire.  In the past, I never really paid much attention to mission and vision statements, but now I understand their importance.  To be a good librarian, a librarian must know their why and be able to communicate their belief/idea to others.  Because of this course and my FE experience, I am able to understand more clearly how a mission and/or a vision should be manifested in the different aspects of a school librarian’s profession to help guide the librarian to better serve the school and community they work for.   

]]> 2019-10-27 13:10:32 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403007595 Melissa Thom was extremely inspirational, and she gave so many simple ideas to help build a culture of reading in a school. I think that the importance of the school culture sometimes gets lost, and the library seems like this separate place. Everyone in the building, from the school secretaries, to the principal, to the custodians can play an important role in creating a culture of reading and learning. I was able to take away so many wonderful and practical ideas, that I am excited to implement in my school library. She has only be a school librarian for a few years, but she has gone into her new role full force, with passion and enthusiasm. fkyrtatas https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403037797 The ALA Curate Best Practices list was eye opening for me.  As hard as I have been working, and even with all of the changes I have put into effect in my school library, I realized quickly that I still have a lot of work to do.  The first thing I did was finally create an official place for students (and teachers) to request books and give recommendations for the library collection.  I created a simple Google Form, and I posted it on my school website.  Students are very excited about  being able to put in their requests, and they are rolling in!  I started with something simple that I could implement immediately.  I am now working on curating resources for each grade level, starting with science and social studies.  I just began putting together a collection of resources for 4th grade social studies as they begin working on states' projects.
This semester is solidifying the type of school librarian that I want to be.  While I can't become a super start librarian like Melissa Thom over night, there are so many small things I can start doing now that can have a big impact.]]> 2019-10-27 17:02:36 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403037797 Jen Haring https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403075499 I think my biggest aha this semester is how different school libraries are from one another. Theres fixed schedules vs. flexible schedules, but there is also a difference in terms of the collections included. I guess I am super naive and I just always assumed that an elementary school library would involve a fixed schedule and the librarian would actually teach classes (is it bad that this is my dream?), but from this class I am realizing that this isn’t always the case. With so many inconsistencies, it’s hard to actually know what a school librarian does because I can go to another district and it will be completely different. Is this why schools get rid of librarians and having students visit the library as a class?
All that being said, I really enjoyed completing Assignment 1. It’s amazing what can be found online about the data of towns. I did a similar assignment for a different class but on the town I live in (since that is where I work) and I couldn’t help but compare what I learned about Midland Park to what I had previously learned about Bergenfield. For towns that are part of the same county, we are so different. I think that no matter where I end up, I would like to research the town to help me get to know the area in hopes to get to know my students more so that I can be of better service. 
]]> 2019-10-27 20:27:22 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403075499 I think my biggest aha so far this semester is that I'd possibly be interested in working in a middle school library. Prior to my FE, I would have only considered an elementary school library. I've come to discover though, that I do not like a fixed schedule and most elementary schools (at least the ones around me) follow a fixed schedule. On the other hand, the middle school librarian has a flexible schedule and I loved my experience there. Ideally I would find an elementary school with a flexible schedule, but now I know that I won't rule out the possibility of working in a middle school library. cmh345 https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403115280 2019-10-28 00:32:03 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403115280 Mary Fuchs https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403118325 I knew this from on-the-job participation and observation, but reading The School Library Manager impressed upon me the great range of responsibilities of the school librarian: teacher, advocate, manager, colleague/collaborator, tech guru, budget manager, ... 
It truly is a different role and vision from a classroom teacher, though they share many goals in common and will work together in teaching, guiding, and supporting students.]]> 2019-10-28 00:46:04 UTC https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403118325 Margi Putney https://padlet.com/joycevalenza/MidSem575Fall19/wish/403655231
Biggest Aha’s: 1) the difference between elementary-middle school and high school and fixed versus flexible schedule in how time is allocated. The pie charts emphasized this for me though on some level I understand it having worked as an assistant in a elementary-middle school. There is much more work with students in the younger grades. I want to try to keep thinking of ways to engage more with students. 2) how important relationships are: you want good ones with administration and teachers. Considering what keeps them up at night can go a long way to reinforcing these relationships 3) we really can make “library” what we want. But we need to do the work.



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