It's so hard to believe that this semester--and this program is over! The last few weeks I've been struggling to push through, so it;s a relief.

I think the most valuable thing I learned in this course was connecting with the new standards. I feel lucky to have taken this course after the standards were introduced--it's been a huge advantage to talk about them every week! I also found tons of value in talking to all of you about your different field experiences. We were all in different libraries that operated in different ways, and getting to know a little bit about what each of you was dealing with showed me how a different situation might have been! This felt really important to me. I was in a school library with a healthy budget and two full-time SLMS. This was great for observing successes, but less so for finding and making improvements of my own. I liked hearing how all of you spotted and improved challenges.

The interview prep last week was a huge help for the "real world." Something I have to constantly remind myself of is to change my language for school library positions and public library positions. I've never interviewed for a school library job, but at the same time that we were having these discussions I interviewed for a public position. Strong interview skills are definitely important when it comes to selling yourself and locking down a position, so I appreciated this.

In my first semester at Rutgers, I took two of my three classes F2F. I think I learned less in that format--I hated getting stuck in traffic, I was stressed about parking (and I even had a coveted College Ave parking permit!), and I didn't make connections with my classmates. Online, the format of the courses means we are interacting every day, rather than just seeing each other once a week. It's a daily interaction. Maybe this is just because a lot of the names and faces have become familiar, but I feel like I've also created stronger connections with my online classmates! I wouldn't hesitate to awkwardly introduce myself at a conference or workshop (okay...I might feel a little awkward...), and I hope some of these connections do become F2F ones! I don't feel disadvantaged at all for taking most of my classes online, because it allowed me to reach a work/life/school balance. In terms of this course particularly, I feel like online is the only way it could really work for everyone! We are all doing a FE at the same time, and most people also work, have a family, or both! Since this is a required course with the FE, I'm not sure how it would work with all the students' schedules in person. Just a thought!! I don't feel at all disadvantaged for taking this course (or any of my courses, for that matter) online.

Hope to see lots of you at graduation next week (!!!)

Collection development? We need to be mindful of who we are serving and supporting, and how we are best utilizing our budgets. 

Enlisting volunteers? We need to be mindful of who we approach, how we approach them, how we harness them, and how we express our gratitude for their assistance. 

Collaborating with others? We need to be mindful of what their ultimate goals for lessons are, and how we can harness resources, both within and beyond the library, to help support their instructional goals.

Creating a welcoming environment? We need to be mindful of how others are seeing the space, especially those who are being introduced for the first time, and how we can encourage their interest in, engagement with, and enjoyment of the library. 

Seeking new positions? We need to be mindful of where we are applying, how we are presenting ourselves to others, and how we are ascertaining how well we might fit into a new place or position. 

Generally, I am reluctant to focus on a single word; I am a big believer in being as clear and explicit as possible so as to avoid misinterpretations (either accidental or willful). So it’s a little out of character for me to be content to use individual words as my guides. But in addition to mindfulness, the other word I keep seeing in my head as I prepare to set up my own shop is “respect.” 

Granted, there’s a lot of connection between these two words; but I see my “Rules” sign being just one word: “Respect.” I hope students and teachers would respect each other, mentally, emotionally, and physically; respect the space and its resources; respect the fact that a library is shared and needs to be treated in such a way that others can take full advantage of it without having to deal with the aftermath of others’ use; respect the conventions observed in polite society for language and conduct.

Beyond respect being a rule for the library, it’s also a good guide to conduct. Respecting the fact that not everyone will want to view the same materials or use the library for the same tasks. Respecting that the staff and students are entitled to the best-possible education, and respecting the importance of the library in helping to support that mission. Respecting colleagues and students (even the annoying ones), because they are all entitled to utilize resources and services that help them advance their knowledge and education. 

I honestly can’t remember who it was who initially brought up the idea of a rules sign that basically just said “Respect,” and I am very sorry for that, because it’s stuck with me over the weeks and embedded itself in my mind, and it has encouraged me to see the importance, as well as the beauty, in keeping things simple, rather than trying to cover every possible potential situation. 

So I suppose those are going to be some of the overarching takeaways for me: Simplicity, respect, and mindfulness. 

I’m also taking away the belief that there are a whole lot of great school library media specialists out there, particularly since I have had the privilege of working with them in these courses. 

Which means I’m also taking away the understanding that I am not just a single pine tree clinging to life on the side of a forbidding mountain; rather, I am a sequoia whose roots can interconnect with those of others to create an interwoven forest that can work together to improve the environment in long-term, wide-reaching ways.