*School Librarian Mindset (Valenza) New Leadership Lenses for Reopening Schools (Big Questions Institute) *But My Principal Won't Let Me! Leadership, Advocacy, & Some Rebel Yell from the Library. “I love that idea–but there’s no way my principal would ever go along with that…” “That is really cool that you can do that.
But it wouldn’t fly in my school…” “I wish my principal would let me try something like that…” Have those thoughts ever flitted through your mind while you read an inspiring article, sat in a workshop, or took a class? Then join the rest of school librarians across the country. It’s important to remember that administrative rules for libraries don’t derive from bad intentions; they are usually just deeply rooted in misperceptions and the ease of following long-set tradition. Pay attention to what your principal needs. The school library needs to provide resources for all of its patrons. Share national guidelines and goal-setting with your principal.
Set goals for your library and then support them with AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner or the AASL’s National School Library of the Year criteria. School librarians can save democracy. Regardless of one’s political views, there seems to be consensus on one political reality: America is dangerously polarized.
According to Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, in a recent edWebinar, “The future of democracy presents a case for the critical need for school librarians in every school.” School librarians are essential to help students gain equitable access to high-quality inquiry instructional experiences for all learners–not just for the future of education but also for the future of democracy. The problem. What Is Leadership? Picture from Pixabay I don’t think that school librarians take enough credit for what we do.
Last month, I heard someone pose the question, “What is leadership?” My answer is that you are probably already engaging in leadership activities. Rather than provide a textbook definition, I would like to provide examples. Let’s Talk A Conversation Starter for Future Ready Librarians® Building Collaborative Relationships 6.3. Bill Bass: The Role of Librarian in the Digital Age. Librarians Wear Many Hats (KC Boyd) New York City School Librarians' Association. Don’t Just Join. I have been a member of the Nebraska School Librarians Association (NSLA) since the beginning of my school library career (and even before that as I joined as a grad student).
A few years later, a mentor of mine asked me if I would be interested in running for a board member at large position in NSLA. I really had no idea what that meant at the time but knew she rarely steered me wrong, so I took the leap. It is because of that nudge that I made connections and have friends today that I probably would not have otherwise. So, this is me, giving you a nudge. *Reimagining School Libraries to Lead Future Learning (Valenza)
Embracing Our Leadership Role through Advocacy and Voting. You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe.
You have to have courage, raw courage.The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy. Both of the above quotes are from the late Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. He spent his life on the twin issues of advocacy and voting. His commitment to these issues were so paramount that any new voting rights legislation will undoubtedly be named after him. *AASL Pre-Service Toolkit for Principals and Teachers. School Librarians Bill of Responsibilities (Fontichiaro. Meet K.C. Boyd School Librarian and School Library Activist. *Getting ready for a new boss what will change and what stays the same. The Boss of Me There are times in the life of a school librarian that no matter how experienced one is, you need some advice.
I do not hesitate to reach out for help, but first, some research. This year is the 150th anniversary of my school’s founding. However, we will remember the year as one with a global pandemic and as a pivotal time to educate ourselves and our students about injustice, tragedies, and struggles for equality. Can you imagine getting a new administrator this year? Many educators worry when a new administration begins. American Libraries Magazine. Having a transformative school library is an issue of equity.
According to its mission, the American Association of School Librarians empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning. The words “leaders” and “transform” are key. As a faculty member in a preservice program, and as a school librarian for more than 25 years, I know that’s exactly what I want my students to do when they land in libraries. Research confirms: When credentialed school librarians lead teaching and learning in our schools’ largest classrooms, student achievement and reading scores increase.
Perhaps what the research does not show is what it looks like and what it feels like. We teach kids to be solid digital leaders. We work with classroom teachers to build creative inquiry projects and assessments. We aspire to be in their pockets and on their phones. *New Administrator – Now What? (Hilda K. Weisburg) You just heard the replacement for your principal or your superintendent of schools has been hired.
As a leader, you need to be prepared. You don’t wait to see what happens. You go into action mode. At the rate administrators turn over these days this is a common situation. The coming of a new administrator reminds me of the line from Exodus, “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (To keep from the awkward “he/she,” I am using feminine pronouns throughout – although most of the administrators I worked for here male.)
The School Librarian and Leadership: What Can Be Learned? (Roots) (Access through RU Libraries) School Librarians as Technology Leaders: An Evolution in Practice (Wine) (Access through RU Libraries) The Leader’s Hat (Barbara Braxton) Many teacher librarians associate leadership with hierarchy and believe that it is the domain of the principal and the school’s executive.
But anyone with specialist knowledge and skills acan be a leader, even students, and particularly the TL because their position within the school is often unique. In many cases, there is only one of us in a school, perhaps several schools, and staff and students look to us as being the leaders in literature and information access and management. Teacher librarians are ideally suited to lead from the middle. Future Ready Librarians Factsheet. Librarianship: Not a Job, an Avocation. I have written so many times about school libraries and the funding/staffing crisis that I feel like the proverbial voice in the wilderness.
Bemoaning the lack of stable funding, staffing cuts, and doing more with less has become a broken record. Even though this crisis has spread to Chicago, Philadelphia, and most of the West, people are tired of hearing about what many perceive as an isolated issue. Recently I was reminded by the book Librarians with Spines that librarianship is more than a job, it’s an avocation. 7 tips for making your principal your ally (Doug Johnson) Librarians, you cannot afford to have an adversarial relationship with your principals.
You cannot even afford principals who are "agents of benevolent neglect. " You need an administrator who actively supports you and your program. *Hassell and Harada On Change Agents. School Libraries and Their Influence on School Culture. School culture refers to the way teachers and other staff members work together and the set of beliefs, values, and assumptions they share. A positive school climate and school culture promote students’ ability to learn (ASCD, 2017). Students, staff, administration, and parents are influential to the school culture, but so is the facility, the history, and the community. Each component can have a positive or negative effect on the school culture, but none can take the entire credit or blame for the school culture.
Together, they collectively contribute. Learning from Rock Star Librarians – School Library Connection Blog. This month’s One-Question Survey asked our readers to name the ‘school library rock stars’ who are the biggest influence on their work and what it is that makes these individuals stand out. The resulting word cloud of school library luminaries is certainly fun to view but really not too surprising—much more intriguing are the explanations of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that set these individuals apart. What can we learn from these rock star librarians? This month we asked the question, “What ‘school library rock stars’ are the biggest influence on your work?”
Followed by the sub-question, “Why do these individuals stand out for you?” AASL Social Media Superstars (Check out recipients on the bottom of page) Social Media Superstars enrich the profession and its work on behalf of students and school communities by sharing information, expertise, ideas, encouragement, dialogue and inspiration widely with stakeholders via a variety of social media channels. With your nominations and endorsements of your peers, eight categories will recognize individuals who effectively use one or more social media channels to... 3 must-have skills for today’s librarians.
2) How to Fight Fake News I see librarians taking the lead in combating the fake news epidemic by curating resources for their students so they don’t have to question the information they are getting while in school. We offer several youth-friendly research databases in our district, including PebbleGo. Our librarians are also doing targeted lessons on warning signs of fakery, such as: a high use of exclamation points;the inability to find an author or contact that author if a name does exist; ora lack of information about the source.