I actually started thinking about all of this when I looked
at the blog models at the beginning of Cool Tools this year.
I watched the
webinar: Your Stakeholder Connected Librarian Toolkit.
Here are some of my
existing practices and the target stakeholder.
Students:
- I start each year with an orientation to tell them what is new and to remind them of existing policies and practices, like behavior and checkout rules. I don’t want there to be any surprises!
- I greet every class that arrives in the library and I try to greet every student who comes on a pass.
- I learn to names of every student in the building preK-6. I try to remember what their interests are so that I can recommend books, websites, research topics, and more. I make some very individualized book recommendations -even occasionally loaning a book of my own or purchasing a book for a student who will like it even if the book is not one I would put in the library collection. I buy incentives and prizes with certain target students or groups in mind.
- Whenever possible, I use this information about students to modify my lessons, if only in the examples I use. For instance, when describing the Inquiry Process, I use learning Minecraft as an example.
- For ease of book access, I have labeled the shelves with popular series and popular nonfiction topics. In the chapter book sections, these labels are simply words, but in the picture book/early reader sections the labels have pictures as well as words.
- We have small stuffed animals of popular characters in the picture book/early reader sections to further help students locate their favorite books.
- Over the summer, we added labeled baskets for series books to the picture book/easy reader section. These baskets allow the books to face out as well.
- In addition, while I have not genrefied the library (nor do I plan to), I have put genre stickers on many of the books, especially in the chapter book sections.
- On our Destiny Quest catalog, I created numerous resources lists on genres and topics of interest.
- I taught our fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade reading intervention students how to search the catalog and limit the results to items in our collection that are at their reading level. Later, I saw these students showing their classmates how to do it!
- We have monthly displays. Some of them are student-created. These are displays of appropriate picture books for the month (holidays, season, etc.) as well as our character education display or simply for highlighting good books.
- Ms. Molle recommends stickers on books show students which books I consider REALLY good.
- Artwork is hanging in the library. The art teacher and I are trying to even add more. She sends the students on hunts to find works that are inspired by her featured artist. Similarly, I purchase books and materials for her to use in the classroom and for interested students to extend their education.
- The library has lots of plants and is decorated in bright colors to be inviting.
- Recess is a busy time in the library even though I might be teaching other classes. Some students come to help in the library, while others come to use the computers, to check out books, or to work on their own personal projects.
- Students can earn a digital passport to allow them access to the MyQuest features of Destiny, including reading lists, recommendations, and reviewing titles. This year I opened this up to 4th graders for the first time. The digital passport also gives them the ability to use other websites on the library computers during their recess or other free time. I plan to add to my “advertisement” that students can use the Wish List feature to recommend books to be purchased.
- Easy access to digital resources is important. This year, I added bookmarks to our monitors that detail our electronic resources and their login information. It makes it easy for the students to access sites that I recommend. Teachers have even started requesting copies to attach to their classroom computers! I plan to hand these bookmarks out to the students as well.
- In addition, I created a symbaloo linking to all of the resources I teach or recommend. This symbaloo is on the catalog and the library webpage. It has proved challenging from a filtering standpoint, but it is visually appealing, so the students love it!
- I maintain a display case and multiple bulletin boards in the hallway. These don’t tend to be changed as often as they should, but it does show off the library to some extent.
Teachers:
- I already request new book suggestions and I keep track of who makes the suggestions so that I can let them know when the book comes in.
- I try to assist teachers with the technology. I am on the District-wide technology committee. I advocate for more technology and I try to tell the teachers when I find a new resources that they might like.
- The current design of our library media program encourages collaboration. I hope that there are no changes forthcoming, but I am certain that my principal, even though she is new, knows a lot about what I do, approves of it, and sees its value.
- As a co-coordinator of the Mentoring program this year, I was in a unique position to talk to all of the new teachers in our district. Since they meet with me regularly, it makes me just a little more accessible to them.
Parents:
- I send home letters asking parents, grandparents, and other community members to volunteer in our library. This definitely increases the program’s visibility.
- Reading contests are another aspect of my library program. They used to be monthly, but staffing cuts have forced me to reduce their frequency. Still they encourage students to read and forge a bridge to home.
- Electronic Resource Lists are sent home several times a year to let parents and guardians know that there are library resources available 24/7. I even try to send home letters about special short-term resources, such as when StarWalk Kids gave free access over the holiday break at Christmastime.
- I try to have the students finish at least one special project every year. For instance, my kindergartners spend the year learning about the Gingerbread Man and learning about habitats around the world. The work of each student is collected into a book that tells the story of library class that year.
- I have a presence during Open House. I hang posters detailing what students will be learning and doing during the year. I offer parents and guardians the chance to see the library and speak to me personally. I also have a table of other helpful resources.
Administration:
- I make myself very visible to the administration. I am a member of many committees which has the advantage of being at the forefront in regard to the district’s goals and initiatives.
- The newly-formed School Building Leadership Team which looks at existing practices and policies and creates new ones where there is a need.
- The Curriculum Coordinators Committee which works to improve the building’s curriculum and teaching methods.
- The Mentoring Program as both a co-coordinator and as a member of the Steering Committee. This group works with new teachers both to retain them and to develop them into the best teachers they can be.
- The Professional Development Committee which oversees all professional development in the district, monitors its success, and makes recommendations for future PD.
- The Technology Committee which helps create the district technology plan and its implementation.
I also try hard to support new
initiatives, whether that means making displays, adding pages to my website,
purchasing new materials, or trying out new teaching techniques so all of the
classroom teachers can see me try it, too.
Community:
- I try to be a member of the community even though I don't live in the community where I teach.
- I shop at the local businesses.
- I donate to local causes.
- I help the needy in my school community.
- I help out at local events. This year I bought and passed out candy at the local "Trunk or Treat" event. My students were excited to see me -even the ones I taught 15 years ago.
- I don't ask the community to purchase anything for my library that I wouldn't be willing to spend my own money on. (Fortunately, the district purchased a SMARTboard for the library before I broke down and bought my own.)
I read 10 things classroom teachers need to know about modern school librarians and Four ways to advocate for school
libraries. I didn’t
really get anything new to use from them.
It was just a reminder that I need to speak to my principal about
getting a cart of laptops for the library, art, and music to share. The Laura Devaney article did make me realize
that I should take the position that not only do we use the existing laptop
cart more than any classroom teachers do, but we can lead the teachers into
using them in more innovative ways and in training the students so that the
teachers have less stress when they use them.
I went through 10 Ways Librarians Can be a
Marketing Genius Like Lady Gaga. I don’t do #2 –Leverage Social Media. I’m just not comfortable with the idea of
Facebook. There have been too many
horror stories. In fact, our district
just sponsored a speaker who essentially said that teachers shouldn’t be on
Social Media with students or parents. I
have no problem with #1 –Have an opinion.
I always do. Likewise, # 3 –Be Different
isn’t an issue. A person who is still
wearing BIG red plastic glasses gets noticed and recognized. The idea of branding your school +/or
students is interesting, but my school district’s logo is an Indian and I am
not comfortable with the logo. The
community, however, is very attached to the logo and it is unlikely that
anything else would be accepted. Teachers
and students have tried several times since I started working there. I do however love my “Little Monsters,” as
Gwenyth Jones says. I guess again this
presentation didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t know. I am passionate about my job –too passionate! I know what to do, but I can’t do more. I have no more time or energy. All I can do is shift my focus.
Still, I do have a
plan.
What I need to do for the future:
·
I need to work on an elevator speech. I have a tendency to get befuddled and
defensive when I think that the program is being questioned.
·
Gather lists of supporters and encourage them to
document their support (and give it to me.)
·
Videos are a weakness of mine. It would be great if I could make videos of
how to download ebooks, how to upload appropriately licensed pictures from a
Google search, etc. I want to explore
Screencastomatic and Powtoon for these purposes.
·
I like Heidi’s idea of using empty VHS
containers as shelf dividers, so I will explore that.
·
As described in previous posts, I need to come
up with habitual ways to document existing evidence.
