The Many Roles of Today's
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Enter: the Big Squid
The old view of the librarian is the lady shushing the patrons, and much more "book" than "person" oriented. She used to be a rather minor character on the stage. In former days, she was rarely involved in teaching... and she might have only infrequently left her library space. But that's just not what the Teacher-Librarian is anymore. My best visual for today's effective Teacher-Librarian is giant squid-like. She's reaching in many directions, hungrily seeking knowledge resources, fast-moving in the directions to which she may be called, and leaving her ink on a lot of aspects of the curriculum and on significant school infrastructure projects. She builds a reputation for herself and what she grabs that holds some marvel to the learning community. In contrast to an outmoded view of this role in the school, she needs to have a healthy dose of self-confidence and maybe even some stage presence. Yet, she's not at all about her own ego; she remains a servant of learning and of the community.
Today's Teacher-Librarian wears a number of hats in a collaborative school. She...
My experience has taught me that the Teacher-Librarian must be actively involved in teaching students, participating in curriculum development and providing professional development. She must be valued for input in budgeting and infrastructure decision-making. She must possess the organizational and communication skills to plan with teachers and also react to sudden needs, and she must administer a staff, helping them adeptly assess and assist learners. She manages a facility to promote learning and positive habits of mind. In these roles she must be proactive, informed, organized and student-centered. While respectfully and resourcefully serving faculty who have subject specialty expertise, she needs to be an advocate of learners in the 21st century in order to enhance their futures. This is a job for a skillful, sensitive and resourceful lifelong learner. But you can call her a squid if you want to. |