Reflections from NCSLMA 2014

I just returned from my first experience at a state librarian conference, and it was inspiring. I came away from it knowing that I have the best job in the world. I get to share my passion with every single student in my school. I get to know them from the time they are 5 and watch them grow and change year after year. I get to teach them how to discover and learn more about their own passions. What could be better than that?

It was amazing to hear about the innovative lessons and programs that librarians from around the state (and country) are implementing. Learning about the work of my colleagues has helped develop seeds of ideas that I’ve had in my own mind, and has given me a sense of direction of where I’d like my library program to go next.

I’m writing this blog post as a way to process all that I’m thinking, as a way to share the excitement I’m feeling, and also as a way to hold myself accountable for following through with the changes I’d like to make. I know that when I get back to school on Monday and am bogged down with the business of my day, it will be easy to put-off, or even forget the ideas I’d like to implement. I don’t want to do that, because my students deserve the best that I can give them.

So, here are my big take-away ideas that I’d like to implement this school year, in order from what will be the easiest for me to do, to the most challenging:

1. I will work to improve my library collection’s ability to meet the needs of all of my students. This includes both the format in which reading material is offered, as well as the content of the collection. I want to create an advisory team that will help explore purchasing more Ebook versions of popular books or books that serve as a great support to the curriculum. This will allow more students in our growing school (we have 830+ students) to have access to the books they want and need when they need them. I also want to make sure that our collection reflects the population of our school; that we have picture books and novels that feature characters of all races, religions, and abilities. I want my students to be able to see themselves and their infinite potential when they walk through the library doors– in the displays, the books I choose to book talk and recommend, and the books that are available to them on the shelves.

2. I will work to implement well-designed centers and interactive activities to support literacy development and early intervention for our youngest students. I attended a great session from a librarian who was rewarded an action research grant for developing centers for her kindergarten students in the library. I want to modify her ideas to work in my library to address the specific needs of my population using the tools we already have in our school. I will need to talk with our kindergarten team, but I’m currently envisioning that centers will target skills like vocabulary development, letter/sound recognition, as well as speaking and listening. These will be in addition to technology and information literacy skills.

3. I will work to create a flexible access maker space in the library that will give students the opportunity and ability to learn through creating. I heard multiple presentations of the amazing learning and discovery that came from other library’s maker spaces, STEAM labs, etc. I’ve already been making an effort this year to design lessons in which my student learn through creating. They’ve made videos, designed posters, and built model castles. Already I’ve seen the power these activities can have for students first-hand. I introduced SketchUp to second and third grade students and was amazed how some of them took to it instantly and showed such pride in the designs they were able to create in a short amount of time. But my students (and teachers) deserve a dedicated space that they can access when they need it where they can build, design, test, invent, and create in order to better understand not just the curriculum they are learning but also their own personal modalities and strengths. I plan to explore the possibility of turning my office (which serves more as a storage space than a space where I actually work) into a maker space. This would allow classes or groups of kids to sign up to have access to tools even when there were classes in the library or computer lab. I could work with teachers to create lessons that would utilize the space and enhance their curriculum. And since the space would be located in the library, I’d be right there to help if they needed anything.

If you are a teacher, parent, or other librarian who has taken the time to read these musings, I ask that you let me know your thoughts and keep me on track. If you think these ideas will move our library program in the right direction, ask me about my progress toward meeting these goals. Better yet, plan with me and share your ideas, so that the library can truly become the hub and heart of our school.