Contemplating the Future
“The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. School librarians, as we once knew them, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian.”
Valenza, Joyce K., and Doug Johnson. “Things that Keep Us Up at Night.” School Library Journal. School Library Journal, 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699357.html.
These are the thoughts that worry me in regards to my profession. They are also the first three sentences in an article sent to me by our tech facilitator who said, “This is how I see you.” In fairness, he also added, “this rocks.” Confused? I was. I often struggle with the realities that confront our profession and how it is viewed. Thus I began reading the article upon which this blog entry and perhaps the next several will focus on. For everyone in the profession, this is an article very much worth reading. If you aren’t in the profession but know a librarian/media coordinator/teacher librarian/etc…, this is an article worth sharing for motivational purposes as it can inspire, and in some cases use a cattle prod to help move people in a new direction.
When libraries first were formed they were places that were repositories of knowledge and written works. Until recently, libraries really were defined by what books and other items were in that specific location. In addition the quanity and quality of resources you had was in direct correllation with the annual budget. With the exception of Interlibrary Loans, what you saw was what you got. It truly was a system predicated on helping people find what they were looking for based on a scarcity factor.
These days, as we all know thanks to the Internet and now Web 2.0 there is no longer a shortage of information. Instead there is a glut. Now instead of wandering through the wasteland of ignorance we sift through the county landfill to find a few precious gems of knowledge that can be verified and documented accurately.
In addition, it’s no longer about spitting out facts that students know their teacher wants to hear or memorizing facts. There are simply too many and finding a context for all of them to be relevant is impossible. Learning is now focused on not merely locating but integrating, collaborating, creating, sharing and communicating our thoughts in a productive way.
Ok, so what does that mean for me? It means get out from behind the desk. It means empowering students to locate and check out books on their own. It means put the cataloging down until the school day is over. It means finding out what teachers are teaching and help them integrate the new information environment into their classroom in meaningful ways. In some cases, that may mean challenging them to redesign the lesson they love that they have taught for the last 20 (or even 5) years. Projects need to be meaningful to students if they are to be motivated. Information needs to be relevant, current, and accurate. However information now is merely the first step. We need to force students develop higher levels of reasoning and thinking strategies. The world is changing so fast that already the technologies of 2 years ago are obsolete. Students need to be able to take in information, evaluate it, and reframe it into a useful context.
This is where we step in. This is where we help the teacher personalize the lesson and create final products that are more personal and individualized for their students and their learning and personal successes. We all know that the more student buy-in there is the harder the work and the better they feel when they succeed. That is how I see my role. That is how I am going to continue to make myself indispensible to my teachers. My goal is make myself available and integrated to the point that while I am enabling them to challenge themselves, I am also creating pathways to success for both them and their students.
We can’t just want this change to happen. We have to be the change we want to see in others. After all, if everyone waits on someone else to lead, no one goes anywhere. We need to stop worrying about what we don’t have or what someone else does have. We need to ask for help if we need it. We need to realize that while we already know that there are not enough hours in the day, some things can wait till tomorrow and other things can’t. We probably already know that but are we putting the right things on hold? If you need help in accessing technology ask someone who has access. If you need help using technology that you have access to ask. If you don’t know how to approach your teachers ask someone. Be the change. Take courage. Be bold. I know I’m not the poster child for stereotypical librarians. Heavens, I’m not even female. Many of us would like to see that stereotype abolished anyway. Are you doing your part? We all need to stand together to not only discourage the traditional image of a librarian but to abolish it completely and reform it into a 21st century information and literature specialist. Yes, I do love a good book and no I don’t own a Kindle. Yet….. I do want them to come up with a technology that can effectively transmit books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar though. If they do that, I’m signing on. For now, I’m signing off though. As the article said, “this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian.”
Valenza, Joyce K., and Doug Johnson. “Things that Keep Us Up at Night.” School Library Journal. School Library Journal, 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2009. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699357.html.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
An enticing factor in choosing to work at Kimmel Farm as a tech facilitator was being able to work with a media coordinator who sees the big picture and knows where we’re going nobody knows – for sure. But I know you see that where we are going means evaluating information whether they come from something bound or simply visible on a LCD display screen. It also means choosing credible information making sense of it, and morphing it into a new whole ethically and usually with a web 2.0 product. When it comes to that you’re our go-to guy!
More than ever schools need media coordinators who are just that – coordinators of digital media as well as the printed word.
Media coordinators need to be the Lewis and Clark of the digital information expanse for both students and teachers. Their new role is one of enabler, helping us all take full advantage of fair-use provisions, and creative commons content. After reading “Things that Keep Us Up at Night” I saw the role of media coordinator more important that ever. If we aren’t careful we’ll do an entire generation a disservice (if we already haven’t) by not educating them in the power of smart research practices, social and professional networks, digital communications, effective use of online tools, and ethical use of information/content.
As the School Library Journal says – “These differences in what a child experiences in her school library may soon present a new digital divide. On the one hand, there are students who can effectively access, appreciate, understand, and create quality information in all media formats; on the other hand, there are those who cannot.”
Your media center is different, not because of the beautiful space you offer, but because of what you choose to do and support in that space. We all benefit from that! Keep enabling us all!
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