What's in a Name, Redux

Photo: photosbyflick in Flickr

On a recent family vacation, I had a discussion with my father and brother about the name, "librarian." My family has heard me ramble enough about how the library profession has changed drastically in recent years, and they were wondering whether or not the name of our profession, specifically school librarian, should change accordingly. My brother contended that the term "librarian" holds a certain connotation of wisdom, helpfulness, and information-seeking prowess, which is still relevant, and therefore the name should not change. My father disagreed, claiming that if we want to move the profession into the 21st Century, a name change would help signify that shift. So, as always when we get to this point in the discussion, I asked, "OK, what should that name be? Library Media Specialist? Teacher Librarian? Library Teacher? Information Specialist? Information Technologist? Something else?" And that's where we hit a dead end. It's not that easy, see?
This is not a new discussion, but it's a hot topic that comes up frequently between librarians and those who suffer to hear our rants. As I see it, it comes down to a choice:

1. Recognize that the digital shift has forever changed the role of the librarian. Accede that too many of our colleages are stuck in the 20th century, clinging to their books and card catalogs, holding us back. Acknowledge that far too many of the public, including policy makers and even our fellow educators, misunderstand our jobs. Abandon the librarian title with good riddance for something that better portrays our new role (Keeper of the Books vs. Information Guide).
2. Drag the profession, kicking and screaming if necessary, along into the 21st Century. Educate, our colleagues, administrators, students, and the public about how we can serve their needs, and most of all DEMONSTRATE to all of our detractors that we are prepared to meet the challenge and embrace positive change. As Joyce Valenza puts it, "You can't be fierce in a holiday sweater."

I choose the latter option. I like the name librarian. When I tell people that I am a librarian, they know what it means (after being a Project Scientist for years, that's refreshing!). I feel the name still has a positive connotation, despite certain TV shows. Although it is definitely true that our profession is in flux and our image is in need of a serious upgrade, I believe this is an achievable goal. If recent press in the education world is any indication, our fellow educators, at least, are starting to get what school librarians have been trying to convey.


In the aforementioned family discussion, our most compelling reason for keeping the school librarian title was this: the name matters. During this time of financial crisis, we have a hard enough time getting school districts to keep their librarians - how much effort would it take to get cash-strapped-cut-anything-that-isn't-mandated districts to hire an Information Technologist? Or a Knowledge Manager? That smacks of excess and probably sounds a bit too much like an extra administrator for school boards and taxpayers to support. A librarian is a name they know; we just need to make sure people know understand what a librarian really is. We also need to make sure we are all living up to the title. I recently taught a workshop with a fellow teacher on Common Core resources, and she introduced me to the room full of educators as "not your typical librarian." While flattered, I stopped her immediately, saying "No, I AM your typical librarian!" We must take every opportunity to change the stereotype.

So to that end, I agree with R. David Lankes' recent blog post, "It's time to stop trying to save libraries:"

To be sure libraries need more funding, they need modernization, they need a shifted identity in the minds of our communities. To be sure there are some libraries that need to be saved in the most literal sense from closure, but the whole profession? By taking on the mantra of saving libraries, we are assuming that we are weak. Worse, it plays into the whole idea that we are wounded or broken. 

K-M the Librarian states:

I really hope that the end result of these growing pains is not a new name for what I do, but a new definition of the term librarian. I don't want the idea of librarianship to be limited by "just"; I want to expand the limits of traditional definitions.

And Buffy Hamilton, The Unquiet Librarian, in response to an article about school librarians leaving the libray to becomeTechnology Coordinators, says:

Changing the perceptions about what modern school librarians do, not our job title, is essential for the future of this profession. Finger pointing and the blame game are ultimately counterproductive at this juncture in the profession—we cannot change what has happened in the past, but we CAN make a difference for the future with the work we do now if we will carry the banner for school librarian more assertively and with respect for the possibilities that are inherent in that name: a librarian is not a technology specialist, but instead, a learning specialist and architect.  

So I'll keep calling myself a librarian, with pride. As Lankes goes on to state, "Let us also pledge that 'Hi, I’m a librarian' doesn’t sound like an introduction at a 12 step meeting, but instead rings like a declaration of pride akin to 'I’m the Goddamn Batman!'"

In Cold Blood part 2

Earlier this school year, I wrote a post on the collaborative In Cold Blood project we initiated this spring at Franklin Academy. The project involved two 10th grade ELA Classes and three Forensics Science classes re-creating the crime scenes and the trial from Truman Capote's book. The project came to fruition at the end of April when we held our mock trial. All of the students gathered as a field trip for an entire afternoon. The trial was loosely based on the actual Clutter murder trial, with the inclusion of modern forensics techniques, new evidence, and new witnesses. The Forensics team acted as the prosecution, and the ELA team was the defense. Each of the defendants (Perry Smith and Richard Hickock) had a separate defense team, but in the interest of time we tried them together (in the real trial, they were tried together with the same defense team). The Perry Smith defense team decided to plead Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on his behalf (which did not happen in the original trial). The jury included all of the other students that did not have direct trial roles. 

We found that we had underestimated the students' understanding of how trials work, and therefore not all of the students were as well-prepared as we would have liked, but overall we were very pleased with the results. The big shocker: both defendants were found innocent! (In real life, both Smith and Hickock were found guilty and executed.) We believe that this twist was due to the fact that the students in the jury didn't realize that they could convict the defendants of second degree murder instead of first degree murder. Next time, we will likely have a teacher act as judge so that we can better guide the trial process. After the trial, we had a large group discussion plus some student polls to assess and analyze the results of the project. The students were very enthusiastic about the trial (although most of them reported disagreeing with the trial outcome), and the students that participated to the greatest extent reported the greatest satisfaction with the learning experience.

As teachers, we had purposely remained fairly hands-off during the project in order to allow the students to guide the project themselves in a more authentic, inquiry-based process. We intend to do the same thing next year, but will spend more time preparing students in key roles to make sure they understand what to do during the trial. I can't want to try this again now that we know how much fun it was!

I produced a short video showing the highlights of the project. I hope you enjoy it!

Caring and Compassion in the Library

I've been reading and thinking a lot lately about the importance of libraries as a safe place of caring and compassion. According to Gayle Bogel, care of the whole person - mind, body, and spirit - should be part of a librarian's goal to empower and educate their students (48). If students enjoy coming to the library and feel safe there, they will be more likely to seek us out for all of their information needs, even needs that are not directly school-related.

Photo: Denisa Kadlecova on Flickr

Recently, I had the sad experience of helping some of my students deal with the tragic suicide of a fellow student. Initially, when my principal asked me to turn the library into a counseling center for the day, I was worried. I have no counseling background - what if I said the wrong thing? What if I made things worse? But as the day wore on and I patted the backs of more and more sobbing students, I realized that I wasn't the wrong person for the job. Becaue I teach classes across all grades and subject areas, I know more of our students than many of the teachers do. Because I interact with them on a daily basis during their study halls, asking them about their interests, helping with homework, and providing the odd calculator or band-aid, I have developed a relationship with them. And I realized just how important that relationship is to me. Those personal interactions are usually the highlight of my day. So on the day when my students were hurting and suffering, there was no place else I would rather have been. The library was the natural choice that day as a place where students could come together, grieve, share, heal, and be safe.

Another reason to be kind and compassionate in the library: kindness begets kindness. As Olga Nesi says, "When we are genuinely and consistently attentive, heedful, concerned, engaged, and interested, many of those around us respond in kind, and our gratification comes from the quality of our work and the extent to which we are able to achieve our goals (15)."  The library is not only a place for students to get help, it can also be a haven of sorts. Students are hit with a barrage of negative messages from their peers, and unfortunately sometimes their teachers, during the course of a school day. Imagine the power of a place where they can relax, and where bullying and negativity will not be tolerated. Other teachers certainly bring compassion and kindness to their students and lessons, but only librarians nurture a space that is available on a constant basis, where anyone in the school community can feel safe and welcome.

So, my fellow librarians, keep doing what you are doing. Keep nurturing and caring. As Buffy Hamilton puts it, "...nice DOES matter and elevating the library as a place of participation and shared ownership has value that cannot be quantified with any kind of reading level, test score, or mathematical data."


Bogel, Gayle. "Cura Personalis: The School Library through an Ignatian Lens." Knowledge Quest 40.4 (2012): 46-50. Print.

Hamilton, Buffy. "Keeping Our Focus on People, Relationships, and Hearts in the Library." The Unquiet Librarian. Web log. 18 May 2012. Web. 20 May 2012.

Nesi, Olga. "The Transformative Power of Care." Knowledge Quest 40.4 (2012): 8-15. Print.

NYLA-SSL 2012 Review

Syracuse students and alums at NYLA-SSL 2012

I was fortunate enough to attend the New York Library Association Section of School Libraries annual conference in Binghamton earlier this month. As always, there were many fantastic sessions, too many to choose from. Did I mention that I got to meet David Weisner and Joyce Valenza in one day? 

Here are a few of the highlights from the workshops I attended:

• According to Joyce Valenza, librarians should find our "sweet spots," where we can take ownership of certain content to enhance our effectiveness and be essential within the school community. Examples of "sweet spots" include digital citizenship, curation, intellectual property rights, search strategies, GIGO, networking, primary sources, and creativity. My new favorite quote from Joyce: "We have to be fierce. You can't be fierce in a holiday sweater."
• Speaking of Joyce Valenza, check out Curation, the Musical!
• According to three-time Caldecott winner David Weisner, he never knows what his stories will be until he starts drawing. He gets an idea then draws and draws and draws until the story reveals itself. And Flotsom was originally titled "Cheese" (because of the camera, not the dairy product).
• Consider creating an ePortfolio as a means of both promoting your program and assessing your practice.
• Don't wait until budgets are being slashed to present at your school board meeting! Make sure to wow them with technology and evidence of student successes. Advocacy is part of our job description. This session had lots of great ideas from Rose Luna, Margaux DelGuidice and Sara Kelly Johns.
• I'm very jealous of schools that use iPads for teaching! I learned about too many great apps to mention at Leslie Cataldo Savage and Lindsay Cesari's session on apps for the classroom (both 1:1 and 1:25).
• According to Olga Nesi, if we want to get our own library standards into the CC, we need to make a case for the skills we want to teach. Librarians should spend some time "unpacking" the Common Core standards. We should pick a few to focus on at first, lest we be overwhelmed.  This was a great hands-on workshop, and I'm looking forward to delving more deeply at the NYLA-SSL Summer Leadership Institute.
• Margi Preus, author of Heart of a Samuri, says that the tool most useful for the writer is the wastebasket. She lauded librarians for our encouragement of reading, saying that books develop empathy and help to nurture a caring world.

I wish I could have cloned myself that weekend, since I know I missed a lot of fantastic sessions, but in case you couldn't either, the conference handouts can be accessed here: http://conference2012.wikispaces.com/Workshop+Handouts. The Twitter hashtag for the conference was #SSL2012.

Dipping a toe into the eBook waters

Librarians often get asked if we think eBooks will ever replace print books. My short answer to that question is, I hope not! Although I do believe that print reference books and many periodicals will probably dwindle away, I don't think all print books will disappear in the near future. While I personally prefer print books for pleasure reading, I definitely embrace the option to read books in a variety of formats. For example, I love audiobooks during my daily commute, and when I travel, it's great to tote along an eReader rather than a collection of heavy books. When I find myself at a meeting or with an unexpected period of waiting time, it's great to have my Kindle Fire handy with books, apps, and the Web at my fingertips. As a teacher librarian, I have a digital bookshelf (Follett Shelf) of reference books available online for my students so they can use them for research 24/7, from any computer.

So in an effort to provide my students with a greater opportunity to explore books in all formats, I decided this year to dedicate a portion of our library budget to eBooks, both on the Follett Shelf and through the purchase of Nook eReaders loaded with over 175 books each.

My reasons for purchasing eReaders and eBooks for my library include:

1. Exposing students to new reading formats,
2. Giving them the opportunity to test out an eReader if they don't have one of their own,
3. Encouraging my digital native students to read more,
4. Providing new books to my students in a more timely manner, as soon as they are released, and
5. Providing better reading oppportunites for students with learning challenges, with features such as text-to-speech, a built-in dictionary, and the ability to change font sizes.

My reasons for hesitating to purchase eReaders are equally valid. The devices and books are expensive - will students even read them? Will the eReaders get lost or stolen? If that happens, can my students afford to replace them? How do I manage the eBook collection with no way to accurately catalog the books? However, I decided that if I waited until all of these questions were answered, I would never have eBooks for my students. It was time for a beta test.

I purchased four Barnes and Noble Nook Simple Touch eReaders. I decided on the Nook becuase I can use a purchase order to buy books (rather than a credit card, which my purchasing department discouraged), and also because I can download each of my eBooks on up to six devices. The Simple Touch is inexpensive ($99 each), and cannot access websites on the Internet, so there are no CIPA concerns. For each device I ordered a screen protector, a sturdy rubber cover, and a multi-user protection plan through Barnes and Noble. Each device is barcoded and can be checked out as equipment through our library's online catalog. When a student wants to check out a Nook, they must sign a borrower's agreement, which we keep on file. Students can only check out a Nook if they have a clean borrowing record, and each device is be checked out for a two-week loan period. We update and charge the Nooks when they are returned. We don't send out the chargers with the Nooks, for fear we won't get them back, but our Barnes and Noble rep assured me that if the wireless access is turned off, the Nook will stay charged for a couple of weeks. We posted a list of our Nook eBooks in a GoogleDoc on our library website, which can be easily updated as new titles are added. I am in the process of adding a notation in the 500 field of the marc record for each print book for which we have a corresponding eBook, to let patrons searching our online catalog know that an eBook is available. So far, so good.

So, here's to dipping a toe into the eBook waters. The water feels great; come on in!

Advice to New School Librarians

This week I was asked to be a guest discussion host on the Syracuse iSchool's MLIS School Media intern seminar discussion boards, as an "early career librarian." It was fun to be back on the boards, just like old times in grad school at SU, talking with budding school librarians! This was from my initial post:

I am not just lucky to have A job, I’m lucky to have THIS job. I have the best job in the entire world! It is certainly challenging and frequently stressful, but I can nearly always pinpoint at least one moment in my day when I feel like I really helped someone learn something. Which is, after all, what it’s all about! As a school librarian, I get to know most of the students in our school. I can plan fun events, have engaging conversations about books, teach technology skills that students will carry with them to college or career, and work with amazing teachers to plan creative classroom units. I think it’s the challenge, the creativity, and the fact that I’m always learning something that I like most. Since I am always collaborating and co-teaching with classroom teachers, I am constantly exposed to not only different teaching and disciplinary styles (which, as a new teacher, is immensely helpful), but also new content.

The student interns were terrific, and brought up some excellent questions that I answered as well as I was able. The questions ranged from what to do if my library support staff doesn't support me, to how should I respond to interview questions, to how do I handle a tough job market, to how do you get parents and students involved with library events?

Particularly difficult to answer was the questions of librarians' APPRs and how we should prepare. From what I can gather from recent BOCES School-Based Inquiry Team turnkey trainings, School Library System workshops, and just talking to people in the know, there isn't a good answer yet. The NYS Education Department has not yet accepted an APPR template specifically for librarians, although we can use them for local assessment portion of our evaluation. We will definitely be expected to be evaluated under APPR this next year, however. Each school district has the discretion to decide how to proceed, so there is no one over-reaching answer to the question except talk to your administrators and union reps to see what is planned in your own district. I think most of us have no problem being evaluated as a teacher. I feel that if I am doing my job well, I should have no reason to be concerned about my evaluation. It's being evaluated based on test scores that we have no direct ability to influence that concerns most school librarians and other professionals in non-testing areas (guidance counselors, nurses, gym teachers, etc). This is unfolding rapidly so keep yourself informed! There's a great (albeit depressing) article in the Washington Post about students and testing that will put things into perspective.

Thank you to Dr. Renee Franklin and the iSchool Schmedia interns for a great week! I'm no  library expert by any means, but I am always happy to share my experiences for what it's worth.

In Cold Blood, Part I

We are in the middle of a fun and creative project involving Truman Capote's classic novel, In Cold Blood. The brainchild of teachers Danielle Keating and Stacy Maguire, the project is a collaboration between two 10th grade ELA classes, three Forensics Science classes, and me, the school librarian. The classes are researching and re-creating the crime and then the trial from the book. As an interesting twist, the forensics classes are allowed to use modern-day analytical techniques and the trial lawyers are allowed to devise alternate defense strategies using current Kansas law for the trial.

The following are the instructional roles for the project:

• ELA Classes – Read book, research and recreate crime scene, participate in crime scene as accused murderers and victims, participate in trial as witnesses, attorneys for the defense and other characters.
• Core group of Forensics Science students (volunteers) – Process and analyze crime scene and evidence, research trial, participate in trial as prosecutors and key witnesses for the prosecution.
• Three Forensics Science classes (11^th and 12^th graders) –  Research the case, participate in trial as audience, jury, and paralegal assistants as needed.
• Classroom Teachers - Familiarize classes with the book and forensics techniques. Work with students to research and recreate crime scene and trial. Guide students via online collaboration and classroom teaching.
• Librarian: Assist both groups with researching crime scene and trial details. Post online resources for groups and teachers to use. Act as go-between to coordinate groups.

Both classes are using Wiggio, an online collaboration tool, to share links and information about the trial in their separate groups. I am also using a wiki to post links and information about the project for all of the groups to share. It has been extremely helpful to have the library (and the librarian!) serve as the common link between the classes, to facilitate the project, as it is difficult to manage schedules between busy teachers, students, and classes that don't happen at the same time. The core group of Forensics students are volunteers that happen to have a study hall during one of the class periods when the ELA students meet, but who are getting class credit for working on this project. I also  meet with the classroom teachers on a regular basis during planning periods, lunch, or after school to coordinate the project.

So far we have staged and processed the crime scene, collected evidence from two differnt crime scenes, and "arrested" the suspects. The trial is scheduled for late April, so I'll post more information in a future blog post. At this stage I can report that the students are excited and highly engaged in the project! They appreciate the project-based learning opportunity, and are looking forward to the trial. We are pretty sure that many of them are underestimating the amount of preparation the trial will require, but that will be a teachable moment in itself. Oh, and did I mention that this project meets a slew of Common Core standards? 

Common Core Integration as Advocacy Tool

A little shameless promotion - I just had an article published in School Library Monthly, April 2012 edition. The article is called "How I Kept My Job," and I wrote it with other new school librarians in mind. I was hired for my first librarian position at Saranac Elementary School (not Saranac Lake, Saranac - I know it 's confusing since I live right near Saranac Lake) in January 2010. Only a couple of months later, I was laid off due to budget cuts. It was devastating. Fortunately for me, I was hired for the next school year at Franklin Academy High School, a public high school in Malone, NY, and ever since then I've been determined to keep my job. So far so good, but the article describes some of the strategies that I believe have paid off for me.

One of the strategies is to become a Common Core Standards expert. I have been fortunate to be a member of Franklin Academy's School-Based Inquiry Team, tasked with training the rest of the staff in Common Core integration. The Common Core State Standards are chock full of information literacy skills, and this educational shift is a huge opportunity for school librarians to increase our profile within the school and collaborate with teachers to a greater extent. Below is a document I created, based on the New York State Department of Education (EngageNY) Common Core Shifts document, that outlines the role that a school librarian can play in each shift.

Nearly every school district in our area has lost at least one librarian position in the last couple of years, mostly due to attrition, but still positions lost. I created this document to explain to a school board member how important school librarians are to the school community. Feel free to use it in your district if you find yourself in need of advocacy materials.

Superintendents and business managers keep an eye on what is happening in other districts. If they see layoffs in the library department at a neighboring school, they may be tempted to do the same. Similarly, if other districts are replacing librarians, this could also be influential. Get out there and spread the word - we are all in this together and we need to advocate for each other. Dr. Ruth Small of the Center for Digital Literacy at the Syracuse University iSchool recently created this fantastic advocacy video about her research documenting that schools with certified school librarians have higher test scores in New York State. Another good source for advocacy materials is Sara Kelly John's Make Some Noise blog for School Library Journal. Please share! More on Common Core Integration in future blog posts.

Book Spine Poetry

I follow a great blogger on facebook, the Teen Librarian's Toolbox, and I found this fun activity idea for teaching poetry to teens: Book Spine Poetry. So I tried it, and it was fantastic!

I collaborated with an ELA teacher on a 10th grade class that is learning about the various nonfiction resources in our school library. The students had to work in pairs, choosing 5-7 books from our poetry section. They then had to create a poem using the titles on the book spines. The students grumbled a bit at first, but they eventually enthusiastically shared their poems. Check out more of their creations on the FA Library Flickr photostream. You will even find a rap version by two of our students. I had kids in the library for study hall during the same class period that overheard our activity, and commented that it looked like fun. I will definitely be doing this again!

What's in a Name?

I've been meaning to start this blog for some time. I can make excuses that I've been busy, it's been too nice out, we just got a new kitten, or whatever you want. But the truth is, I have procrastinated on starting this blog because I couldn't decide on a name. Choosing a name is essentially choosing a brand for my professional profile, and this is no small thing. I wanted to convey my firm belief that the library is the heart of the school, but without a librarian, the library is just a room with books and computers. I wanted to convey that librarians are 21st Century teachers, technologically-adept, and information savvy. I also wanted to refer to my own professional journey. I'm a new librarian, in my second year of teaching, and I'm still learning every day. I hope that I will ALWAYS be on a journey to learn every day. 
I hope you enjoy and share this blog. It will focus on activities and lessons from my classes in the library at Franklin Academy High School, but will also include references to articles, conferences and other library-related musings. You can probably expect subtle Harry Potter references now and then, too. Perhaps even a Bazinga! or two. Welcome!