On the job...

I started work in mid-August at a library in a suburban K-5 elementary school with a diverse population of about 700 students. So far it's been even greater than I expected, and I am getting the chance to do what I enjoy--as on my last career path, I get to teach, which I always like, but now I get to work with all of the students in the school and to some extent, all the subject areas. And while teaching is important, my role now goes even beyond that.

I've been setting up my professional website and perusing some websites that other library media specialists have set up; one of them posted the librarian's "special interests," which led me to think about my own. The mission of any school library media center should be to support the curriculum of the school by providing resources that students and staff need; to teach 21st century research skills; to promote literacy, and to promote a lifelong love of learning.

My personal "special interests" would involve getting reluctant readers interested in books. I've blogged several times before on drawing boys into libraries and putting books in their hands; because so many reluctant readers are boys, this area of research conducted by Michael Sullivan along with several others is important. But the idea is to find out why some students do not want to read: do they have the idea that it is supposed to be academic and boring, and therefore find it completely foreign that reading can actually be pleasurable? Or did they struggle to learn to read and are now intimidated by books?

I also hope to extend the idea that not only is reading pleasurable, but so is learning itself, being able to ask a question, research the answer and then assess whether one has learned all one set out to learn. I always enjoy that process and I would like to teach students to do the same.

So far I've read to the younger kids, read some to the older kids and taught them how to use the Dewey Decimal system. Many of the students were thrilled to learn exactly where in the library they can find the sports books (796) or drawing books (720s). Next week I hope to start teaching the younger kids how to use the online catalog and get the older ones started on online encyclopedias and databases.