When answering this question Dr. Ken Haycock wrote: “Most [librarians] would answer students, yet the primary clientele is terms of power, impact, and effect would be teachers” (Haycock, 2010, p. 3).
I think this is a question that many school librarians may want to consider more carefully. Yes, we are teachers and as teachers, our bottom line is student learning. However, we are teachers plus. As librarians, our position requires us to collaborate with every classroom teacher and specialist in our building.
If you are a school librarian, how would you organize your time differently if classroom teachers were your primary clientele?
Note: The Library 2.012 Conference, a free virtual professional development opportunity, will be held this week from October 3rd – 5th. Check it out at: http://www.library20.com/page/2-012-conference
Reference
Haycock, K. (2010). Leadership from the middle: Building influence for change. In S. Coatney (Ed.), The many faces of school library leadership (1-12). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Sue Kowalski authored, “Raising the Bar: Engaging Staff and Students in a Culture of Participation,” in the most recent issue of Knowledge Quest. In her article, she introduces her school setting and integrated library program. The first subheading in her article is this: “Success Starts with Staff.” Sue talks about reaching out, repeatedly, to overcome stumbling blocks to developing a unified approach to the research process through collaborative teaching. She continually strives to expand classroom-library collaboration for instruction and involves staff as partners in planning and presenting library events.
Readers of Sue’s article will note that she does not leave students out of the participation picture, but she does acknowledge that the most effective way for a library leader to impact students in by working with and through their teachers. The Pine Grove M.S. library program is an exemplary example of how Sue enacts the instructional leadership role and engages in community development. Brava, for the stakeholders at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse Minoa, New York!
Reference
Kowalski, S. (2012). Raising the bar. Knowledge Quest, 41(1), 28-36.
Sue Kowalski authored, “Raising the Bar: Engaging Staff and Students in a Culture of Participation,” in the most recent issue of Knowledge Quest. In her article, she introduces her school setting and integrated library program. The first subheading in her article is this: “Success Starts with Staff.” Sue talks about reaching out, repeatedly, to overcome stumbling blocks to developing a unified approach to the research process through collaborative teaching. She continually strives to expand classroom-library collaboration for instruction and involves staff as partners in planning and presenting library events.
Readers of Sue’s article will note that she does not leave students out of the participation picture, but she does acknowledge that the most effective way for a library leader to impact students in by working with and through their teachers. The Pine Grove M.S. library program is an exemplary example of how Sue enacts the instructional leadership role and engages in community development. Brava, for the stakeholders at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse Minoa, New York!
Reference
Kowalski, S. (2012). Raising the bar. Knowledge Quest, 41(1), 28-36.
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