Judy Kaplan, Melissa Johnston, Sue Kimmel, and I began co-blogging on this site in August of 2012. We are pleased to begin our third year sharing ideas, information, research, and musings related to building a culture of collaboration in schools.

In the spring semester 2014, graduate students in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University were required to use social media for professional development. Following this blog was one of their choices. When they shared their learning, the students cited specific posts that influenced their thinking about the various roles school librarians play in their learning communities.

One of my favorite comments was this one: “One of the most obvious things that struck me when I began reading the blog ‘Building a Culture of Collaboration’ is the fact that the contributors/writers of this blog are truly professionals. They all are former school librarians who are now professors, and have practiced what they preach in terms of providing professional development, guidance, and information for collaborating educators.” This school librarian candidate went on to say that she appreciated the varying experiences, perspectives, and styles of the co-bloggers.

Another preservice school librarian noted that on this blog the co-bloggers are “preaching to the choir” and wished that teachers, principals, parents, and other educational decision-makers would read our posts. We concur with this feedback and will continue to make concerted efforts to reach beyond the school library community. We hope that our school librarian readership will share our posts more widely and yes! we invite, welcome, and encourage your responses to any of our postings. Please help us make this blog a conversation; please help us reach a wider readership.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank my co-bloggers for their on-going contributions to my learning as well as my students’ learning. I appreciate your experience, your expertise, and your commitment to our profession. Co-blogging with you is like having three outstanding guest speakers—Sue, Melissa, and Judy—in my professional life and in the Librarians as Instructional Partners course I teach every spring.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Image Credit:
Building a Culture of Collaboration Bloggers. Digital Image. November 2013. From the Collection of Judy Kaplan.