It's grad weekend around here and this year I find myself as the keynote speaker. What do I say to my students that will inspire them to go out into the world and follow their dreams. Are my thoughts and words worthy of this honour? I find myself reflective of my own graduations - there have been 3 so far (and no, I do not count pre-school and grade 7). What was said to me? The fact is, I don't remember. Does this mean that the speeches were forgettable or that I have moved into the autumn of my life where my own wisdom is now so blended with those earlier speeches that I can no longer distinguish the two. (or maybe I'm just old and forgot....) Either way, I'm feeling reflective about education and learning.
What does this have to do with LIBE 467 you ask? Well.... first of all, it explains why my blog entries have been limited (note to self, do not take a course next year at this time - as a grade 12 teacher I am too busy), and it has me feeling reflective about my teacher-librarian learning. What did I know before I started this journey? What do I now know? And what do I still need to learn?
This is my third course towards my TL diploma and I am appreciative of the first two course I took as I think they have given me a strong base on which to build. (LIBE 461 & 463) I learned a lot about creating library policies, marketing the library and creating a positive environment. I also feel very confident in evaluating and weeding a collection. I am not currently the TL in my school but I will be moving into the position in September 2011. The current TL has been here for 20 years and in the last 10 years has self admittedly become the technology support person at our school. He takes care of all of our computers and even trouble-shoots hardware issues in the school, despite the fact that we have 2 paid technology support people in our district. This has meant that our library has basically been neglected. There has been no weeding in at least 6 years and the library is the most unwelcoming place in our school - which explains the almost non-existent circulation. I am excited to "take back" the library, but also concerned about the expectations of our administration of my role as a technology support person. I am very good with computers and computer programs/application. I am not as knowledgeable about the actual workings of servers and routers. I have big plans for the library, but I will have to be creative and work closely with other staff and admin. to make sure our school's needs are met.
So I arrive at LIBE 467-Information Services I. I really like that we are focused on one area of the library, especially the reference section. I recently had a discussion with the current TL and the principal of my school about purchasing an updated set of encyclopedias, in print form. The current TL wanted to make the purchase, the principal thought it was a waste of money, and I felt a bit like Switzerland - I could see both sides of the debate. I am still drawn to those quick reference sources that don't require me to log on to a computer and then conduct a search, but I also know that there are vast sources of information available on-line so could our money be better spent? Part of the issue, after I asked to "table the debate" until I took this course, is that our district no longer pays for any on-line data bases or resources for our school to use. If we want access to these things, we will have to take it out of our own budge. My principal is a technology lover, but also very conscious of the "bottom line" - dollar signs scare him. I am excited that this course is offering me the opportunity to evaluate our reference section and then seek out options and alternatives. I think this will make any proposals I make about reference purchases much easier to defend.
Our current reference section is basically a book museum. There are so many dictionaries and atlases they would probably stack to the ceiling. (which I am going to try as a display!) I am not a hoarder and can't wait to get my hands on these materials - they must go! The current TL is a historian and sees value in all of these, even atlases that still call Russia the USSR! I want to learn about reference options, display of the reference materials in a very user friendly way, and how to promote the use of both print and on-line reference materials. I am concerned that we are doing our students a disservice by not teaching them solid research techniques, which I think they need to know if they choose to go on to post-secondary studies. The research through data bases that we have had to do for this course has reminded me of this. We still need to know how to use print resources even if they comes to us via a computer.
I am also so appreciative of the other students in the class. In both of my previous courses I learned so much from the experience of others. I like seeing the enthusiasm of younger teacher, the idealism of those still looking for that permanent position, and the contagious love of the profession from those of us who are a little more "seasoned." So much of my "ideas" file in my daytimer is from comments made on the discussion boards and I know that it will continue to grow in this class.
Best piece of advice I can give you is to slink into the library and really learn what you have - each school library is idiosyncratic in its own way and you have to live it before you can make the really BIG decisions and/or visions for tomorrow.
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