The IRA Arbuthnot Award recognizes an outstanding college or university teacher of children’s and/or young adult literature. The award honors the memory of May Hill Arbuthnot (1884-1969) who, along with educator William Scott Gray, created and wrote the Curriculum Foundation Readers— better known as the “Dick and Jane” series—for children, published by Scott, Foresman and Company (now Pearson Scott Foresman). Arbuthnot then went on to write and edit many seminal texts on children’s literature and reading, including The Arbuthnot Anthology of Children’s Literature. The deadline for submission is November 15, 2013; nominees must be IRA members.

The IRA Jerry Johns Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award is a $1,000 award supported by Jerry Johns, a distinguished teacher, writer, outstanding teacher educator, and popular professional development speaker for schools, school districts, and conferences. This award honors an outstanding college or university teacher of reading methods or reading-related courses. Nominees must be IRA members, affiliated with a college or a university, and engaged in teacher preparation in reading at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels. Nominations for this award are also due November 15, 2013.

Nominate your peers, staff, and friends to join the company of past honorees, including Jennifer Velasquez, Teen Services Coordinator, San Antonio PL (2011); Renee Grassi, Youth Services Librarian, Glencoe Public Library, IL (2012); Corey Wittig, Digital Teen Librarian, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA (2012); Lindsey Tomsu, Teen Librarian, La Vista Public Library, NE (2013), and many more!  Movers and Shakers 2014 will celebrate the new professionals who are moving our libraries ahead. The next round of 50+ winners will be featured in the March 15, 2014 issue of LJ and celebrated at an awards luncheon in Las Vegas during ALA Annual 2014. The deadline to submit is November 2^nd so don’t wait. Click here for submission information.

The importance of advocacy is evident to us during a crisis. When our libraries are threatened or our staff faces cuts, then we leap into motion. But we should be mindful of advocacy every day. With social media tools, we can plan and effectively communicate our messages creatively and consistently throughout the year.

Before school begins this fall, take time to craft a strategy for how you will talk about your library projects through social media. Especially if you are a solo librarian, making a calendar can help keep you on track.

Getting started

In the past, I’ve tended to be rather organic in my approach to social media. This year, I will be more organized. I’m crafting my yearlong social media advocacy plan now by adding a set of dated activities for marketing and communicating what the library does for the school. I know I will get the message out to the administration, my community, and students if I have scheduled myself to do it.

First, find a calendar tool for your plan. Google Calendar is my choice, because you can set it up to send you a daily or weekly agenda as well as hourly calendar alerts. Events can be set daily, weekly, or monthly. Next, decide what social media tools to use and to whom your messages will be directed. Ask yourself: How do I want to impact students? Parents? Administrators? In what way can I best communicate with each group, and what do I want to say?

Students may prefer Twitter, while parents may connect with Facebook. Some principals prefer looking at data; others, like a former principal of mine, like video.

You also need to figure out quantity of outreach. What times of year, and how often, should you contact each group? Should you ping students weekly or daily? Do monthly messages work well for parents? For administrators, are quarterly communications best? Perhaps you are a frequent tweeter, and don’t need to schedule this. One librarian I know implements effective “Twitter Tuesdays.”

Target your social networking efforts to the time of year: . There are many opportunities both to plan activities inside the library and to talk about them outside the library. Sync your social media calendar to these events.

Assessing your efforts

At the end of each month, assess whether you have met your goals. If not, don’t criticize yourself. Evaluate whether your goals are too ambitious, or what you can do to better meet them. The idea is to be more purposeful in our advocacy and to use social media to help us get the word out. Sharing what we do and inviting the larger community into our work is always valuable, not only for advocacy, but also for fostering a sense of community.

Carolyn Foote is a “technolibrarian” at Westlake High School in Austin, TX. She blogs at Not So Distant Future.

Teachers College

The gift creates a total of 24 fellowships of $35,000 each for students pursuing dual certifications in areas of high need in New York City public schools. The first O’Neill Fellows will arrive at Teachers College this fall to earn dual certification in key areas, such as science/inclusive education, elementary education/bilingual, or TESOL (the teaching of English to speakers of other languages). Through the fellowship program, these candidates will be able to graduate virtually debt-free.

“We’re tremendously excited about this fellowship program as it speaks to the very essence of the TC mission,” said TC President Susan Fuhrman at a luncheon earlier today, at which Mrs. O’Neill was honored for her support of education and Teachers College. “And we’re so grateful for Abby’s service as a trustee and for her wise counsel.”

O’Neill joined the TC board in 2004. Since then, the O’Neills have created a chaired professorship: the George and Abby O’Neill Economics and Education Chair, currently filled by Thomas Bailey, director of TC’s Community College Research Center and the National Center for Post-Secondary Research.  Abby O’Neill also has served as a member of TC’s President’s Advisory Council.

Chart Designs by Mark Tuchman.

Igniting a love for reading is primarily what drives job satisfaction for librarians who work with teens. And satisfied they are—seven out of ten school media specialists and public librarians working directly with children and/or teens report they are either satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. SLJ set out to learn more about the motivations and challenges in the profession in a recent national job satisfaction survey of just over 1,000 school and public librarians.

We asked librarians to identify the many rewards of their jobs and to pinpoint their top-most satisfaction. Connecting young people to reading and lifelong learning was by far their single biggest gratification. “I love when I am able to find a book for a student who is resisting reading, and that book changes their outlook on reading,” says Carrie Kausch, school librarian for Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia.

“There is very little that gives me as much satisfaction as hearing a student say, ‘I loved that book! What else can I read?’” adds Melanie Gibson, a private school librarian in Dallas, Texas. Clearly there is a lot of passion for the work at hand. Service is the priority, not prestige or income, when working in the library. “I love the meaningful investment I get to make on a daily basis in the lives of young people,” writes a high school librarian from rural Tennessee.

Another high school teacher-librarian from suburban Illinois gushes, “This job is a dream. I get to buy books, plan projects collaboratively, teach [technology] skills, talk to students about books, and throw parties for students in the form of library programs. What’s not to love?”

The library is a program, not a room

While the rewards for the job are many, there are also some drawbacks. Public librarians are more likely than their school counterparts to identify them as low salary and problems with management, coworkers, or even library users. On the flip side, lack of respect and recognition, inadequate library funding, and the expectation to perform nonlibrary-related tasks are especially irksome for school librarians.

School librarians feel less appreciated by those who hold the purse strings than do public librarians. Fewer than half feel they get the recognition or respect they deserve from their superintendent or school board. “It is a constant uphill fight for administration to understand, acknowledge, and support collaboration and information-fluency skills, and to get them to understand that the library is a program, not a room,” laments Stephanie Rosalia, a teacher-librarian in New York City.

Just over half of the public librarians surveyed express confidence that library administrators and local community leaders give them the appropriate respect and recognition.

Challenges to overcome

Regardless of where librarians work, their biggest on-the-job challenge is lack of time to get everything accomplished. “Performing nonlibrarian tasks such as emptying the book drop, shelving books, paging, and other technical tasks keeps me from doing things like outreach, marketing, and promotion of library services to the community,” writes one California public librarian.

Other shared hurdles include ever-present budgetary constraints and increased demand on the library with fewer resources (especially support staff). Managing unruly patrons also figures prominently as one of public librarians’ biggest challenges.

Future challenges anticipated by school librarians include adapting to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) proposals, meeting the needs brought by the Common Core State Standards initiative, and the ongoing transition to digital resources and tools. Steven Alcorta of California’s Sonoma County Library sums up the challenge for public librarians as, “changing technologies and the expectation that staff will be expert on all of them.”

Professional latecomers

It may be surprising to learn that about three-quarters of school media specialists and half of public librarians working with children chose librarianship as their second, and sometimes third, career. Most of these school media specialists were previously classroom teachers. Some had grown tired of the planning, testing, and grading associated with that profession. They desired more autonomy and the chance to be creative while still meeting education goals. When the library opportunity arose, they went for it.

For some, changing positions within a school resulted in an initial drop in respect from faculty and students alike. “I heard a lot of ‘Oh, you are not a teacher anymore,’” writes one elementary media specialist from suburban Illinois. “After much effort personally and professionally, I have turned our library into an extension of the classroom.”

Many transplanted school librarians acknowledge they had to work hard and grow into the position, but they are not disappointed. In fact, satisfaction levels for school librarians entering the profession later in their careers far exceed first-career librarians—by 15 percentage points. “I am much more suited to the multitasking of librarianship and love [the] connection I make with students and teachers,” a high school media specialist and former classroom teacher from Charleston, South Carolina, reveals.

Salary, security, and advancement

The median annual salary for a full-time children’s or youth services librarian working at a public library is $44,700. This is considerably less than the median school librarian salary of $57,000. School librarians with an MLS degree earn significantly more than those without an MLS (median of $58,400 versus $37,500).

Public librarians feel far more secure in their jobs overall than do school media specialists (82% of public librarians and 63% of school librarians feel either secure or very secure). But, insecurity is not widespread. Only one in ten school librarians reported that their jobs are either not too or not at all secure. There is a strong correlation between respondents feeling job insecurity and having low job satisfaction.

Prospects for advancement are low but tend not to impact satisfaction. About three-quarters of public and school librarians say their advancement opportunities are fair to poor. Despite this outlook, 88% would choose their careers again.

Nearly a third of public librarians and one-fifth of school librarians actively searched for a new job in the previous 12 months. Only a quarter of those looked for a position outside librarianship.

Satisfaction by school type

Librarians teaching at the middle or high school level reported higher satisfaction with their jobs than elementary school media specialists (73% and 72% very satisfied or satisfied, respectively, versus 65% very satisfied or satisfied). This is not necessarily correlated with pay—although secondary school librarians do generally make more. Instead, the data suggests that elementary librarian dissatisfaction is tied to being stretched too thin with little or no support staff.

Nearly one-quarter of media specialists working at the elementary school level divides his or her time between two or more locations (16% work in two locations, 7% work in three or more). Thirteen percent gained responsibility for an additional library within the last two years. This has resulted in more time spent managing/troubleshooting and less time interacting with children.

Working on a fixed schedule, where library media center hours are heavily scheduled and students visit as a class at a set time, is common at the elementary level—and it restricts librarians’ ability to collaborate with faculty, a key component of the job. “I have a full schedule of classes in which I am supposed to supplement what the teachers are doing, but I can’t plan with the teachers,” explains Karen Valentine a school librarian at Pleasant Ridge Elementary in North Carolina. “Their planning period is while the students are with me.”

Just over a quarter (29%) of elementary school librarians report that in the last year they were assigned mundane tasks that squander their expertise, compared to 17% of middle school and 20% of high school librarians. Having to perform duties such as administering tests or minding study halls leave elementary school librarians feeling underappreciated.

Overall, elementary school librarians are less likely than their secondary school counterparts to believe they get the recognition they deserve from classroom teachers and feel less secure in their jobs. Twenty-five percent have searched for a new job in the last year, as opposed to 20% of high school and 16% of middle school librarians.

Drive to be flexible and diverse

Carrie Cline, library director for McDonald County Library in rural Missouri, has some guidance to offer those entering the profession. “It’s nothing like you hear in college! You have to get along with parents, learn to entertain the children, even the ones who are misbehaving, and you can’t take yourself too seriously!” she urges.

The advice applies to librarians at any stage of their careers. “Be extremely flexible. The job description is a fluid one, and the face of librarianship is changing. You need to be able to change with it,” encourages Jennifer Powers, a teacher-librarian at St. John’s Episcopal School in Dallas.

“The more you can do, the more valuable you are,” adds Maggie Bokelman of Eagle View Middle School in Pennsylvania. “Be willing to be a technology specialist, an instructional coach, a research guide, and a reading motivator. I like the fact that our profession is changing, and that I have the opportunity to come up with new ideas and new ways of doing things. It’s an exciting time to be a librarian.”

Method: A job satisfaction survey invite and reminder were emailed to SLJ Extra Helping newsletter subscribers in October 2012. The survey link was also advertised in Extra Helping. Results are based on the responses of 713 U.S. school librarians and 294 U.S. public librarians working directly with children or teens. The data shown in total was weighted to represent national regional breakdowns obtained from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Center for Education Statistics.

Laura Girmscheid is research manager for School Library Journal and Library Journal.

In my heart, I will always be a children’s librarian.

Speaking at the New York Public Library about the heart and soul of our profession is both an honor and a delight for me personally.

Today we are talking about power and leadership. Everyone here is a leader. As librarians, we don’t always recognize our power, our influence.

However, one thing we do know is the power of the book to stir the imagination. For those of us in this industry, we know that the book is a work of art. The power of books is profound. What we don’t always realize or acknowledge is the power of the librarian. That power starts in the children’s room. When we connect children with books, ideas, and experiences, we are introducing them to the world.

No matter where you grew up, most likely you’ve had the experience of building a tree house, fort, tent, or tunnel to make a space that you owned. Recently, our five-year-old grandson, Owen, spent a snowy day with my husband, transforming a room into a tunnel room. Owen decided that he wanted to take a nap in one of the tunnel spaces, bringing in a pillow and a blanket to keep warm. The idea of making that magical space is a common one. Years ago at the Denver Public Library, we did focus groups with children when we were designing the new central library. When asked what kind of space they wanted, children talked about two types: one was collaborative, and the other resembled our tunnel or tree house. One young girl drew a picture of her preferred space. It resembled a submarine bubble, complete with a lamp for reading and a little table for snacks.

I suspect we all built such a favorite space as kids. What did yours look like? What did you do in that space, and how did it make you feel?

When I was a kid, I loved to climb trees, perching on a branch either to read or to daydream. I would look out over the horizon and invent a plan, a scenario, and a world. This was my version of a tree house. It was a place where I was in charge, where I had the power to invent my life. In my world, anything was possible.

Maurice Sendak’s Really Rosie captures that feeling of power that resonates with many of us. Rosie and the characters from The Nutshell Library live on Avenue P in Brooklyn, New York. They are bored on a hot summer afternoon, and Rosie decides to create a movie where she is the star:

Yes, my name is Rosie
I am a star
I’m famous
And wonderful
Everybody loves me
And wants to be me.

That feeling of being a leader, of being in charge, relates to that sense of power we all felt when we were in our own space, tree house or not. I want you to summon that feeling of being in charge, of being a leader. Take a moment to center yourself. I’d like you to think of yourself as that leader, the person who can make anything happen, and decide on one thing that you would like to accomplish in your work world. You can think big or think small. Now, write a note to yourself of something you want to accomplish for your library when you return from this leadership day. Whatever your goal, hold yourself accountable for this. When you are finished, on the outside date it one month away from today and make sure you review this goal then.

Years and years ago, I made a list of 10 things that I wanted to accomplish when I was the children’s manager of the Denver Public Library. I don’t know how I found the courage, but I asked to see the director, Rick Ashton. We talked about my list and he said to me, “This is going to take you 10 years,” and he was right. It took all of us 10 years, but we accomplished everything and more. The key to this exercise is viewing yourself as a leader with the power to make things happen. It always starts with an idea, a dream, a vision.

Empowerment

Let’s talk about that feeling of power. Empowerment comes from that daydreaming place we might correlate with our special space that could be a tree house, and if libraries were tree houses, then that feeling starts with a small interaction at the library. We might not realize how our work affects the lives of people. Introducing ideas, connecting the dots, creating pathways, opening the door to the world is like being an architect of dreams.

“From Awareness to Funding,” an OCLC study published in 2008 and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, revealed that there were a number of key factors in why voters support funding for libraries. These include interacting with librarians who are passionate about their work and having a transformative experience at the library. Right now libraries are positioned more closely with the data/research experience; however, the transformative experiences of listening to music, reading a poem, or viewing a piece of art are powerful indicators that create strong positive connections with our community and their tendency to vote for increased funding.

With the rise of the Internet and ebooks, libraries are having a bit of an identity crisis. Over 100 years ago, John Cotton Dana focused on a key purpose that still holds true today. “The public library is the center of public happiness first, of public education next,” he said. He believed that libraries were about creating happiness and learning.

Dana began his career in Denver in 1889 at the first Denver Public Library, which started as a joint school-public library. His views were in many ways revolutionary in librarianship. He believed that the 19th-century library was a warehouse, an ornamental building that hoarded books and strove to keep them from the general public. That old-time library was simply a storehouse of treasures with the librarian as the chief preservation officer. Books were to be protected and used carefully only by a select few.

The 20th-century library, the progressive library, he posited, would throw its doors open to all and encourage them to come in and join in the building of a community cultural center. He set out to make the library into a democratic institution and is responsible for many innovations that are now standard library services. He ended closed stacks, made it easier to get a library card, and expanded hours. Later, when he was the director of the Newark Library and Museum, he believed in checking out pieces of art—a definite heresy.

Most librarians in that era saw children as an uncomfortable fit for libraries. Their exuberance and lack of sophistication made them undesirable. Dana saw children as full members of the community, and welcomed them with open arms. He created one of the first children’s rooms in a public library, complete with appropriate furniture, art, and flowers. He believed that the children’s room should be uplifting and inspirational. If an attendant in the children’s room interfered with children’s learning or access to ideas, he believed it was better not to have an attendant at all. It was better for children to have unfettered access to reading material. Once children outgrew the children’s room, Dana believed they should be allowed to jump into the world of adult reading.

Dream come true: The Anythink approach enables patrons to play, create,
and participate on many levels—outside and inside, hands-off and hands-on.
Photos courtesy of Anythink Libraries.

Places of discovery

Libraries should be a place of discovery. Winnie the Pooh’s “100 Aker Wood” is a terrific first road map. Creating a sense of discovery and open access has been central in designing the Denver Public Library’s central children’s library, and our Anythink libraries. The library should be a place of discovery and joy. Learning is an exploration and an adventure. Breaking down barriers and making the library experience delightful is another key goal.

We have taken Dana’s ideas a step further, eliminating fines and dumping Dewey. We created a library that was all about the customer experience from when a person walks through the doors. I think people should experience a metaphorical hug when they enter the library.

At Anythink, we take great care to incorporate natural elements in our spaces to enhance this experience. We wanted to have tree houses to instill that iconic sense of imagination, that symbolism of discovery, of self-actualization. Tree houses, however, proved to be a challenge with building codes, so we integrated trees to create inspiring natural spaces. As much as we wanted to bring the outdoors in, we’ve extended the learning and discovery out to our exterior spaces.

Our first “Explore Outdoors” garden (left) opened last fall at the Anythink Wright Farms library. There children of all ages spend time interacting with nature. Planting gardens, making music, staging theater, and playing with an old-fashioned water pump all give families simple tools to explore, interact, and imagine. Research shows that people who spend time in nature lead healthier lives and feel a sense of responsibility for and connection to nature.

Experiences are learning opportunities

When we began planning our libraries, our team and library board chose what we call the experience model to help guide the vision for the district. Using the OCLC research, our goal was to foster those small transformations. The key role of the library is to create an experience, an interaction with content or an idea. Sometimes these experiences are quite simple and fun, like a community valentine, for example, where customers simply wrote what they loved on a Post-It note and added their contributions to build a wall-size love letter.

Sometimes this interaction is a little more sophisticated. With the Jelly Roll Morton exhibit, people could learn about Jelly Roll, listen to his music, learn to play a Jelly Roll Morton song on the xylophone, and check out additional materials on the topic. Anythink’s goal is to create these little marketing, learning, creative moments where people can interact with content. We call them experience zones.

Last year we expanded this concept in an exhibit of Thomas Locker’s work. You might be familiar with some of his beautiful picture books. Fulcrum Publishing loaned the library 12 pieces from this American landscape painter’s collection. Over months, the staff created experiences that included listening to sounds of nature, painting classes, a river quilt for children to interact with a river (even fishing), and an opportunity to hear Thomas Locker’s son talk about growing up with a master artist who spent his life looking at nature with intensity and translating it to canvas.

Our customers were surprised and delighted. One wrote, “…to visit Wright Farms recently and by chance encounter this exhibit, I find it hard to express the surprise and delight and awe I experienced. Wow! I return often now to re-immerse myself in this richness before it is taken down.”

This exhibit is just one example of how our staff creates learning opportunities for our community. We create connections. We create opportunities to know the world.

The MIT Media Lab’s Seymour Papert talks about literacy in The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer (Basic Books, 1993). “Letteracy” is the mechanical skill of reading words made up of letters. Papert suggests that we substitute the term “literacy” for ways of knowing. Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Friere asks us not to confuse “reading the word” with “reading the world.”

“Becoming literate means thinking differently than one did previously, seeing the world differently,” Papert writes in The Children’s Machine.

Libraries are about exploring and knowing the world. Libraries are about helping people to live their most abundant lives.

One of the most popular learning opportunities at Anythink has been an embryology experience zone at most of our branches during the past two years. Watching baby chicks hatch is both mesmerizing and educational. Staff, children, and adults have fallen in love with this educational exhibit. People photograph the chicks, name the chicks, blog about the chicks. Then we return them to the 4-H club, and they give them to young people to raise.

There is a significant interest in urban farming in Denver, and zoning now allows people to raise chickens, bees, and goats in the city. One staff member became so engaged in the chick project that she decided to raise chickens on her own. Using library resources, she learned how to build a chicken coop; purchased five hens; began feeding, caring for, and watching her chickens grow; and then started gathering their eggs. She says this project has changed her life.

Anythink has two community gardens and is adding a third this season. This project connects the library with local experts and the community. We have worked with Denver Urban Gardens, whose mission is “growing community, one garden at a time.” The gardens are on Anythink property, but the community makes all the decisions about the gardens. Not only do people grow healthy vegetables, they also get to know their neighbors and come to rely upon each other for advice, taking turns watering each other’s gardens when they are on vacation.

Everyone is creative

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning,” wrote the author Diane Ackerman. People who work with children are familiar with creating opportunities for children to learn through play. Adults need a little more nudging. At Anythink, we have expanded this philosophy to the entire community by creating experiences for them to learn through play as well.

Creativity and innovation are two of the most important assets to success, but as a culture, we have few places that actively nurture creativity. Josh Linkner, author of Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity (Jossey-Bass, 2011),talks about research on creativity. When children enter kindergarten, 98 percent think of themselves as creative, he asserts. When they graduate from high school, only two percent label themselves as creative.

At Anythink, we believe that everyone is creative. We support the creativity of our community and our staff. Libraries are places filled with ideas and curiosity. We are a perfect organization to foster creativity.

At Anythink, we hire people who are creative, optimistic problem solvers. We nurture and grow our team on a continuous basis. We have regular staff training days that support our culture and expand the talents of all of our staff. This year’s TechFest training day expanded our sense of creativity and our digital skills. Teams of 10 worked with mentors and, within about four hours, each created a digital product ranging from videos, podcasts, and even an ebook. One example is a short video titled “Fifty Shades of Yellow or Death by Bananas.” Another example is the stop animation team that created a series of animations. See below for videos.

Death by Bananna-42

Tech Fest Stop animation

This experience set the staff thirsting to learn more and gave them self-confidence; it’s amazing what happens when you are given a challenge, the right mentor, and a set of creative tools.

Our skills as a team are growing and our own knowledge is expanding. We now describe our library as a participatory library, borrowing ideas from Nina Simon’s The Participatory Museum (Museum 2.0, 2010). She defines a participatory cultural organization as “a place where visitors can create, share and connect with each other around content.” This is a very different library from the one that is centered on the object or the book. This is a library that focuses on growing the capacity of its citizens and its staff. This is a library that has the power to change the world.

Library as studio

We have branded this concept The Studio. It takes the shape of a teen digital learning lab with a recording studio, a green screen with film and editing equipment, and spaces for gaming and collaboration. As part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation-IMLS YouMedia grant, we are researching, learning, and exploring how we can support expanded digital learning with teens. The grant calls it “geeking out.” We are working with local artists in residence to mentor our teens.

When Anythink staff returned from a first visit to the Chicago Public Library where they got to see the YOUmedia project in action, they stormed into my office with their key insight: the project wasn’t about the computer equipment. It was about creating an environment where teens could grow sustained relationships with mentors, and over time develop an interest or talent. Through writing poetry and performing at poetry slams or making short movies, the teens discovered that the library was a relevant partner in their lives. Amy Eshleman, creator of the YOUmedia project, notes, it “gives libraries an opportunity to own the learning space in a unique way.”

At Anythink this project starts with our teens, but it is our intention to grow it into an intergenerational experience.

The Studio at Anythink Brighton is a makerspace that includes LEGO-robotics, a 3-D printer, a photography studio, and a textile arts center.

Children’s librarians are superheroes

We are reminded daily that the success of our libraries is closely anchored to the contributions and interdependency of our community and our staff. At Anythink Brighton, the team suggested the idea for a makerspace, wrote a LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant, and had the initial project up and running within 90 days of the award of the grant. The manager of the branch, Dara Schmidt, is a former children’s librarian from LA County.

At Anythink Wright Farms, branch manager Suzanne McGowan is a former children’s librarian as well. Our Studio guide Mo Yang has recently evolved his role as a teen guide. He is leading the coordination of our artists in residence, connecting with talented community members who want to share their skills with the teens.

Children’s work has always been centered in transformative experiences. Children’s librarians not only influence children in their formative years, they open doors for curious minds. Our future depends upon the children’s room. Our power lies in creating learning spaces, influencing lives, and creating community. Our children are our gifts to the world, and the way we care for them says everything about our values as a culture.

You may not realize it, but you have the power to transform the lives of children, the library, and the community. You have the power to open doors, to nurture ideas and imagination. You have the power to change the shape of our world. You are the architects of dreams.

Pam Sandlian Smith is director, Anythink Libraries, CO. This article was excerpted from her keynote speech at SLJ’s first Public Library Leadership Think Tank, held April 5, 2013, in New York City.

Kathy Ishizuka has been named executive editor of School Library Journal. Last year, she was appointed executive editor, technology and digital projects, expanding SLJ’s presence across many platforms. Ishizuka has served as technology editor since 2004.

Shelley Diaz has been promoted to associate editor at SLJ. Diaz will join the news/content team in addition to serving on the book review staff and contributing to special projects and events. Previously assistant editor, book review, Diaz is pursuing her MLIS degree with a Certificate in Children’s and Teen Services at Queens College.

Librarians from “Alternative Children’s Library” Panel
l. to r. Allie Bruce, Jennifer K. Hanley-Leonard, Ayanna Coleman, Leah High

With the economy still not fully recovered, what lies ahead for aspiring children’s librarians? Though prospects may seem grim, thinking outside the box may be a solution for those interested in the profession, according to New York Public Library youth materials specialist and School Library Journal blogger Betsy Bird. Bird recently moderated a panel “The Alternative Children’s Library,” in which several children’s librarians discussed their own nontraditional paths to the profession.

The panelists spoke about the challenges that they’ve encountered in their roles and the ways in which their careers differ from those of more typical librarians. Allie Bruce, librarian at the Bankstreet School for Children, an independent K–8 school affiliated with the Bank Street College for Education, is in the unique position of working with very young patrons as well as those with advanced degrees. In addition to providing teachers with materials for lesson plans and helping students look for books, Bruce also often guides students at the college looking for professional reading related to their classes.

“In some ways, I do see myself as an academic librarian,” Bruce tells SLJ, “because I assist grownups with research questions and need to have a thorough grounding in the history of children’s literature, in addition to teaching kids every day.”

Jennifer K. Hanley-Leonard, of The New York Society Library, a private, members-only library located on the Upper East Side, often finds herself in similar situations. While she primarily works with children and their parents, some of her patrons are writers who come to the library in order to get a feel for emerging trends in the industry, to look at current illustration styles, and to research potential publishing houses to pitch.

The career of Ayanna Coleman, Events Associate & Librarian at the Children’s Book Council, differs perhaps the most from the other panelists. She has yet to see a juvenile patron in her library, she notes. Because the CBC is a nonprofit association whose primary goal is to let publishers work together on common issues, the bulk of its visitors are adults in the publishing field rather than children seeking pleasure reading. Coleman describes her role as more a curator than as a children’s librarian: in addition to event planning, she is charged with maintaining a collection of books published over the past year by CBC members, as well as an ongoing collection of award winners. She often meets with editors and designers who browse materials to stay abreast of what other houses are publishing, and fields questions about weeding and maintaining the collection from visitors enrolled in children’s literature classes.

The panelists emphasize a need to be creative when entering the field. Leah High, children’s librarian at the Nolen and Watson Libraries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, says her flexibility positively impacted her career trajectory. While she was unable to find a job after receiving a fine arts degree, working in a public library after college inspired her to attend library school. Her experiences as a high school librarian and later as an after-school program coordinator, combined with her art background, eventually made her an ideal fit for her current position.

Similarly, Coleman’s original intent was to work in children’s publishing. However, finding it difficult to break into the field, she chose to obtain an MLS in order to “learn about one of publishers’ biggest clients.” Although attending library school without the goal of working as a school or public librarian was unusual, Coleman saw it as an opportunity to give herself an edge in a competitive industry. She tells SLJ, “I was all the way in the Midwest and had a very shadowy idea of how I was going to make myself stand out—hoping the library degree would do it.”

Despite the varying paths the panelists have taken, above all, they are united by their genuine love for the subject. Although Coleman’s degree has resulted in a career that is far closer to the publishing industry than to traditional librarianship, ultimately she believes that she is fulfilling the same objective as her peers. “The reason, first and foremost, that I wanted to go into publishing was to find amazing stories that kids would connect to and make sure those stories got published,” Coleman tells SLJ. “As long as I get to put thought-provoking books in the hands of youth, one way or another, I think I would be happy.”

Bruce concurs. She advises those just starting out in the field to, “figure out what your little brand of librarianship is going to be” and emphasizes the importance of following your passions and interests. “Don’t lose your sense of fun about whatever you’re passionate about.”

Your path to the profession was not at all direct; most recently you worked as a teacher, but you have also been a newspaper reporter, radio newsman, bartender, restaurant manager, copywriter, and public relations rep. How did you become a librarian?
I am a two-time high school dropout and a college dropout, all before I was 17. I eventually got my B.S. degree from SUNY/Empire State College (where I am now an adjunct) at age 42. I had a double major of psychology and education studies. I received my Masters of Science in Teaching from Fordham University, and my MLS this year from Queens College.

I became librarian [at Castle Hill Middle School 127 in Bronx, NY] very suddenly two years ago, replacing the woman who had been our librarian since the school opened in 1956. She had not been able to do the job for a number of years but still came to work every day. The library was in total disarray; books were piled everywhere, and there were more than 25 unopened boxes containing new books.

On the Friday before Christmas break, my principal [Harry Sherman] came to my classroom. We sat down and he said, “Have you ever thought of being a school librarian?”

I knew nothing about being a librarian other than that I would need to get an MLS degree to keep the job. I went onto Twitter and got advice, recommendations of priorities, names of suppliers, and lots more useful information within an hour. Two days later I attended my first library professional development session; two weeks later I started classes in the MLS program at Queens College.

My principal paid to automate the library and arranged my schedule so I’d have large blocks of time in which I could leave the building to do the degree’s required field work and internship hours. I jumped into the new situation with two feet. Within a few days I had a plan of how to reinvigorate the library and presented it to my principal. He gave me a budget that would pay the fees to start automating the library and to buy a few basic supplies. I worked from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. or later every day weeding, putting on bar codes, and doing all the other things necessary to make the library work.

I received my certification from the state on February 1 this year. It has been one hell of a ride.

It sounds like your principal really understood your capabilities and had a vision for the school library. Can you tell us more about your relationship?
I am a school librarian because it was my principal’s idea—his way of saving my career, or so it seemed at the time. He explained why he chose the position for me: I was failing as a classroom teacher at least half the time, but he thought I had a lot to offer the school and didn’t want to lose me.

He mentioned one of the most fundamental ways we disagree as a strength for me as a librarian: I don’t believe in distinct subject areas. To me, knowledge is a holistic, completely interconnected, ever growing thing; he believes there is a fundamental difference between math and ELA, for example. He said that as a librarian my holistic view could be a valuable asset, and it has proven to be so. He and I see the world in very different ways and we disagree with each other about many topics in education. One of the things I have always appreciated about him is his willingness to listen to and consider other views. Even though we disagree on things we’ve always been able to talk to and listen to each other.

[He] was very eager to have a functioning library and did everything possible to make my transition work for the school and for me. He has given me time off to attend conferences (particularly Educon in late January every year), encouraged me to participate in the union catalog pilot with the NYPL, gave me freedom to make decisions about the library without almost any oversight. In short, he trusted me to understand and support his goals for the school as a librarian just as I had as a teacher.

I trust him, too. I know I can go to him with any ideas I have and will usually get the opportunity to try them. He has let me know he is aware of how much I’ve accomplished—he’s signed off on all the grant applications I’ve submitted, among other things—and I’ve let him know how much I appreciate his faith in me to do this job and his willingness to work on saving my career. We still disagree on some basic things, but we’ve learned how to work with each other.

What was the thought process behind your recent blog post? Do you think other schools are underutilizing their librarians or underestimating their skills?
I wanted to try to generate some discussion on how else I might be able to approach my principal with ideas. As it turns out, some major changes are starting to happen in my school [and] my principal has asked me to take a major role in leading aspects of the change.

I think that in many schools the administration does not really understand what the librarian is capable of doing. We are off in our libraries, sometimes removed from the stream of consciousness of the other teachers and administration. Other librarians are in a very different situation where they are fully integrated into the school. I think in my situation, because the school got so used to not having a functioning library and librarian, I have to take bold steps to enter the consciousness of everyone.

What kind of feedback have you gotten from the post, both inside and outside of your school? Have you been collaborating with teachers more at your school?
The feedback I’ve gotten has been very positive. One librarian called me brave and another called me foolish for posting what I did.  A few librarians have said they wish they had the courage to do what I did but they were afraid they’d get fired. It was one of the more popular posts ever on my blog.

My principal’s response was generally positive. He encouraged me to continue sending resources to the staff, suggested I reach out to the APs in change of social studies and science to discuss the ideas I put forth in my post, and told me he was open to me trying anything as long as I followed whatever Department of Education policies that might apply (such as for putting student work online publicly).

I try to collaborate with colleagues, but they’re still getting used to the idea of having a librarian. Unfortunately, they feel so pressured to move the curriculum along that they do not feel they have time to involve me in their plans. I keep pushing resources out to them and a few are starting to notice. It is a process. When I started as a librarian I had to steal the school’s copying machine and move it into the library so that I’d get to see and talk to the other teachers. Now they see the changes in the library daily and are starting to realize that things are different now.

How is being a librarian different from your experience as a classroom teacher?
[It] is very different. For one thing, students like me a lot more as I don’t give assignments, homework, or grades. I’m the big, friendly guy who will listen to them blow off steam about their teachers knowing that I will keep their confidences. I get to know more kids than the classroom teachers, though I don’t always get to know them as well. Even so, I have my regulars and we get to know each other pretty well. I am very open to their questions about my life and, as a result, they’re open to my questions about theirs. Of course the best thing is that I don’t assign reading, I’m the one who tries to keep the joy of it alive or establish that joy where there is none.

What advice would you offer school librarians who are seeking ways to build better relationships with their principals and administration?
First of all, try to understand your administrator’s goals. Show that you are part of the team. Give more than you ask for. Document everything. Ask questions, anticipate needs. Solve problems, don’t be a problem or cause them.

I have it easy in a way, I’m still being compared to the woman I replaced and everything I do looks like progress. I’m not that much younger than her—I’ll be 60 in October, I started teaching at age 50—[but] my view is looking forward and hers was trying to maintain the library she knew in the 1950s. At some point my principal is going to start comparing me to other modern librarians; I just need to make sure he never hears about Shannon Miller or anyone even half as productive as she is.

Things are also likely to change in the library. We have a new elementary school sharing our building and next year I am going to be the librarian for that school as well as my own. That means working for two principals, having two different library programs, one for middle school students and the other for kindergarten and first grade students. Just when I’m starting to feel comfortable and ready to take the library onto the next level—an online presence, for example—I feel like I’m going to have to start over.

What has been the most valuable professional development you’ve received so far?
The single most valuable professional development as a librarian all happened in the first two weeks of starting back to school after that Christmas break. I got informal PD via Twitter from Shannon Miller, Joyce Valenza, Buffy Hamilton, Diane Cordell, Melissa Techman and some other people I’d met online.

They helped me set priorities, told me about supplies I’d need and where to get them, all kinds of immediately useful information. Then, a couple of days after school started again, I attended the first session of four full-day Saturday PDs run by the NYCDOE School Library Service for new librarians. That was very useful because not only did I learn a lot, I started to establish relationships with the Library Service people, particularly Melissa Jacobs Israel, and some librarian colleagues. I have become very active in our small community of librarians and have made some very solid relationships.

Do you think you’ve found your calling with this new job?
This job suits me and I suit the job. I like having responsibility for a “department” and I like having the flexibility to allocate my own time. I like being around books and students. I like that I had to learn so much to be able to do this job—learning is really what I like to do most of all.

Illustration by Jean Tuttle

After 20 wonderful years as a teacher librarian, I’ve gone over to the dark side. I’ve become a suit—an administrator—and the very worst kind, a district IT administrator! (Cue Darth Vader’s theme song.) Before you turn away in horror and disbelief, here’s a quick tell-all from the Evil Empire. I’m going to share some shocking (and instructive) secrets from the Death Star of Administration, explaining why principals should be your best friends and colleagues. I’m also going to stop using Star Wars metaphors.

My fade to gray didn’t occur overnight. I have worked as an instructional technology facilitator in Vancouver’s (WA) public schools since 2008. During the first three years, I was also Skyview High School’s full-time teacher librarian. Then, in 2011, my role changed: I spent half of my time in the library and the remaining half in the IT department. Depending on the day of the week, I was either “The Man” or I was working for him. And despite enjoying the opportunity to blame myself for whatever was wrong either with management or with teachers, in 2012, I was finally asked to make a choice between those two options. I think you’ve heard about receiving an offer you can’t refuse….

While I still see myself as a teacher librarian, last July, I became a real-live administrator with a spiffy title—manager of instructional technology and library services. During the last few years, I’ve been able to reflect on many of my own beliefs and assumptions about working with administrators. As a former teacher librarian, I’m also well aware of other perceptions that teachers have regarding management. Speaking now as a teacher—and not as a manager—I’ve come to realize that the reality is far more complex than a simple equation of us vs. them. Teacher librarians have far more in common with principals than we realize. I’d like to share some ways to find common ground with our friends in the corner office.

When I was in grad school, Joyce Petrie, my wise and now long-departed professor at Portland State University, explained in detail how library administration and building administration are a lot alike. She was right. Now, speaking from experience, I teach my University of Washington graduate students that school librarians often have more in common with principals than with their fellow teachers. Why is that? Like principals, we manage budgets, purchase materials, evaluate employees, and make executive decisions, ranging from selecting materials to determining instructional outcomes. Unlike many teachers, we know virtually everyone in the school by name and maintain positive working relationships with all of them. We also excel at putting a wide variety of district policies and programs into practice. Most importantly, like principals, we’re often the only ones in our schools who do the jobs that we do. I often hear teacher librarians say that they feel misunderstood, isolated, and even lonely in their positions. Empathy check: Do you think principals just might feel the same way?

If it hadn’t been for my many wonderful teaching colleagues, I wouldn’t have been the 2012 Washington State Teacher of the Year. But it all began with my Skyview High principal, Kym Tyelyn-Carlson. Over the course of five years, our professional friendship evolved beyond library advocacy and became a two-way exchange between educators who both cared deeply about the success of our school. We discussed everything from staff socials to strategic planning. When she called me into her office in May 2011 and told me she was nominating me for teacher of the year, it was less about my librarianship than it was about her perception of me as an educator. Well beyond my library role, I had become a trusted confidante, consigliere, and colleague. Kym isn’t an exception. I’ve enjoyed good and frequently great relationships with the six principals I’ve worked with during the last two decades. I’ve always seen them as allies rather than adversaries.

Before addressing the opportunities for media specialists to connect with principals, I’d like to dispel some common misconceptions. First, there’s a widespread belief that building and district administrators always think the same way. More often than not, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Get a principal to talk off-the-record, and you’ll find out for yourself. Despite the mysterious district meetings and the inscrutable binders on their shelves, principals struggle with translating district policy into practice as much as we do. In more than one meeting, I’ve heard them express frustration, uncertainty, fear, and powerlessness in the face of the same issues that teachers confront. Like other educators, building administrators are concerned about daily challenges such as poverty, student readiness, literacy, fear of violence, and assessments. In addition, many district policies and programs are often created with insufficient input from or consultation with building administrators. Like many teacher librarians, principals are the ones who must explain and train faculty in the policies and practices created by managers like me.

And what of the conspiracy theory that administrators are “all in it together”? Ask any superintendent: they’d retire and die happy if they could only get their administrative leadership teams to plan, work, and lead based on an authentically shared set of values and priorities. Even the highest-functioning educational administrations grapple with issues of nurturing and maintaining social capital—communication, relationships, leadership, and sustainability. Just like individual schools, district programs and departments work with specific challenges, leadership models, and cultures.

Are there bad principals? Yes. And bad teachers? Of course. Are there tyrannical administrators and administrations? Yes, probably. Do administrators circle the wagons when challenged? Yes, in the same way that teachers and librarians do when they’re threatened. Do administrators meet in secret to devise evil plans? Unlikely. I have found that most district conspiracy theories are often conflated with honest mistakes, incomplete planning, imperfect implementations, and/or poor communication. Speaking for my district, our leadership team cares deeply about students and it respects and values teachers and staff. We work very hard to get it right. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we could have done better.

This is where teacher librarians come in. By cultivating strong relationships with principals and even district administrators, we can strengthen library programs, not to mention improve schools and districts. I am wearing a suit because of relationships with both teachers and administrators, built on shared work, planning, and success. Here is a quick list of ways to create those relationships, even when you’d think it might be impossible.

Seek out win-win opportunities. Identify what keeps principals up at night and then offer to help. Right now, three big trains are barreling down the tracks—Common Core, new teacher and principal evaluation systems, and 21st-century student skills. In addition to running a school, principals are accountable for these vaguely defined and game-changing reforms. Choose one, learn as much as you can about it, and then offer to help your boss. Join them on district or regional teams. Offer to provide leadership in your building. You’re likely to be surprised at just how enthusiastically they say yes.

Give before you receive. Teacher librarians often conceive their relationships with principals as quid pro quo, beginning with the question “What will you do for me?” rather than, “What can I do for you?” Pay it forward with the goal of building trust, rapport, and a valuable relationship. Many years ago, I took up an offer by our former chief information officer to lead our district’s library automation project. I had a vested interest in the job being done right, and she wanted the implementation to go smoothly. Thanks to our partnership, the project was a success. A few years later, she asked me to join her team as an instructional technology facilitator.

Bridge the gap. Because of our hybrid roles, teacher librarians can effectively bridge the artificial divide between teachers and administration, and promote communication, collaboration, and advocacy between and across various roles and functions. In the same way that my recent leadership role blurs the definition of “The Man,” teacher librarians can provide unique building and even district leadership. Teachers often grapple with crossing a line by appearing too supportive of administration. As a teacher librarian, I never saw a line because my job was different. I necessarily had to see things from a systems perspective that included not only building administration and teachers, but also district interests. That’s why some of our teacher librarians currently lead a district task force to develop a digital citizenship program. They are working with administrators to develop a systemic digital content strategy, and they’re participating in state and district groups connected to the Common Core. Like principals, the best teacher librarians see the big picture and can build partnerships that ensure success.

Identify successes. Most teachers hesitate to call attention to their work or to be praised for it. But principals always want to be able to share good work with parents, peers, and their bosses. When teacher librarians see innovation, creativity, and greatness in the classroom, they should share those stories with the principal. Principals appreciate the ability to see and value success in others. More importantly, they value hearing about good things beyond the library program. In addition to building rapport with your principal, everyone wins. Teachers get the recognition they deserve. The principal better understands the great work that’s going on. And the school may well get some praise at the district’s next meeting. As a proponent of creativity in the classroom, I made it a point to highlight innovative teachers who dared to emulate Apple and its slogan “think different.” More often than not, Kym would nod in agreement. In those moments, we were of one mind, not about libraries, but about great teaching.

My friends and colleagues keep checking up on me and asking how I like my new job. I tell them it tastes like chicken. To me, the only significant difference between what I’m doing now and what I’ve done for years as a teacher librarian and an instructional technology facilitator is that there’s a different title below my name. Sad as it might seem, that changes a lot in my relationships with others, both among teachers and administrators. To many teachers, I’ve gone over to the dark side. To some administrators, I’m now part of the club. But here’s the reality—there’s no dark side; and there’s no key to the executive washroom. Thankfully, my teacher librarian colleagues still see me (and themselves) for what we are—occasionally lonely, frequently misunderstood, and loving the jobs that we do. Just like principals.

Mark Ray (Mark.Ray@vansd.org) is the manager of instructional technology and library services at the Vancouver (WA) Public Schools.

School Library Journal (SLJ) is looking for a reporter/editor to write, assign, and edit news for our website, e-newsletters and award-winning magazine. If you have serious journalist chops, with an interest in covering libraries, education, and publishing, we’d be interested in hearing from you.

What we’re looking for

First, you’ve got to bring the skills, with demonstrated experience in reporting and editing (clips and references, please). You’ve got excellent news sense and can work independently, making quick decisions around news, able to turn around polished stories on deadline. You’re fastidious when it comes to copy and can handily craft a lede and a headline. Experience with social networking in a journalistic context and multimedia tools: a plus.

You’ll be covering K–12 schools, including legislation, policy, funding, and reform issues; public libraries; education technology; news in kids and YA (young adult) publishing, including authors; and industry initiatives, as well as cornerstone issues, including literacy, copyright, intellectual freedom, and privacy.

It’s a wide-ranging, eclectic beat and one of the challenges of the position. And we’d expect you to dive in fully, with the spirit of a learner, establishing contacts in these fields—from big associations and vendors to on-the-ground librarians and educators—getting up to speed on the issues (e.g. ebooks, Common Core, etc.), tapping into the insight of your colleagues, unafraid to ask dumb questions.

Passion for the subject is essential to the job—without a true interest in education and libraries, you won’t grasp the larger issues or be motivated to pursue the details to provide the depth of coverage necessary to serve our users.

What the job entails

Per the formal job posting: “The news editor will write and report stories, overseeing news flow to the website, e-newsletters, and print magazine, and assign and edit stories by freelancers and in-house staff.” That means you’ll take point on determining and executing stories posted daily to our site and set the lineup for our newsletters. You’ll also build a stable of freelancer reporters. And we’ll tap you to edit and write the occasional feature story and edit columns. (Our standards, for the feature well in particular, are high—take a look, if you haven’t already, to really get to know our content across the board, print to Web.)

You’re nimble and responsive around what’s going on in the field and look to provide the very best news coverage to inform and engage our users, primarily school/public librarians and information professionals who work with kids and young adults, and by extension their teacher peers and related institutions. You want to do good as well as do a good job.

How to apply

Review the listing in our Job Zone, which has the requirements and the rundown of benefits for this fulltime position at our offices located at the western edge of Soho in Manhattan. Then follow the link to begin the application process.

Photo by Roger H. Goun 

You see, I’m not really that smart. I just know people who are. One of the wisest things that we librarians can do is to collaborate with other smart librarians who love to share. For example, I have a strong personal learning network (PLN) that starts on Twitter and even includes a monthly face-to-face gathering. My PLN provides me with lots of really good ideas, answers questions, and supports my work. It is through these resources that I have gathered a huge technology toolbox, assessment strategies, promotional ideas, and a ton of worthwhile resources that I can pass on to my teachers.

The core of my network starts online with Twitter and the #tlchat hashtag. You can get started on Twitter by following great school librarians like Buffy Hamilton, Gwyneth Jones, Donna Baumbach, or Jennifer Lagarde. You can also find librarian folks on Facebook and Google+. Several blogs like The Never Ending Search and Not So Distant Future post great resources, links, ideas, and challenges. I find the online world a great place to ask questions or get directions. For me, this is better than email because there are so many knowledgeable experts who respond almost instantaneously.

Librarians can also take advantage of some great (free) professional development opportunities. Join the Teacher Librarian Virtual Cafe webinar presentations the first Monday of every month, live #tlchat twitter discussions the 2nd Monday of every month, or peruse the outstanding free online recorded sessions of Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference held last month. School Library Journal also features many free webcasts including a series that just began in September focused on Common Core.

Do you need more ideas? My state’s professional organization (Colorado Association of School Libraries) has been developing a site where we librarians can upload examples on everything from advocacy to lesson plans. Perhaps your state has a site like Survive and Thrive which has been created as a space for sharing stories and models of 21st century skills. Broaden your perspective by joining  EdWeb.net, Council on 21st Century Learning, or your own state’s eLearning professional development site (like eNet Colorado).

Finally, take some time to meet face-to-face with other professionals in a learning atmosphere. A small group of us have committed to meet once a month (at the bar of course!) where one of us facilitates the discussion or shows new tools for learning. While we often arrive beleaguered by the trials of the day, we invariably leave energized and ready to try new things.

Librarians love to grow and learn, and must do so to be on the cutting edge of positive change. Since most of us are the only staff person in our field in the building, we must utilize opportunities to develop our own personal learning networks, share ideas, and find ways to be rejuvenated.

School Library Journal (SLJ) is looking for a reporter/editor to write, assign, and edit news for our website, e-newsletters and award-winning magazine. If you have serious journalist chops, with an interest in covering libraries, education, and publishing, we’d be interested in hearing from you.

What we’re looking for

First, you’ve got to bring the skills, with demonstrated experience in reporting and editing (clips and references, please). You’ve got excellent news sense and can work independently, making quick decisions around news, able to turn around polished stories on deadline. You’re fastidious when it comes to copy and can handily craft a lede and a headline. Experience with social networking in a journalistic context and multimedia tools: a plus.

You’ll be covering K–12 schools, including legislation, policy, funding, and reform issues; public libraries; education technology; news in kids and YA (young adult) publishing, including authors; and industry initiatives, as well as cornerstone issues, including literacy, copyright, intellectual freedom, and privacy.

It’s a wide-ranging, eclectic beat and one of the challenges of the position. And we’d expect you to dive in fully, with the spirit of a learner, establishing contacts in these fields—from big associations and vendors to on-the-ground librarians and educators—getting up to speed on the issues (e.g. ebooks, Common Core, etc.), tapping into the insight of your colleagues, unafraid to ask dumb questions.

Passion for the subject is essential to the job—without a true interest in education and libraries, you won’t grasp the larger issues or be motivated to pursue the details to provide the depth of coverage necessary to serve our users.

What the job entails

Per the formal job posting: “The news editor will write and report stories, overseeing news flow to the website, e-newsletters, and print magazine, and assign and edit stories by freelancers and in-house staff.” That means you’ll take point on determining and executing stories posted daily to our site and set the lineup for our newsletters. You’ll also build a stable of freelancer reporters. And we’ll tap you to edit and write the occasional feature story and edit columns. (Our standards, for the feature well in particular, are high—take a look, if you haven’t already, to really get to know our content across the board, print to Web.)

You’re nimble and responsive around what’s going on in the field and look to provide the very best news coverage to inform and engage our users, primarily school/public librarians and information professionals who work with kids and young adults, and by extension their teacher peers and related institutions. You want to do good as well as do a good job.

How to apply

Review the listing on Job Zone, which has the requirements and the rundown of benefits for this fulltime position at our offices located at the western edge of Soho in Manhattan. Then follow the link to begin the application process.

Photo by Roger H. Goun 

Illustration by David Flaherty

Principals value their librarians. They also want them to be more visible leaders.

Those are just two of the interesting findings from a recent survey of 102 media specialists and 67 principals. In fact, 90 percent of the administrators that we surveyed think we have a positive impact in schools—and a large number also feel that our jobs are important. That’s great news, considering only 65 percent of librarians in the study thought their bosses would recognize the valuable role we play.

Tech respect

When asked about our tech contributions, not only did 90 percent of principals say that we encourage its use, they also ranked dealing with technology as one of the top 10 important tasks that we perform. In fact, our bosses highlighted three technology-related activities—sharing our tech expertise with students and teachers, offering tech leadership, and providing tech equipment—as being among our most important job functions.

“The evolution of the ‘library’ into the ‘media/technology’ center is a reality,” says one administrator. “The librarian needs to be current on new and emerging technologies, and assist others in their use.” Another explained that our “teachers are not technology literate, but the librarian is doing her best to change that problem.”

One principal even went as far as to say that technology and the library go hand-in-hand. “As the information landscape continues to evolve, the librarian is the rudder guiding the school toward the new or unknown, while at the same time melding ethical use and appropriate application in the school environment as well as life outside of school.”

Not surprisingly, we’re keenly aware of the crucial role that technology plays in our professional lives—and we like being called the “tech expert.” Some 95 percent of media specialists surveyed agree, or strongly agree, that technology is an essential component of our work, with one librarian saying it was “vital” to her library and another saying she pushes it all the time.

“Technology is my baby! I infuse it into each lesson,” says one respondent who’s also part of her district’s tech team and offers tech training to her colleagues in newsletters and emails. “I present with it and teach it. It hooks the students and the staff.”

Every librarian who responded to the survey said they embrace and encourage technology in their schools, with many adding that they’re one of the few people in the building who are up to date on the latest and greatest technology available, in addition to having in-depth knowledge of web design, prezis, wikis, blogs, and the hottest educational apps.

While some media specialists—especially the veterans—admit to fearing technology at times, they say they still push themselves to help teachers see its value and how it’ll make learning easier in the long run. Several, for example, mentioned getting creative with their Kindle Fires and iPads to teach students about online resources. The only negative comments were about funding—or more specifically, the lack of it—for keeping up with the fast-paced tech evolution.

What are other areas of our jobs that scored high with our bosses? The bulk, 93 percent, strongly agree that we’re helpful in “reinforcing concepts learned in the classroom” and that we assist teachers by making resources available. Plus, 90 percent of administrators think our rooms are inviting. Meanwhile, 90 percent also feel our professional development efforts with teaching colleagues are effective. This is an area of opportunity for librarians: as more than half of librarians surveyed report working with teachers on a one-on-one basis, and express a desire to do more professional development and collaboration in the future.

The big disconnect

Of course, there are areas where school librarians and their principals simply don’t see eye to eye. One that stands out has to do with the promotion of recreational reading. A whopping 98.4 percent of librarians agree—and 81.3 percent strongly agree—that they encourage reading for pleasure, which, according to researcher Stephen Krashen, “is the major source of our reading competence, our vocabulary, and our ability to handle complex grammatical constructions.” Simply put, those who read more show superior literacy development, and as Krashen explains, literacy and language growth are “clearly attributable to free reading.”

Yet only 48.8 percent of principals strongly agree that the librarian encourages recreational reading. It’s quite possible that the question was misunderstood, or that of more concern, principals just don’t understand that it’s a significant—and important—part of what we do each day.

This may help explain another disparity we uncovered: when asked to list the activities that librarians perform daily, media specialists provided a list that exceeded 100 tasks. On the other hand, principals listed 20 items, which, when we eliminated redundancies, were narrowed down to a mere 10. The good news is that both pretty much agree that the top tasks performed by librarians include helping students to access books and information, teaching students and teachers research and tech skills, and collaborating with teachers.

Looking for leaders

So why do so many librarians complain about not feeling the love? Our survey found that some of the negative stereotypes that we’ve been fighting all these years still persist. A lot of principals continue to view librarians as unfriendly shushers who are more concerned with keeping their books in order than encouraging kids to read. One administrator said that courtesy and customer service were important but lacking in his librarian, with another adding that a smile wouldn’t hurt. And when asked to identify the visible leaders in their schools, most of our bosses simply don’t think of us. Only 24.4 percent of administrators view media specialists as visible leaders. And the sad news is that we agree. When posed the same question, only 28 percent of school librarians say they strongly see themselves in a leadership role.

A very likely explanation is that school librarians don’t feel comfortable labeling themselves as leaders—but it doesn’t mean they’re not acting like ones, says Marcia Mardis, associate director of the Partnerships Advancing Library Media (PALM) Center at Florida State University. “Leaders are as leaders do.”

Mardis makes an interesting point. As our survey shows, media specialists perform dozens of tasks each day, but they don’t necessarily feel the need to stand up and shout about it to the world. Some feel that librarians would have taken district-level or managerial jobs if they wanted to be identified as leaders in the traditional sense of the word.

“Labeling yourself a leader can require a lot of chutzpah in an environment that very clearly labels its leaders as principals, assistant principals, and curriculum directors,” explains Mardis. “To stand in the face of that formal recognition and say, ‘I am a leader, too—even if you don’t call me one’ is a professional risk. It’s much less professional risk to act like a leader than it is to call yourself a leader.”

We’re trying to overcome this exact problem with our MLS students at Sam Houston State University, where I train teachers to become school librarians. When asked to rate themselves on key areas that are important to the role of a media specialist, my students consistently rank themselves low in leadership potential and high in the areas of literature expertise, tech ability, library administration, and teaching. Since these future librarians don’t seem to know how to lead—or don’t have a natural affinity for it—our faculty has developed several assignments to teach them how to lead through collaboration, by providing training, teaching technology, and by encouraging them to be the go-to person in the school and community. We’re even teaming up with our school administration department to offer a Ph.D. program in school administration, with an emphasis on library science. By training our students to lead before they enter the media center, we hope these future school librarians will consider leadership and advocacy as important as ordering books and teaching kids how to do research.

Indeed, formidable obstacles to leadership exist in the real world. While many librarians who were surveyed say that they feel like visible leaders with their students and want to be leaders outside the library, it’s a different story when it comes to standing out among their teaching peers. The roadblocks range from fear of rocking the boat and being spread too thinly among different schools to jealousy from classroom teachers and a lack of support from administrators.

“I have been an advocate in my district, which has earned me a few gray hairs due to the lack of interest,” says one respondent. Another says she’s never invited to faculty meetings, despite raising repeated requests to her administrator. “It’s hard to be a visible anything—let alone leader—when you aren’t even seen.”

Lisa Hunt, a media specialist at Apple Creek Elementary in Moore, OK, concurs. “The first year my principal arrived, she rarely came into the library. It soon became clear that she not only thought I wasn’t leadership material, she wanted to ignore my existence.”

One high school librarian in rural Alabama says she wasn’t even allowed to accept an invitation from a student to a banquet honoring academic excellence among the top 10 seniors at her school because “my principal said, ‘No, she’s not a teacher.’”

Lorraine Calabrese, an elementary school librarian with the Northgate School District in Pittsburgh, PA, inherited both the legacy of a former librarian who possessed few leadership qualities and the difficulty of splitting her time between two buildings. “I have two schools, two principals, often with very different styles of management,” she says. “I have my hands tied somewhat by teaching seven out of nine periods a day. Students are dropped at the door, [and I’m] lucky if I see the teacher. When technology came in, I grabbed the chance to be a leader and was… until they hired a technology teacher.”

Taking the lead

Although most administrators don’t see us often taking the lead, about 50 percent of respondents say they’re receptive—and in favor—of the idea. And while some media specialists say they’re waiting for an invitation to lead from their principals, a majority of administrators say librarians should take the initiative themselves.

“This position is the best of both worlds,” wrote one principal. “Students work in project-based learning environments without the threat of failure in the library, and actually, failure in the library is incentive alone to continue learning.” Meanwhile, another administrator said, “An effective librarian could be as important as an effective principal, given his/her ability to impact teaching and learning in the school.”

At the same time, almost all librarians agree that achieving success without their principal’s backing is impossible. “It is vital,” says Gerri Ellner Krim, a media specialist at Brooklyn Collegiate in New York and a 2007 winner of the School Library Journal/Thomson Gale Giant Step Award for the most improved library.

What advice do librarians who consider themselves leaders have to offer? Advocacy ranks at the top of the list for all of them—and it can come with huge payoffs. Alice Yucht, a retired school librarian and the creator of the widely read Alice in Infoland blog, describes the need to be “assertively courteous” by offering timely and useful resources to teachers and administrators. But she cautions against complaining. “Always be positive, even if you have to fake it,” she says, adding that it’s important to promote the library, not yourself—and to know the difference between promotion and advocacy. “You cannot self-advocate. You need to create satisfied customers and users who will then advocate for the library.”

Learning the language of administrators and even dressing like them was key for Rose Luna, a librarian at New York’s Freeport High School. “When you wear a suit, people perceive you a certain way. If you’re wearing a holiday sweater with a pumpkin on it, you aren’t going to be perceived as a leader or as a part of the leadership tribe.”

After giving numerous presentations and workshops to teachers, parents, and other community members—sometimes on weekends and after school—Margaux DelGuidice, a librarian at Garden City High School in New York, says she and her co-librarian were asked by their superintendent to present at a Superintendent’s Cabinet Meeting to administrators from across Long Island. The topic was a librarian’s dream: the importance of a research curriculum and the link between school librarians, research skills, and the Common Core Standards.

For Pamela Jackson, a teacher-librarian at East Wake High School in Wendell, NC, social media played a big role in her success. “I’ve Twittered with educators globally for over three years, and this has led to exponential professional growth,” she says. “I’ve participated in numerous free online webinars, boot camps, edchats, virtual cafes, classroom 2.0, and unconferences. I’ve attended board meetings, advocating for librarians, information literacy, and student success; and I’ve shared with business leaders what librarians do.”

The best advice that Maureen Schlosser offers is to attend every meeting possible, especially the ones at grade level. “Bring to every meeting some little tidbit from the library, whether it’s a great book that will support a lesson, or a website that will help teachers or administrators in some way,” says the librarian at Colchester Elementary School in Connecticut. “When presenting the tidbits, think of it as a quick commercial, and you are the star of the commercial, and the cameras are rolling. If the audience sees you excited about whatever it is you are bringing to the table, they can’t help but be excited, too. Especially when they see that you truly want to help support what they work so hard at doing every day. Who wouldn’t appreciate help?”

Schlosser also says to stay current. “Read all of the current information out there about what is new and relevant. Go to any classes or workshops that will not only help you in the library, but also teachers in the classroom.”

She routinely follows “revolutionary” librarians such as Joyce Valenza, Michelle Luhtala, Buffy Hamilton, and Gweneth Jones on Twitter to see what they’re doing.

“With the Common Core being implemented next year, you can’t help but see library media skills written all over those standards,” says Schlosser, explaining that her goal last year was to team up with her school’s ed-tech teachers on lessons using the Common Core Crosswalk and the Inquiry Model developed by Barbara Stripling, the former head of school libraries for the New York City Department of Education, and to share the lessons with everyone. “Because of our efforts, our administrators are asking all social studies teachers to work with school librarians on research projects.”

Nicole Knott, a media specialist at Connecticut’s Watertown High School, sums it up best. “If you promote the image of the media center as the hub of the school—for staff, students, and the community at large—it will inevitably become such, and the person in charge of such a vital place is bound to be sought out as a leader.”

He replaces Barbara Stripling, who left the position at the end of 2011 to become a professor of practice at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (iSchool). Stripling held the position since 2005.

Hasenyager (right) assumes his new post on July 30 and will oversee the largest school library program in the nation, with more than 1,000 media specialists spread throughout the city’s five boroughs.

“This will be an experience of a lifetime, and it’s a huge responsibility that I will not take for granted,” says Hasenyager, adding that his biggest challenge will be the sheer size of the school district, which serves 1.1 million students in more than 1,700 schools. By comparison, Hasenyager oversaw 64 buildings, 82 librarians, and 82 support staff while at San Antonio’s North East Independent School District.

However, he sees the continuation of existing partnerships with the public library and others, as well as the creation of new relationships within and outside the district, as ways to “enable us to leverage our size to provide the best to our students.”

While Hasenyager admits that the current economic downturn makes it difficult to ensure that all students in the city have access to a quality school library program, he says he’ll remain “nimble and innovative” to find solutions.

“I will need to create relationships with other district administrators to communicate the importance of a quality school library program,” says Hasenyager, who was named a 2011 Mover and Shaker by our sister publication, Library Journal. ”It is through conversations and action that will demonstrate these needs.”

Hasenyager also wants to build upon the Information Fluency Continuum,a framework that forms the basis for the skills and strategies that are essential for students to become independent readers and learners, which was created by Stripling and her team during her tenure. The next step, he says, is to ensure that the city’s school librarians-as well as its administrators and teachers-are offered adequate professional development to carry out the plan.

Recruiting classroom teachers as school librarians is also high on Hasenyager’s agenda. While in Texas, he successfully convinced teachers about the benefits of continuing their studies and becoming certified school librarians.

“I will work to partner with universities to provide them the education they need in order to help students become fully certified school librarians,” he says.”This will require the director of library services to apply for grants to allow us to reduce the cost of education for those pursing a Master’s degree, with an emphasis in school librarianship.”

Hasenyager says he’s qualified for the new position because he has a firm grasp on the big picture when it comes to how library programs fit into the overall classroom instruction-and he can successfully communicate that vision to others. In addition, he says, his leadership style unites-rather than divides groups-and he makes decisions based on what’s best for his students.

Illustration by Giselle Potter

It was 2001 and I was a year out of college, my dream of becoming a photographer neatly scrapped due to the slightly sobering fact that my photography skills, not to put too fine a point on it, stunk. Library school seemed a given at that point in my life, and I was determined to follow what I had always thought was my lifelong ambition: becoming an archivist. I wanted to conserve books. Never mind that I’m as gentle with rare materials as a cat with a dead mouse; I was determined to see it through.

That resolve lasted until I took LIS 721 Library Materials for Children on a lark. Despite the fact that I was pretty sure I didn’t like kids (a suspicion that proved to be poorly founded), just a couple of classes with Professor Heidi Hammond were enough to turn me off the wayward path of conservation and onto my true calling—children’s librarianship. After graduating in 2003, I left the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN, and soon discovered that New York City was the place to get hired.

At the time, landing a children’s librarian job was tricky but surmountable. These days, of course, it’s significantly more difficult. Between budget cuts and systems that reinvent the very definition of what it means to be a librarian, the word of the day for us must be “flexibility.” Still, in the end, it’s entirely worth it. Children’s librarians are the very backbone of the public library system, creating the readers who’ll grow up

to support the system with their tax dollars. As for school librarians, they’re often the first and sometimes the only librarians whom children will ever encounter, providing services for comers of every background.

I’m going to go out on a wild limb here and assume that many SLJ readers have a pretty little ALA-accredited library degree tucked safely away in their closet. But for those of you who don’t or hope to have one soon, let me guide you through the profession’s trips and traps. Let’s look at what you’ll need to know, where you’d like to go, what you can expect in terms of pocket change, and what the future holds. Everyone else, come along for the ride.

Where would you like to work?

As a children’s librarian, your choices basically boil down to four possibilities: working in a public library, a private library, a public school library, or a private school library. Librarians in each work with children but serve them differently. A school librarian’s days are chock-full of classes, leaving little time for her own work (and what little time remains is often booked by teachers who think the media specialist has nothing better to do than help them). A public librarian must balance storytimes and other programs with class visits and the after-school rush, as kids with working parents race through the door to claim computers and table space.

The public vs. private school question is an ethical and a financial challenge. Recent Pratt library school graduate Allison Bruce put it best when she explained that for her it comes down to working “for an impoverished population and risking failure and burnout, or continuing to serve a population that I don’t feel particularly needs my skills.” To some degree, children from families of every income level need a librarian, but those with fewer advantages particularly benefit from having one in their lives. Then there’s the question of hiring. While public school libraries often require additional education degrees, private schools don’t have such restrictions and can pay more. Hiring practices in public libraries vary according to location. While big cities like New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles have put the brakes on hiring, right now, suburban library systems seem to be advertising for new librarians. As for private children’s libraries, they’re rare but wonderful beasts. Imagine working for a children’s library housed in a museum or a private children’s literary collection that’s owned by a university. It can happen, but you have to be open to the possibility.

What it all boils down to is the fact that you’ll have to look in a variety of places. New York Society Library children’s librarian Carrie Silberman found her position through the American Library Association’s (ALA) website. Though she’d studied to be a school librarian, her new job allows her to “create a modern children’s library within this historic institution.” The trick is staying flexible about where you end up. As another new graduate from Pratt, Danielle Kalan, says, “This job market requires it…. I’ve noticed a trend away from total specialization in library school, since students want to be more broadly employable.” So while you may prefer working with children, stay open to young adult librarianship, archival librarianship, or working with adults. The job you get today may just lead to the job you want tomorrow.

Mad skillz

Which is to say, there are classes that you’ll be glad you took. I’ll level with you. In grad school, I took a total of two classes directly related to children’s librarianship. These consisted of a class on literature (the one I credit with my vocation change) and another on programming. At the time, I had no idea that many of the other classes I happened to take would prove useful, including:

Reference and online services. Recent Pratt graduate Mahnaz Dar says, “The most important course I took was Information Services and Resources, which taught me how to reference sources and conduct reference interviews with patrons. It seems like the one skill that almost every librarian will use, and it was extremely valuable to me to really think about evaluating reference sources. Because I want to work as a school librarian, helping students conduct research is a big part of what I’ll be doing, and this course taught me to think critically about sources in a new way.” These classes sometimes offer help with managing a children’s reference desk, which may come in handy when you’re faced with a tow-headed five-year-old who wants to know where he can find “the orange book.” As Professor Hammond says of the skill that they don’t teach but that we all wish we had, “Mind reading would be helpful.” In lieu of that, try a reference course.

Management of libraries and information centers. Managing a library system may be the last thing on your mind when all you want is to just get hired. Yet you’d be amazed how easily a children’s librarian can slip into the role of manager. Why’s that? Jill Rothstein, manager of New York Public Library’s 67th Street Branch, says, “The same skills that make a good children’s librarian—dedication, energy, innovation—are important, along with understanding how to communicate with different personalities in staff and management, the ability to motivate others, and the ability to keep track of lots of balls in the air.” Remember, keep an eye on the future, even as you try to find a job in the present.

Cataloging. Don’t believe me? Then take it from newly minted school librarian Allison Bruce who says, “I wish I had taken a class devoted solely to cataloging…. I am finding that I’m teaching myself a lot of cataloging on the job and am sure that there are major elements I’m missing as I go.”

Serials management. Whether it’s dealing with the latest print issue of Ranger Rick or the digital edition of Kirkus, a course in serials will give you all the information you’ll need when deciding how to allocate your limited budget and what formats to consider.

Law. OK, I’m kidding here. I’ve found the law librarianship class completely useless. Sorry, law lovers.

While you’re considering potential courses, don’t shy away from those that test your prejudices. Whether it’s taking a class on young adult literature when you’re sure all teens are the devil’s spawn or a graphic-novel course when you couldn’t care two bits about the comic format, taking courses in areas you dislike or fear can only allay those worries and give you the preparation you’ll need. Consider, too, taking classes outside of your graduate program. As Steve Zampino, a teen librarian at Stamford, CT’s Ferguson Library, points out, “Being able to speak Spanish, or another foreign language used by a significant number of a library’s patrons, can be a big help on the job.” These days, multilingual librarians have a significant leg up on the competition.

Also pay attention to what’s new. Today’s innovation just might be tomorrow’s norm. Professor Hammond recommends keeping up with ebooks, ereaders, iPads, and apps, as well as social networking sites and cyber safety. New grad Danielle Kalan says the information technologies class, a core requirement when she attended Pratt, is extremely relevant to her work, especially the basic Web-design skills she learned. “These are the skills that are going to set recent graduates apart as desirable applicants, skills that those who were library students even 10 or 15 years ago won’t have,” she says. They’ll also give you the ammunition you need to justify your job. And when it comes to applying those skills later, find librarians in the field that you can look to for guidance. For example, if you want to be a public school librarian and you don’t currently worship at the altar of Buffy Hamilton, a. k. a. The Unquiet Librarian, now’s the time to start.

It’s all about personality, baby

My mother always said that they should give out degrees in social work alongside degrees in library science to folks going into public library work. Basically, if you’re going to deal with the public, you need to consider how your personality gels with the profession. Work in a public library and you’ll find out some valuable things about yourself. When asked what makes a good children’s librarian, Steve Zampino suggested that “diplomacy and empathy…can be very helpful when dealing with kids, teens, parents, and teachers in a variety of situations.” Don’t feel particularly diplomatic or empathetic? Have a short fuse? Figure out now what might cause you trouble later.

Surprisingly, the rewards outweigh any unpleasantness. Helping a tiny tot find a copy of Strega Nona will get you through an irate mom who demands that you burn your copy of In the Night Kitchen any day of the week. Above all, know thyself. If merely answering the phone gives you stage fright or you don’t much like people, any people, then perhaps front-desk work isn’t for you.

What’s the going rate these days?

Naturally, you’re going to want to know how much your average children’s librarian makes. I don’t think I’ll shock anyone by noting that few folks retire in their 40s, thanks to a lucrative life behind a reference desk. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010 the median salary for any librarian was $54,500 per year or $26.20 per hour. (For more information, see SLJ’s first public library spending survey and Library Journal’s 2011 “Placements & Salary” survey.) Here’s the good news and bad news about job prospects. The bad news is that while the “employment of librarians is expected to grow by 7 percent from 2010 to 2020,” that’s slower than the average for all occupations. The good news is that while there are limited positions available in the early part of the decade, the prospects will sharply improve as older librarians retire. That’s all well and good, but how does it look for children’s librarians? Well, according to SLJ’s 2010–2011 school library spending survey, librarians who work in the educational field also have a good and bad scenario. Tiny budgets, additional duties, and limited hours are some of the problems you might encounter. On the plus side, the survey showed that media specialists’ salaries went up by 10 percent, book collections have grown, and it appears that painful budget cuts are at last ebbing.

Finding a job

Happily, in spite of every economic downturn, library jobs still exist. Unfortunately, the number of applicants per position is sky high. That means you’ll need to explore unconventional places for employment. “I try to keep up with various listservs,” says Mahnaz Dar. “For example, there’s Pratt’s listserv, and I’m also on the Hudson Valley Library Association’s [an organization for librarians working in independent schools] listserv. However, most of the actual jobs I hear about are from people I know who have told me about opportunities at their libraries.” Joining a library as an intern, a page, a clerk, or a volunteer can give you first dibs when a job opens up. Plus, librarians will sometimes bend over backward for an employee they know over an unknown applicant.

Connect!

The children’s librarian who works in a bubble is just asking for trouble. If you think you can ignore networking just because you work with preschoolers, think again. With public library cuts looming and school boards axing media specialists, the time to meet, collaborate, and learn is now. Public librarians need to reach out and meet up with local school librarians, public and private. Build relationships with these people, and you’ll get your hooks into students who might otherwise never have stepped foot in a public library without a gentle little push. Likewise, a school librarian who connects with a public library can discover that the relationship yields all kinds of unexpected rewards. For example, one Manhattan public school of my acquaintance cultivated a partnership with its local public library. When the school librarian fell ill and was out on leave for several months, the public library sent multiple children’s librarians to the school to read to the kids on a regular basis. Build a bridge, and you’ll have many reasons to cross it.

Another way to connect is by joining a professional organization consisting of like-minded folks. There are the usual suspects like ALA, the Public Library Association, and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), which all help you find your tribe. Consider thinking outside the box—join organizations that connect to your world but in ways you’d never imagine. For example, I’m a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as well as the United States Board on Books for Young People, both of which give me insights into the crop of new books for children in the States, as well as children’s books found worldwide.

It can be done!

No matter how daunting the outlook seems, there’s hope. Maybe it’s ridiculous, but I believe that even if all other forms of librarianship were to crumble to the ground and wash away with the tides, children’s librarians would remain standing. New parents and children appear every day. They need your opinions, your thoughts, your recommendations, and your help in finding the best books, websites, apps, and materials out there. Some people say that where there’s a will there’s a way. I say that where there are children there will be librarians, by hook or by crook. Now go out there and help those kids, tiger!

Kudos to Sarah Ludwig, the tech coordinator who was interviewed for School Library Journal’s cover story, “Next Year’s Model.” [Sarah Ludwig] sounds likes she is serving her students and colleagues well. However, I do have to say that there are many school librarians out in the field who have been doing similar things for years. Maybe we are all just flying under the publicity radar.

As a learning resource center director for an elementary school, I do it all: teach information and media literacy to both students and teachers; teach and promote the use of new technologies, again, to both students and teachers; search for and promote the use of print and digital resources; collaborate with my colleagues to develop technology projects that promote student learning in all content areas; teach and co-teach those projects from beginning to end; write curriculum to meet the new Common Core standards; write grants to help fund for all this cool stuff; AND promote a love of reading and literacy through readers’ advisory, read alouds, family reading nights, collection development, and community outreach. On any given day, I am in the library, in the tech lab, and in the classroom. And I am proud to do it under the title of librarian. Admittedly, I go home pretty tired at the end of the day. But that’s how I roll!

Joanne Zienty

Learning Resource Center Director

Butterfield & William

Hammerschmidt Schools, Lombard, IL

]]> http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/06/k-12/next-years-model-readers-sound-off-on-sljs-cover-story/feed/ 0