This winter, I wrote about working with administrators (and becoming one) in “The Same Difference” (SLJ, Feb. 2013, p. 20–23). After a full year in my new role, I continue to reflect on the ways teacher librarians can better connect and work with building and district leaders. This theme will be part of the SLJ Leadership Summit in Austin, September 28–29. Call it convergence or detente, librarians and administrators will be engaged in some exciting conversations in the coming year. In preparation, here are two useful ways to think and work like an admin.

The pivot: an administrator’s view

I miss the relative simplicity of the library. While a library includes many moving parts, it is not always necessary to know how or why things work so long as they do work. Teacher librarians are often better connected to various school and district systems than classroom teachers, but their understanding may still be limited. They are likely to know which textbooks are used by different departments or grade levels and how to order them, and may have some responsibility for their management. But at the district level, a complex machinery of processes, policies, and departments must work together in order to ensure students and teachers get materials. Seeing things from that perspective can help improve library service and the library’s place in an institution.

The points

More moving parts. As an administrator, I have learned that almost nothing is simple, even in a well-aligned district such as ours. There are always more moving parts than meet the eye. Understanding those parts and what it takes to keep them moving has become essential to my work. Teacher librarians stand to benefit by developing similar institutional knowledge. By learning the complexity of their organizations, they can become better informed, connected, and placed to advocate for their programs. This learning can come from developing authentic relationships with administrators. And because principals often see things differently from administrators, teacher librarians should seek to develop relationships at both building and district levels, ideally with the curriculum and IT departments that often intersect with library programs.

It’s important not to start the relationship with an “ask.” Offer to sit on a committee or offer support of a building or district initiative. Build a trusting professional friendship over time. Eventually, you will better understand the complexity of your district, and your new administrative friends may gain a better knowledge of your library and program.

Leading as a team. Administrators rarely make decisions alone. Despite their job titles, few administrators act unilaterally, and the best rely on others to provide advice and guidance in forming policies and solutions. By contrast, as a teacher librarian, I made many—if not most—decisions with little input from others. Since few outsiders understand what happens in school libraries, many teacher librarians have more autonomy than principals. This opacity and insularity can be a problem. Connecting with other stakeholders adds valuable input, information, and ideas. Almost everything I did this year involved a team to help envision, plan, and implement projects and programs. Likewise, teacher librarians can benefit by forming teams with other stakeholders. While it will probably complicate and slow decision making, it will also expose their library programs to wider audiences.

Teacher librarians should also build professional learning communities with others in their districts and beyond. At the building level, consider forming a steering committee to better understand the needs of parents, teachers, and students. This can provide insight and inform decisions while building bridges with stakeholders.

Teacher librarians have much in common with administrators. Find ways to build relationships with them. Listen and learn how decisions are made. In doing so, you can better understand the complex machinery of educational organizations and what makes administrators tick.

Mark Ray (Mark.Ray@vansd.org), a former teacher librarian, is the director of instructional technology and library services for Vancouver (WA) Public Schools.

The Pivot: Digital Learning Resources

At a recent CoSN (Consortium for School Networking) Conference, I participated in several discussions with content and educational service providers, not to mention district leaders. To my surprise, they don’t think much of textbooks either. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has all but declared war on textbooks, advocating a rapid shift to digital resources to better support student learning. The demise of print textbooks may well be more sudden and ignominious than the fall of disco in the late 1970s. Was that guy wearing a “Textbooks Suck” T-shirt?

As traditional publishers rush into the digital marketplace, Washington State has adopted a K–12 open educational resources (OER) initiative. Similar to programs around the nation, the goal is to provide free or low-cost learning resources to schools. While not strictly digital, OER is intended to support 21st-century models, including online learning and 1:1. In turn, Apple is actively promoting iBook authoring tools for teachers (and students) to create or remix OER content for custom textbooks. The digital shift is underway. There are many ways that teacher librarians can inform and assist districts making the transition.

The Points

Curation. Despite appearing on several year-end “Do Not Use Anymore” word lists, the term “curation” was used with impunity at the conference. From sales pitches to conversations with superintendents and technology directors, the need to locate, collect, and manage digital content was consistent and clear. Semantics aside, teacher librarians know curation. For decades, they have been curating both analog and digital content. As districts look to digital resources, teacher librarians can repackage their skills in collection development and learning-resource management to provide sorely needed leadership, particularly with curriculum departments. Few curriculum departments have the staffing or expertise to understand the challenges of digital content and OER or how to effectively implement a digital content strategy. While some companies offer digital content curation, many districts will opt to do the work themselves due to cost or the desire to retain control. Enter teacher librarians to the rescue.

Metadata. Curation is not just about finding and selecting content. Like library materials, digital resources require organization and classification so that users can locate them. Pivoting from Dewey and Sears, teacher librarians can learn some new concepts. Another key term is metadata, the tags and descriptors that, like subject headings, provide categorization of and subsequent access to digital learning resources. Metadata is everywhere. Because teacher librarians understand controlled vocabularies, subject headings, and the limitations of keyword searching, they can help districts create guidelines and systems that will guarantee a successful digital shift.

Learning objects. As ebooks have complicated the library universe, learning objects will vex classrooms and curriculum departments. Learning objects include a diverse array of instructional materials that can be used as schools begin to leverage digital content—handouts, slide stacks, lesson plans, interactive texts, audio and video files, animations, and games. The same order applied to library catalogs will necessarily have to be applied to learning objects both within and among districts and states. LORs, or learning object repositories, will house these curated collections and will be available to students and teachers not in a sticky textbook, but on an iPad or laptop. And who will likely collect, inventory, and circulate those devices?

Just ask Sisyphus.

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

Photo: Thinkstockphoto

Many teacher librarians find ways to provide leadership through their teaching, programs, and facilities. As the recent Pennsylvania study confirmed, effective school library programs positively impact student learning. While library leadership is essential, it may not be enough. We must think bigger. As information professionals, we have the expertise, connections, and skills to extend our leadership beyond libraries and make ourselves invaluable to principals, district administrators, and other decision makers. We can help plan, articulate, and implement major programs that will define schools in the future. In this new column, which will appear six times a year, I’ll identify pivot points—opportunities for librarians to leverage our profession’s strengths to lead, teach, and offer support.

The Pivot: BYOD

Until recently, most schools didn’t allow students to use their own technology devices in the classroom. Despite students’ use of mobile devices elsewhere, many districts impose strict policies that force children to power down as they enter the classroom. Enter BYOD. Bring Your Own Device programs offer students and teachers access to the Internet and the permission to use those devices in the classroom. Some districts see BYOD as a strategy to fill technology gaps, while others see it as a way to better prepare students for college, careers, and life. Unlike 1:1 programs, BYOD classrooms include anything from smartphones to laptops. BYOD is about flexibility with students working and learning in a variety of ways—not unlike a high-functioning library.

The Points

Digital citizenship. Personal devices require personal responsibility in the form of digital citizenship. With the flip of a switch, schools can shift from aging computer labs and a “no cell phone” policy to students and teachers using almost any device at school. While teachers retain the ability to define when those devices can be used, the need for students to understand appropriate uses of technology is suddenly everyone’s business. Many teacher librarians have long promoted digital literacy, responsibility, and citizenship, often to the bemusement of other teachers. As personal devices come to school, teacher librarians can parlay this experience into an opportunity to collaborate with teachers, helping to solve a new challenge that all educators must confront. Whether integrated into library instruction or articulated with classroom content, expertise in digital citizenship becomes a vital asset in Bring Your Own Device schools.

Leadership. Teacher librarians can inform and guide decision making whether a district is considering BYOD or is well on its way to implementing a BYOD program. As digital citizenship connects teacher librarians with teachers, it offers a similar opportunity to connect with IT, curriculum, and other departments. BYOD requires districts to shift thinking about teaching and operations. Teacher librarians can locate and curate best practices, ideas, and resources for the benefit of both district leadership and teachers. When administrators seek out other districts to inform decision making, teacher librarians can tap into librarian networks to connect with kindred districts. Teacher librarians can also help review or develop digital citizenship materials, curriculums, or communications connected to the implementation.

Test beds. Finally, school libraries can serve as test beds to explore the use of personal devices in schools, offering administrators, teachers, and the public a safe way to examine a BYOD program. By providing proof of concept, a successful BYOD pilot in a school library might lead to a broader implementation. Overnight, your library can become the focus of the school and district, representing forward thinking and innovation.

Great school libraries have always been about providing access to both technology and resources to create a learning commons. BYOD extends this ethos to the entire school. As others follow our lead, teacher librarians can play a valuable role, supporting educators for whom this brave new world represents change and uncertainty. We know change and uncertainty. And we know digital citizenship, digital literacy, and educational technology. BYOD offers teacher librarians a choice: Do we step in to lead, teach, and support learning? Or do we leave our patrons to their own devices?

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