My high school is about to embark on a 1:1 device environment, and we have a year to plan what this will look like for our staff and students. First, we’ve compiled a diverse committee of teachers, administrators, and district technology coaches. The groundwork has been laid for success thanks to an incredibly smart  district instructional coach. Our building deployment committee is carefully following a protocol she developed while individualizing it for our school’s population. This plan will outline how these devices will change the way instruction happens in the classroom, flesh out the details of putting the devices in students’ hands, and discuss other challenges we might face. Teachers will receive devices and training later this year.The hands-on training will look at instructional practices, when to use what tools, as well as classroom management strategies. Our goal is to create an environment where teachers will be genuinely excited to learn and embrace this new approach to teaching and learning. Based on the experience of other 1:1 schools, we realize also that we must foster an open environment where failure is seen as an opportunity to learn. There is an optimism for sharing good things, moving quickly through the tough stuff and working together to problem solve and strengthen our work through our collaborative efforts. As we go through this process, I am starting to develop a vision of what the librarian’s role is in this process.The closer we get to deployment, the more I realize what a major impact this will have on our library program. If this is happening in your school, I implore you to be involved as my clerk and I are, at the ground level of planning, question asking, and strategizing. What I’m finding is that while the iPad is just “another tool,” we librarians are still the best resource for a myriad of things that strengthen student achievement. I know that for a long time now teacher librarians have been encouraged to advocate for their programs, to show they are relevant to the staff, and to promote reading and literacy. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough. Unless we strengthen our roles as essential teacher/collaborators, indispensable digital content managers, and vital professional development coordinators, we will likely have no role in our school’s future. We must transform the way we do things, the way we lead, the manner in which we teach, the professional development we provide staff, and the support we give students. If we fail to do so, we will become irrelevant. I think Vancouver’s (WA) Public Schools manager of instructional technology and library services Mark Ray has it right. He has seen his teacher librarians make a noticeable shift from providing resources to providing services. Don’t just provide books, magazines, and access to databases. Rather focus on providing training, support, collaboration, and leadership. Relevant teacher librarians are:

• Promoting digital citizenship and literacy to students

• Actively collaborating with classroom teachers to support other instructional outcomes

• iPad and laptop geniuses, providing a first level of user support

• Resources who demonstrate how digital content might meet student needs beyond library walls and hours of operation

It is up to us to create a vision for how future librarians will be utilized in public schools. We are well placed to assist in locating, evaluating, and delivering digital content. We are positioned to be the professional development coordinators in our buildings. While 1:1 devices are just “another tool,” we librarians can help best use that tool for purposes that strengthen student achievement and help all our teachers, the techies and the technophobes alike, to embrace the possibilities of the digital future.