Reflections on the dispositions of a successful library media specialist

I'm continuing to study for my upcoming exams and I'm trudging through all the information.  I feel confident that I'll do well on the exams, but I still get nervous even thinking about taking a test.  I guess I've never outgrown my apprehension towards test taking.  Anyhow, it's a process and I'm working through it.  In addition to trying to catch up on my blogging, I'm also working on my digital portfolio.  I've read up on them, weighed the pros and maybe one con, and decided that I would create one.  I chose Wix.com because I'm familiar with this platform and I feel that is offers the flexibility I need and provides me slightly more creative freedom than other platforms.  I will post my portfolio on my blog once I'm done with it.  I think it's going to give me the edge I need when I start looking for a job.

Now let's dive into week 1 of IST661!

This week professor Kawolski had us focus on these objectives:

• Understand the diverse roles of a school librarian
• Understand the dispositions of a 21st-century school librarian
• Reflect on your own dispositions and their impact on the roles you assume
• Decide on the roles that you will assume to implement your vision, mission, and goals
• Reflect on the implications of the virtual environment for LMC services and librarian roles

The structure of this class is such that each week a different member of the class comes up with the discussion question, posts it, and then continues to monitor and engage with classmates during the discussion.  Here is the question my classmate asked.  I'm not really sure about putting in names.  So I'm going to keep things discrete, unless I directly ask that person if they would like to be mentioned in my blog.  Please keep in mind that all discussion questions, unless indicated by me, are not my own and have been constructed by members of my class.  However, my responses are solely mine and are my own thoughts and reflections.  So without further adu, here was the discussion posted for week 1 of IST661:

As we are discussing dispositions of school librarians this week, I have few questions on top of the ones Professor Kowalski has posed to us. After reading through Gail Bush and Jami L. Jones two articles on professional dispositions of school libraries, I really appreciated the look into what the school librarian community is developing. Are there any dispositions (referring to their list that was displayed from the panelists) that you feel you are comfortable or have developed well? What dispositions do you feel you need to work on? And finally, any dispositions that are missing from the report that need to be addressed?

My reflection:

I believe the role of the library media specialist is a diverse and complicated one.  It is a role that wears many different hats and cannot neatly fit into any one category.  At the same time we're both teachers and librarians.  However, we're also advocates, critical thinkers, lifelong learners, collaborators, and one of the most important characteristics or disposition...leaders.  I believe there are two dispositions that every library media specialist should strive towards.  One was mentioned in our reading for this week and that was the disposition of a leader.

Library media specialists should be leaders for change.  We should know the latest tools and tips of the trade to make learning successful for both the teachers and students we work with.  We should step up our presence in our school communities by taking on a leadership role within them.  We should be a part of the leadership teams within schools, especially when it comes to the school's curriculum.  If we want our students to succeed, we must be able to be an integral part of the curriculum process.  By positioning ourselves within this leadership role, we are better able to change the content within our libraries and offer students and teachers the opportunities and avenues to build their literacy skills and ultimately be more successful in their educational careers.  It's too easy for us to get stuck in the rut of just doing surface level library lessons, and not helping teachers and students see that we can offer them solutions to connect content across the curriculum.  Also, and I'll be honest here, if we can successfully merge the library and the curriculum, and if our students' test scores improve; then it would stand to reason that our library budgets may improve as well.  I could be totally wrong about this, but it seems plausible and makes sense.

Some may wonder why their libraries are drowning or their budget is slowly dwindling year after year.  Let's be honest, at this point the library does not have a true presence within the school, or it is seen as irrelevant.  If a library media specialist wants this to change, they must enter a position of leadership and start connecting their library with the needs of the school and the curriculum at large.  To do this library media specialists should attend school data meetings, grade level meetings, community meetings regarding their school,etc.  Connect with their administrators more, attend school board meetings.  Get a feel for the climate.  Put yourself out there, and prepare to get busy.  If your successful, your library will blossom.  You can do this!  Because, if you don't, the people who are the most affected by the loss of a library program are the STUDENTS!  And let's face it, isn't that why we're all here in the first place?

The second disposition, which wasn't really stated as a disposition in any of the literature, but rather fell under a broader disposition, was the act of being innovative.  Bush and Jones' article, "Forecasting Professional Dispositions of School Librarians," places innovative under the broad disposition of critical thinking (2011).  While critical thinking can bring about innovation, so can creative thinking, collaborating, as well as empathy. I argue that it's not enough that being innovative be placed under a category, but rather be a broader disposition that encompasses and creates certain attitudes.  For example, being innovative means being curious, enjoying a challenge, being on the cutting edge of skills and resources, thinking deeply, willing to see others points of view, being flexible, being resilient, or have a certain stick-to-it-ness even though an idea or product may fail, being able to think outside of the box, and use materials/resources/products/systems in ways not previously imagined.  

I believe that the greatest tool, besides leadership, that is going to bring about change for a library media specialist, is their ability to be seen as a truly unique innovator.  Our administrators and fellow teachers want to see what creative things we can do with the resources we have, without breaking the bank.  They want to know how can we re-vamp old and tired lessons to breathe new life into them to peak students' interest and increase engagement.  They want us to be able to pass these skills in innovation down to the students we teach.  In today's educational climate it is important that we separate ourselves from the traditional view as the same-old, same-old librarian and approach our libraries as a place where innovation happens through creative thinking, collaboration, the sharing of ideas, and in some instances play.   

To wrap it up.  The roles I see as being most important in order to make a successful school library program are: program administrator, leader, professional development coordinator, information specialist, instructional partner, and innovator.  A healthy balance can be difficult to maintain, but with lots of self reflection (and trial and error) I have no doubt I will rock these!

Almost forgot this!  So much for being a good librarian!

Reference:
Bush, G., & Jones, J. L.  (2011).  Forecasting professional dispositions of school librarians.  School Library Monthly, 27 (4), 54-56.