Group Discussion
Are we (school librarians) tipping backward or forward?
I started in the Librarianship program for my love of books. Outside of sending my students to the library to get a book. I didn’t have any knowledge or understanding about the running of a library. I was unaware of all the things a library could offer for its students. So, to answer the question about whether school librarians are tipping backward or forward I would have to say backward. My thinking is if the school librarians were doing all they could I would have known more about it. With that being said I feel that our fellow student Cassandra Clark made a good point. She thought that the tipping backward or forward depends on the outlook of each library and how much they understand about educating the 21 Century Learner.
What are our greatest strengths and our greatest weaknesses?
The more I learn about school librarians and the more of them I meet; I would say our greatest strength is passion. We have a passion for reading, passion for teaching, and passion for students. Our greatest weakness at least in elementary schools is the school boards, administrations, and lawmakers’ ability to see the importance of having a certified librarian in their schools.
How would you advocate for school libraries more effectively?
Margaret Sullivan (2010) wrote that Malcolm Gladwell believed that for things to change you needed to have three factors: “The Law of the Few,” “The Stickiness Factor,” and “The Power of Context” which I agree. However, to effectively advocate you must also know your audience and which factor would work best to sway them. I would work with the school boards, administrations, and parents to see the importance of certified teacher librarians and show how they help the students in their school.
Sullivan, Margaret. (2010). Are School Libraries at a Tipping Point? Teacher Librarian, 37(5), 84
Deborah Gibbs 