School libraries a dying breed whilst public libraries thrive
Recent article in the ABC news speaks of school libraries and the dire state they are in to remain open in schools. Ironic as I sit out the front of the newly refurbished Marrickville Public Library, It’s a half an hour before opening time and there is already at least 100 people outside waiting to get in. I have been to this library several times since they launched their new space and every time it has been a buzz with activity, meeting rooms fully booked and even the large upstairs ‘study zone’ with no tables to spare. Hence why today I am here early to secure my spot.
Obviously libraries are important to the community otherwise all these people would be elsewhere. It frustrates me that libraries don’t seem to hold the same value within the school context. Libraries are trying to imitate these new dynamic learning spaces within schools but reality is schools don’t have the space , budget or coffee shop connected to pull the crowds. It’s seems that the ‘bling’ factor is becoming a reason to go to the library and not not contents within it but if that is what moving with the times is then school libraries will need a facelift.
ETL 504 -Time management = an issue for me
No surprises here I am a first class procrastinator. Blog posting has come a little late due to procrastination (fed by lack of familiarity with blogs, social media etc). Also doing 2 subjects this semester whilst working has not been easy. The 2 subjects have been very different ETL505 a practical subject with little opportunity for practical application with completely new concepts to wrap my head around. With ETL504 I feel I have been swamped with readings and weekly tasks where I have needed to pick my battles and do as much as I could manage without throwing the towel in.
Time management comes easy to some. My partner for example has goals, schedules, spreadsheets, calenders and sticks to carefully laid-out plans. Me on the other hand, can put all the work into planning but I am terrible at the follow through. It’s a bit like my lack of will power when it comes to chocolate.
Thankfully I am not in a work environment such as the ones we have been presented in the Case studies. If that was my reality then the job would not be for me. Managing my time and commitments in my primary school are a lot more manageable.
But as for this degree maybe I need a time management coach (that’s a thing right?) Something to consider moving forward……. Or doing one subject next Semester rather than two is looking like a more feasible option for me.
ETL 504 – Case Study Reflection
Case Study 5 – second last case study and my feelings surrounding the group work has been mixed. Getting to know more people in the course has been great and to be honest I have felt much more comfortable conversing with my group via email and phone than through the set up modes. I feel our group members are very similar as we have kept the tasks casual and have not put pressure on each other. A couple of us have posted initial thoughts (getting the ball rolling), one member has got the layout/template of our responses on the wiki sorted (super helpful) so it has been a matter of us slotting in relevant information/opinions/ideas where they fit, and at the end one person has come forward to collate and post on the discussion board – and this week it’s ME! Not easy as I would normally let other do this (not confident enough to take the lead) but after observing others in my group do it and after building relationships with the people in my group I feel more comfortable to do so.
ETL 504 – Conflict Resolution
For the Conflict Handling Survey I scored the following:
Yielding: 16
Compromising: 15
Forcing: 8
Problem Solving: 16
Avoiding: 19
Is this a true reflection? Yes I would say so particularly when it comes to compromising and avoiding. I try to work towards mutually beneficial outcomes but as I am not good with conflict I often find myself putting the needs of others first to avoid uncomfortable encounters. This is also where the yielding comes in to effect which explains why meetings with dominant staff often leave me feeling deflated or I find whatever the agenda was for the meeting a complete waste of time.
It was nice to score high on problem-solving. I do feel I have a lot to offer in this area but I know I need to become more confident in putting forward my ideas, solutions and professional opinions.
ETL 504 – Colvin’s Article
Like others contributing to this subjects’ blog I found it difficult at first to make the connection between the information provided in Colvin’s (2000) article and what happens within the school context. While it discusses management and its slow evolution it seems to be written more from a business perspective than being relevant to an educational institution. The connection I made is in Colvin’s interpretation of ‘Taylorism’ as forgetting the human element in management. Librarians are in an era of justification when it comes to their role being relevant and pivotal to students’ educational outcomes. As search and retrieve databases increase access to information the position of the TL becomes questioned. However, the human element is needed otherwise students are only accessing part of the information – the information ‘source’ and are missing the information ‘service’. Author Neil Gaiman perfectly describes what’s happening in digital times:
“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.”
In a school environment just like any other business interaction, recognition and relationships are an important part of building success.
References
Colvin, G. (2000). Managing in the info era. Fortune, 141(5). Retrieved from http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/03/06/275231/index.htm?iid=sr-link1.
ETL 504 – Teacher Librarians as Leaders? Initial thoughts.
I have worked in both the hospitality and educational sectors and in both areas I have landed in supervisory or management roles without actually ever wanting the roles. Working as a classroom teacher for the past 9 years my principal was great at telling me what role I would be good at and pushing me to lead committees which I was not comfortable in doing. While I understood that potential for such roles was being identified in me and recognised how it how it suited the principal’s agenda at the time I felt there was no consideration into what I was comfortable and interested in taking on even after explicit conversations I felt I was not being listened to or respected. Eventually, I left the job and here I am embarking on a new journey as Teacher Librarian.
Now the subject of TL as Leader is a very daunting subject for me given the brief history I’ve outlined. I feel like I may have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire so to speak. The Case study scenario presented to us in this subject reminds me of the pressure cooker environment from which I have gotten away from. Thankfully this seems so far removed from my current workplace scenario. In my current primary school the library staff consists of me, myself and I. I can see leadership opportunities but feel no pressure to ‘step up’ at the moment as the school has not had a qualified TL prior so expectations are pretty basic at the moment. I feel I need this degree and some experience under my belt before asserting myself as a leader.
I am very interested in Lori’s term “leading from the middle”. What it looks like and how I can approach such leadership style in the future?