This week a new Library Assitant began at our school.

Twelve applications were received for the position. The principal trimmed this to six candidates and asked my opinion of which three should move to the interview stage. As part of the interview process, he asked my assistant and me to give them a tour of the library and ask a few questions so we could get a ‘feel’ for them. After this process, it became clear there were two who would make great assistants. But how to choose? Both candidates had excellent but very different skill sets. Although I was not the one making the final hiring decision, the principal highly valued my opinion.

ETL504 was really timely to this decision as I wrestled over who would be a better fit. It helped me to think about my role of leading the library team and its place in the school. I really had to think through my vision for the library and articulate why I thought one candidate fit more closely with that vision. In the end, I did not recommend the younger, highly academic candidate. She would have connected really well with the VCE students and have been really helpful. Instead, I suggested the older applicant that had an extremely varied background experience. I felt that this would connect better with our school’s diverse population of students and staff and be more likely to nurture a passion for learning across a broad range of ages and interests, not just the already ‘academic’ students. I’m thankful for the timing of the content from ETL504 as it helped me think through my role as a leader with a vision for our library.