As a TL there are some areas I enjoy more than others. I enjoying building collections for teaching, learning and fun. I also enjoy working in a team and collaborating with teachers.
Something I learnt early on in my career was that I cannot teach my students if I don’t know my students, therefore building a rapport with this is the most important thing to establish before collaboration can be successful.
As a collaborator I try to involve myself in our community. I meet with the teaching staff, get to know the students, (and the reading favourites), have a presence in the newsletter, meet with parents and promote the library. This helps my get a better understanding of the needs of my school community.
To be a Library Steward I often meet with my principal to discuss the collaboration with staff, the growth and development of the library and to ensure that the vision we have is aligned. I also meet with my fellow Librarian to discuss budgetary requirements, and wishes, as well the development of our collections and library development. These develop a level of accountability, an area I am continually developing and finding the best practice. I want to ensure I doing what is best for my school community.
To be a TL in the Digital Age, it is very important to be a thinker – not an overthinker, of course :P.
- Think about the future progress of the Library within the school context.
- Think about what is already available and how we can improve.
- Think outside the box.
- Think creatively when using the budget, to get bang for our buck. eg, Lifeline bookfair, donations, and looking around for the best price.
- Think creatively to gain more money for expenditure when the allocated budget is small, namely book fair and book club.
Although, I speaking from my own perspective, Lamb, A. & Johnson, H.L. (2012) provoked a reflection into my practices as a Collaborator, Steward and Thinker. All skills I know I possess and am also looking to improve upon.
#collaboration #thinkingnotoverthinking #promoteyourworth #lifelonglearning
References:
Lamb, A. & Johnson, H.L. (2012). Program administration: Budget management. The School Library Media Specialist. Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/sms/administration/budget.html
Crowe, C. (Director & Producer). 1996. Jerry Maguire [Motion picture]. United States of America: Tristar Pictures.