I have been working on an analogy that I think I am finally ready to share. Teacher Librarians (TL) are the diamond within a school setting, or at least they should be. When I consider the properties and features of a diamond, they are all characteristics that a TL needs. A diamond is:
The question is, how do you convince someone who thinks they have a lump of coal to realise they are in fact, in possession of a diamond? This is where the next feature of a diamond comes into play – they sparkle and shine. TLs need to do the same. This does not mean that you need to become the most outspoken person at staff meetings and constantly blow your ‘librarians are awesome’ trumpet. Make sure that you are fulfilling your role as a TL. Engage with the Executive team at your school, take on leadership roles that highlight your special talents, collaborate with staff to develop and deliver great learning experiences.
After you have done all this – and many TLs already are – you need to prove it. Do newsletter inserts to promote learning activities happening in the library or with graphs showing borrowing rates. Valenza (2015) suggests collating answers from exit slips and in-depth surveys as well as many other ideas.
Over time – which is also what it takes to make a diamond – those around you will begin to realise your true worth and if for some reason they don’t, at least you’ll have the results to prove it.
Valenza , J. (2015). Evolving with evidence: Leveraging new tools for EBP . Knowledge Quest. 43( 3), 36-43.
This is a creative and inspiring analogy (I’m also working on a metaphor for my final blog).
I especially enjoyed the comparison to (not being) a “lump of coal”!
Good luck sparkling!