Standard+3.1+Connection+with+library+community

//** Reflection - AASL Standard 3.1: Connection with library community **// As a media specialist it is important to not only be a collaborator and leader within your school, but also within the larger library community. Making connections with professional organizations and with other library personnel allows for networking and the sharing of ideas and resources. This type of collaboration is necessary for promoting and maintaining a successful school media program. During our cohort experience, we were informed about various organizations that work to promote and implement changes on an international, national, state and local level in regards to public and school libraries. In our School Library Administration ISTC 601 course we were asked to research and analyze two professional organizations. My first artifact for this standard is my evaluation of two organizations in which I am a member and they are: Maryland Association of School Libraries (MASL) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). In our evaluations we included the main purpose of each organization, their affiliations, cost of membership, publications, conferences and grants or awards that they offer to their members. Each person presented their evaluations to the class, and this gave us the opportunity to become familiar with other organizations that we might want to consider joining. I personally have found it beneficial to be a member of these organizations by attending their conferences as well as receiving their publications. The MASL keeps me posted about changes that are being made at the state level in regards to school media programs. In addition they also host programs such as the Black Eyed Susan Yearly Book Awards in which children’s books are selected based on their excellence in literature. ISTE is an educational organization that not only assists school librarians but educators in general. They keep educators informed about the technological changes that are occurring internationally. Their monthly publication Tech and Learning keeps me up to date about the current trends in regards to integrating technology into the curriculum as well as the latest type of equipment, software and Web 2.0 tools that are being used by educators across the globe. As a media specialist you can join many of these organizations online and access their journals or publications in a digital format like the American Library Association. TheALAis a national organization that keeps you posted about media programs across the country as well as current research that has been done.

In addition, to belonging to organizations such as the ones mentioned above, it is also important to keep up to date with current blogs and wiki sites that allow individuals in the profession to collaborate with other people. These online sites not only provide a central location in which discussions can take place, but the media specialist will also find various resources that expand beyond local publishers or providers. A great resource that I came upon by subscribing to a literature blog was the International Children’s Digital Library []. Besides making connections on an international, national and state level it is also just as important to make connections with the other libraries in your area as well as collaborate with media specialists and related staff members within your school district. We are fortunate in our school district that we have strong connections with staff members of both the Eastern Shore Library as well as the local Princess Anne Library. At several of our media specialist meetings this year we have had the director of the Eastern Shore Library come visit and bring us up to date what changes were occurring in the public libraries that are in each of our school districts. This information has been proven quite helpful, since our teachers can access programs like Brain Pop through their digital system by just logging in under their library card number. Furthermore, to continue to develop our relationship with the public library I keep in touch on a regular basis with the children’s librarian in regards to upcoming activities and author visits. I also invite Mrs. Zimmerman to attend our back to school nights as well as special events at our school to assist in the promotion of having our students obtain a public library card. She also comes at the end of every school year to promote the summer reading program and at our school we support that program by giving additional gift cards to those students who participate when they return to school in the fall.

Another librarian that we had the opportunity to speak to and hear from was the Director of Library Services atSalisburyUniversity. In our Information Access and Literacy ISTC 651 our instructor arranged for us to see how a library system operated for students entering and attending school at the college level. This experience was quite informative and gave me some background knowledge about what information literacy skills students needed at the college level. The best part of this experience was being able to listen to and ask questions of several college students that were selected by the librarian for a student panel. I learned a great deal by hearing them discuss how the library media services in their elementary, middle and high schools prepared them or didn’t prepare them for their college experience.

In regards to our school district, I also feel fortunate because the Director of Media Services and our Technology Director hold meetings once a month to keep us updated about budget issues, technology integration and media administration issues. We are able to discuss and comment on what is being done in each of media centers and collaborate in regards to ideas and resources. However, it was not until we had to do an observation assignment in our School Library Administration ISTC 601 class on a media specialist in another school that I saw how different the job was for a high school media specialist verses an elementary media specialist. In artifacts 3 and 4 that are attached I have provided a diagram of the high school media center as well as my observation and interview that I did on one of colleagues. By observing her day and talking about her job responsibilities I have learned a little more about the operation of a media center at the secondary level. It was also interesting to see students that I had five years ago and how much they have grown and matured over the years.

In conclusion as with any job in this modern day society, one can clearly see the benefits of networking. In order to be successful as a media specialist it is important to build a strong support system within and outside of your school. By building a productive collaborative system you are not only assisting your students in achieving academically, you are also serving as a role model of how to thrive in the 21st century.