What do Librarians even do?

This post is not complete! I started it back in November and still have lots of add. BUT – I wanted to put something out there and as @lbettencourt suggested, it might help give me some traction!

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I’m not going to lie, at times I have struggled with my decision to get a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS). Yes, that’s a thing. (This is not to say that I don’t absolutely love my job, because I do!)

However, I struggled with this decision because I have always felt like there are a lot of negative assumptions made about libraries and librarians. I think one of the biggest assumptions that irks me is that libraries and librarians are no longer needed because of the internet. So, I am going to work at putting this to rest and explain what it is we actually do.

Some context: I am currently working in an elementary school and am a Teacher-Librarian for K-6.
I have both my MLIS and B.Ed.

Reader’s advisory

Connecting students with the right book is a huge part of my job. This requires me to be very knowledgeable and current about children’s literature. Through a discussion with a student about what they enjoy reading and why, I am able to make an informed suggestion for something they might like. I must know my students, all 500 of them, really well. Not all students are able to communicate why they like a book, but my expertise in children’s literature allows me to have these conversations and connect them with a book they might love.

Teachers often request reading materials: What would be a great new novel study? What is a great read aloud for my class?

I curate recommended reading lists for teachers to share with parents. Students and parents can also explore these lists and use them to guide their reading choices. I have created reading lists for each grade, early chapter books, best graphic novels, learning strategies resources, themed book lists (kindness, inquiry, determination, etc.). Not to mention, curriculum-related resource lists, for both print and digital resources.

Under this heading I would also include creating displays in the library to engage readers. Here are some pictures of my current displays.

Collection development

I purchase every book that is added to my library and I evaluate every book we currently have. I am responsible for making sure my collection meets the diverse needs of my students, reflects our diverse world, supports our curriculum, and engages our students.

TEACHING

Teaching is a huge part of what I do!
With our Children’s House (aka kindergarten) students I foster a love of reading through story time. I chose my reading materials intentionally and have a focus with every story I read. It ranges from comprehension, interacting with books, 3Rs (recall, retell, reflection), making an inference, fiction vs. non-fiction, narration, visual literacy, prediction, genres, etc. I integrate technology into my storytimes, using resources like EPIC books and Novel effect to enhance the experience.

I see students in grades 1 through 6. MORE TO COME ON THIS!

Outside of my regular scheduled classes I also host books clubs, have students participation in reading programs (Forest of Reading, Battle of the Books). I run a donate-a-book program where families can donate to the library and a sticker appears in the inside cover of the book(s) with their name on it. This might not seem like a lot, but as of November (in less than two months) I had processed almost 90 books as part of this program!

Cataloguing / general library organization

Librarians create spaces where students can learn. I am intentional with how I design my space, from what furniture I have purchased (movable tables to allow for multi-purpose), chairs in a variety of sizes to meet the physical needs of different size kids, etc.
I have purchased bean bags and have comfy couches to encourage students to relax, unwind, be comfortable as they read, or hang out in a safe space.

When I first started at my library there were some significant challenges with how the books were organized. There was a Reader section – that had both fiction and non-fiction books together. However, if a student ever searched for a book, they had no way to know that the book was in the Reader section. The same problem occurred for the entire Fiction collection. The books were separated by Lower Elementary (grades 1-3) and Upper Elementary (grades 4-6) which coincides with how our Elementary program is organized. Again, if a student (or teacher or parent) searched for a book, they had no way of knowing where to find this book on the shelf. So, in came my expertise and I changed the call number on all books to properly reflect the location in the library (and this change was reflected appropriately in the catalogue).

As I mentioned above, this is just the start of my blog post on this topic. MORE TO COME 🙂