Ruth Wetherington 50102153 LIS 550: Practicum in a School Library Fall 2013

Part 1: Personal Professional Vision Statement

There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing students passionate about learning. As a librarian, I strive to help all students fall in love with reading and take ownership for their own education. In my library students will be encouraged and challenged as they push themselves to step out of their comfort zone and seek information from a variety of resources. Students will be empowered to know what information is valuable and what is not. They will learn the art of analyzing and synthesizing what they know, and they will learn how to communicate that information effectively with others. Students and staff will know that the library is a safe place for them to explore different avenues of coming to the same conclusion. I will work to make sure people feel respected and valued, and my patrons will know that their opinions matter. I want people to see me as an esteemed teammate who is there to help them achieve their goals. I will make myself available by setting up clear expectations for those who wish to utilize the library and its resources. My hope is to run a library that is a central hub of learning, essential and valuable to all entities in the school.

Part 2: Elevator Speech

Hi, my name is Ruth Wetherington and I am so glad you brought this up. I am actually attending the librarians conference this week and am an elementary school librarian. I would love to share with you a little about what I do. First and foremost I am an educator. I care about the future of our country, and I am committed to training students who love to learn and will someday make a difference in our country. I realize that there is unlimited information out there for our students to consume each day. However, you know as well as I do that you cant believe everything you hear (or read for that matter). I consider it so important to teach my students how to find information and analyze it for its reliability and relevance. Then I work to teach them how to use this information and create opinions about it and in turn be able to communicate this information with others. These are skills that employers are looking for and struggling to find in young employees. I love the challenge of helping students connect with their interests and their strengths and find ways to grow and use this information to share with others.

Not only do I work with the students helping prepare them for their future, I also am a networker for my school and community. I work to connect people with resources they want or need, with programs to help them grow as individuals and groups, and with other people who could benefit from a working relationship. I do marketing for my library and school as well as working to raise community awareness and support for ways to help our students. I develop partnerships for our school that help to give all of our students the support they need to grow and develop into adults that make a difference. I understand the stigma that I have as being a librarian, however, I know there is so much more to the job than meets the eye. If you are ever in the DFW area I would love to give you a tour of what we have going on, or feel free to check out our website where you can learn more about our programs. I bet there is a library in your area that would love to have your support so they can best educate our future. Nice to meet you!

Part 3: Practicum Activities

I truly enjoyed my time in the library this semester. I loved getting to know new students and working more closely with many of the teachers. While the descriptors were challenging, they were very informative and helpful to see an overall view of what the library should look like. At my school students use the library mostly when their classes are scheduled to come. Most classes comes once a week and some once every other week. Occasionally small groups of kids will come to use the computers or check out books. The schedule was a mixed fixed and flexible schedule. This was good in that classes could move around when field trips or testing came up, but tough because teachers were not required to bring their classes every week. Some of the classes got to come to the library way more than others. When classes visited the library there is district curriculum for Internet safety that the librarian was required to teach. Other times the librarian was able to do fun lessons and story time. I enjoyed the Internet safety classes but my favorite groups were when I could just be creative and spend time with the kids. My favorite was working with the kindergarten and first grade students and doing story time. The kids LOVED it and I had never done anything like this before. Im used to working with 3 6 graders and doing lessons, but there is something fun about the innocence of the younger students and how excited they get when you just ask them questions and talk to them. One kindergarten

teacher told her students I was the reading princess and they will scream prin cess and run down the hall to hug me every time they see me. They also curtsy and bow on their way out of the library every week. Too cute! (Disclaimer: this is just a fun storywe actually did real lessons most of the time) This semester has been so helpful and informative because I have struggled with this. Often times I have to ask my mentor about what we have and where things would be. I realize how important it is to know your collection well so that you can make suggestions when your patrons have needs. I have worked with 5 graders looking for fantasy books for book projects, I have worked with 3 graders looking for books on rainforests, I have worked with students with learning disabilities to help them find books that they will actually be interested in. All of these experiences have been useful. It is nice when you work with a class and the teachers tell you the topics before hand. I really like just working with students individually and listening to them. The students feel valued and confident in talking about what they would like. One of my favorite experiences with helping children find books is with one of my boys who is a self proclaimed reading hater. I spent week after week talking about his interests and trying to find books he might like. Finally, I suggested he started reading some of our magazines that the library subscribes to. He ended up loving National Geographic kids magazine and he will now choose nonfiction books on his own. Progress is progress. I also struggled with helping a class find books for a project. The teacher did not come with the class to the library and there were very differing opinions between students on what the teacher was looking for. I realized how important good communication with teachers can make or break a situation. I got to work with a few teachers this semester, although not as many as I would like. I worked with a second grade teacher and pulled lots of books on life cycles for her. I was also able to find information on life cycles on some of the librarys online resources. I also worked with a fourth grade teacher finding examples of persuasive writing. I really enjoyed finding some cute childrens books that she used for her examples. This was challenging for me mostly because of scheduling. Because I was working at the time it really limited the number of teachers I could effectively meet with. In my opinion the library will only thrive if there is effective collaboration going on with teachers and the librarian. This has got to be a priority in order to build mutual trust and willingness to depend on the other for cross-curricular support. I would recommend at least meeting with grade level teachers at
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least once a grading period. I would also think it would be helpful to be in close communication with support staff like the instructional specialist and reading specialist who meet with teachers and know curriculum. They can help bridge the gap when teachers time is spread so thin. Obviously this will all become much easier on me when I have a job as a full time librarian. I struggled with staff development this semester. This was a challenge because my role was not librarian and I did my practicum at a school where I was not currently working. Most of my experience with professional development this past semester was talking to the librarian and giving suggestions. I would love to provide technology staff development in the future and teach simple tricks the first 5 or 10 minutes of staff meetings once a month. I would also like to offer voluntary teaching and learning opportunities where I could put out a schedule of what we would be learning and I could ask different teachers to share what they are using successfully in their classrooms. I think it is always easier for teachers to implement technology when they see their colleagues using it in their classrooms. My library this semester had lots of technology available for teachers and students. One thing I realized though is that the librarian spent very little time using technology with the students. I used iPads with students in the library, but I know there is so much more available. I would like to make sure that I am incorporating technology ideas into my lessons in the library not only to engage the students, but also model for the teachers how technology can be used with curriculum. Students will then be introduced to new technology in the library and hopefully teachers can then implement some of this technology in their classrooms. I would also like to work with small groups of students teaching them to b e tech experts that their teachers can use in the classrooms. If several stronger students know how to use new technology they can help teach their peers. At my school we have a computer lab that is attached to our library. This is such a great set up because it would be so easy to have the librarian teach lessons in the computer lab. I would like to make sure that I am volunteering to teach students in the computer lab so that teachers know they can ask me to help with technology assignments. If I am meeting with teachers and knowing their curriculum I can teach students how to use online resources to support that curriculum. We are so lucky to have such a supportive PTA that I know when there is new technology that I want, all I have to do is ask and they will work to make it happen. I do think it is important to make sure that I am really teaching the students how

to use this technology though if we have it. I would love to be able to help teachers make their lesson plans and incorporate these online resources and technology into their plans. I really enjoyed my activities this semester. I do know that it will get easier when I am in charge and planning my entire schedule. I am so thankful that I got to observe so much though and see all the things my librarian did in her day. It really helped me to get an idea of how I could plan to make the most of my time during the hours of the school day. I look forward to taking more ownership of the library in the future!

Reading to a kindergarten class. They LOVE story time!

Helping students with check out. Finding their library cards and discussing book selections.

Part 4: The Practicum Library and Its Administration

This course has been extremely helpful to me in discovering just how incredible a library can be and the impact that it can have on a school and community. While I have learned so much about all that a library can be, I have also seen how easy it is to follow campus or district guidelines and miss out on so much that can be offered. I have learned to set goals and plan to reach for exemplary standards and to work to show that my library will be a crucial part of the education system of my school. These are some of the reflections I have made about the library I worked in this semester that have helped me to learn what I want, and do not want in my own library. Professional Staff and Duties: I have realized that this is an area where I hope to improve tremendously. I have seen how easy it is to get wrapped up in the clerical side of librarianship, and while this is extremely important, I believe that the heartbeat of the library lies in the ability to support the curriculum being taught in the classrooms. There are several changes I would like to make to ensure that I am able to support teachers effectively. I believe the biggest area of improvement would come from collaborating with teachers. Without knowing the teachers, their students, and their needs, I do not believe you can effectively support them fully. It is one thing to know your collection, but you add a whole different dimension when you can make suggestions because you know what teachers and students are studying at that time. By working closely with the teachers and understanding their needs, this will also help me to differentiate and plan accordingly. While teachers do have a lot on their plate, I firmly believe that time spent in effective planning will end up making everything run more smoothly and be more effective in the long run. The other main area where I see a need for improvement is in providing professional development. I know that I have learned so much just in my library classes that I wish I would have known as a classroom teacher. Once again, I dont want to overload the teachers with information, but if I know their needs I can help to create professional development that will be meaningful and make their jobs easier. Obviously I am an advocate for knowing my teachers and their needs. In order to boost learner centered teaching and learning, you have to know your audience. That is definitely an area that I saw as lacking this semester. I saw a one size fits all approach that I do not think was as effective as it could have been.

Clerical Support: This is an area where I saw some wonderful accomplishments in the library. Our districts budget does not allow paid clerical support in a library our size, h owever, I was so impressed with the use of parent and student volunteers who helped with shelving and circulation. I rarely walked into the library and saw a cart full of books that needed to be put away. These volunteers did a wonderful job of helping the library run smoothly. Collection Size and Development: This is another area where I saw strengths in the library I worked at this semester. My school has an overly generous group of parents who are more than generous in supporting school needs. Our librarian does a great job of weeding and keeping the library up to date. I believe that so much of this is due to the fact that she knows she will be able to replace books that have been weeded and improve the quality of her collection. I have been in other libraries where librarians do not want to weed because they know how difficult it will be to add to their collection. Facilities: I have been much more aware of library facilities this semester and have loved some of the ideas I have gotten from visiting other libraries. I realize that my library is wonderful and has a good layout and lots of great space; however I believe there are some things that could be done to improve the usage of the library. I would like to see more signs in the library, and the furniture rearranged to promote a better small group work environment. I would also recommend updating the physical appearance of the library by painting and clearing out old decorations from years ago that no longer go with the theme of the library. Our school has recently been renovated and now the classrooms and hallways are looking so nice and clean. Ideally we could update the library to match the rest of the school; however, if there is no budget for that, we can still focus on the simple things to improve the facility. Currently we do not have signs to show where you can find fiction, non-fiction, and everybody books. Simple signs above the shelving would help students who are new to the school and who have not been through the library introduction. The other main thing that I would do to improve the library facilities is to rearrange the furniture in a way that it promotes small group collaboration. I believe the library should be a place where teachers and students can come and work together on projects and planning while using the resources the library has to offer. I believe that our library has the space where this can take place even when library classes are going on.

Curriculum and Technology Integration: At my school we are very lucky to have lots of technology at our fingertips. We have access to iPads, laptops, computer lab, document camera, recording and editing equipment and software, video conferencing technology, BYOD wireless network, and SMART board technology. We are also very supported in that teachers can request technology that they would like to use in their classes. This is a wonderful opportunity except that I see lots of this technology sitting around in boxes. There is so much pressure to follow district assigned curriculum and no time to incorporate technology to make the learning more interesting and applicable. I would love to see librarians developing lessons that go with district curriculum that incorporate the technology we have access to. I know that teachers would appreciate this and find so much use from pre-made lessons and examples that utilize the technology they have at their fingertips. Resource-based Teaching: This is an area where I think our library could definitely show improvement. Currently, the librarian has very little time to know the curriculum that the grade levels are teaching. I think that this needs to be more of a priority so that appropriate resources can be incorporated into instruction. The library has so much to offer, but teachers and students dont know the collection, and the librarian does not know the curriculum. I am confident that resources could be utilized more if there was more of a cross curricular focus in the library program. Information Technology in the Library: In my district, librarians are given information technology curriculum they are required to teach. This is so important for students to understand, but it does not directly correlate with what students are learning in the classroom. I think that this could be a strength in that it expands students curriculum and helps them have a broader base of knowledge. I think that it would be beneficial to incorporate this technology curriculum into the classroom curriculum so it seems more integrated and valuable. This would also give the librarian some leverage to encourage collaboration and cross-curricular projects. Telecommunications including Web Page, blogs, wikis: This is an area where I definitely believe that my library is lacking. Our district puts such strict regulations on this technology that teachers and librarians are stuck with district generated web pages, resources, etc. While there are so many talented teachers and librarians with great ideas, this change is mainly going to have to come from the

district by allowing us to utilize all the great web tools that are out there. I guess my role could be in talking to the district librarian and district technology team and requesting more access to these tools. Reference: I think our library does a good job of providing lots of reference materials. We have several online reference tools as well as complete sets of print reference material. There has been talk of how to keep the print reference material up to date in a cost effective manner. That is a good question and I am not sure my stance on it at the time. I am under the impression that we should spend our money in updating our online reference resources. If we continue to teach students how to alphabetize and use a dictionary, they should be able to use print reference material fine when that is what they have. Yearly Goals: This is definitely an area where I see a need for improvement in my library. There are constant distractions and interruptions to the library schedule. I do not see any way for this to be avoided either. If there are a clear set of library goals though, it should help with getting back on track and being flexible, yet still working with a purpose to achieve specific goals. I also think this is a good plan when doing PR for your library. You then have something to show for what you are working for and a way to measure success. Budget: Our library is very blessed because we get a budget from the district, a budget from the school, and then a budget from our PTA. This has consistently been plenty of money to update the collection, have an author visit, and throw parties in the library as reading incentives. The PTA is also very supportive when I present things that I want to make happen in the library. They are usually willing to work with the staff to make special events and purchases happen. I want to make sure that I am being a good steward of the money I have for the year and that I am using it to support the goals for my library and the school. I want to make sure that I am including the PTA who is so generous, by inviting them to library events and giving them frequent updates on the wonderful things going on in the library. Library Policies: This is an area where my library answers to the district. We have policies that all schools adhere to, like book challenge policies, copyright, and acceptable use policies. This is one area where I am thankful for the district guidelines because it protects the individual libraries and librarians. I think it would be good to add some policies specifically for the individual schools (like overdue book policy, technology check out policy, etc.). I am a firm believer in setting clear expectations so people know what they can do and when. I think that this actually allows patrons to feel a sense of

freedom and ownership in the library experience. I know that at my current library policies are laid out at the beginning of the year but I think it would be great to have a document that had all the policies listed so if new students or teachers came mid year they would have just as much of an understanding of how things run. This would be my main improvement for my current library. Librarian Evaluation: I have had the opportunity to work in two libraries this semester. It has been such a good opportunity to see how libraries can run so differently based on the librarian. I have definitely learned some valuable skills from watching these ladies work. I have also seen a lot of things that I would want to do differently. At one library, the librarian does a very good job of weeding and keeping the collection organized. She has a flexible schedule and tries to do her required lessons quickly when classes sign up to come to the library to check out. I would definitely want to make sure that my time with students was filled with quality and not quantity. In my ideal situation I would like to have a flex schedule but really teach the students how to check books in and out on their own. This way I could spend more of my time with the students teaching and helping with projects and they could come to the library whenever to swap out books. I also want to have time to work with small groups and meet with teachers. I dont want the library to have to shut down if I am busy at that time. I would want to train all teachers to know how to check their students in and out and then have parents or older students that could help with these tasks. I really believe that will free up my time to be able to be more accessible throughout the school, while still making the resources of the library available. The other librarian I worked at has a fixed schedule. She is at a larger school so she says it is the only way to see the kids. She does a lesson one week and the class checks out the books the next week. I have noticed though that when the kids check out books she sits at her desk and checks out the books but does not spend time working with the kids and helping them to find what they need. This librarian also does not weed her collection and there are stacks of books just sitting on tables and carts that need to be shelved. With such a large school, this librarian needs more support to be able to do her job effectively. This also backs my reasons for wanting to teach teachers, responsible students, and parent volunteers how to do more of the clerical tasks like checking books out and in, and shelving. I really believe this allows the librarian to spend time working with the teachers and students.

Both the librarians I worked with are older and have been in the profession for a while. I think they are good at doing what is necessary, but do not really think outside the box and adjust when teachers and students have specific needs. I have seen them both quickly close the library when they have something to work on. This is my main concern. While I am not a librarian yet, I do not want to get in a habit of closing the library. I believe there are ways that students could have more access to the resources and workspace even if there is a class going on or if the librarian was not there. I dont advocate leaving students unattended, but that is where I believe a good set of library policies could be effective in allowing teachers and students to know what they can do and when. Library Program Evaluation: I think that the library program is good, although there are always going to be ways to make it better. I do feel like a lot of changes to really improve the library program will have to come from the district. Most of the things I would like to see changed are due to district policies. The main changes I would like to make deal with technology usage. I would like to see teachers and students able to create web pages, blogs and wikis. I believe these are tools that students can use to apply their learning and make them competitive in the 21 century. Our districts restrictions on these tools hinder student growth and the ability to teach internet safety and responsibility in a way that is applicable and measurable. I also think that our district could cut back on testing mandates, which tie up so much time and energy throughout the school. I know that our school has to practically shut down several days a month starting in the end of the fall semester to accommodate for all the benchmarks and testing practice taking place. When you put so much emphasis on these test scores, it makes it hard to focus on true student needs. The emphasis is placed on testing and then everyone loses valuable instruction and higher level thinking skills that could benefit them in the long run. For these reasons I hope the district will decide to create some flexibility in the schedule so that librarians and teachers can actually collaborate and develop plans that will benefit the students and challenge them academically. Overall, our library does a pretty good job. This analysis is one where it would be a dream world situation. I believe that in order for a library and librarian to be successful in working with others, there needs to be a great deal of flexibility and willingness to listen to the needs of others. Creativity and willingness to think outside the box sure helps too. As a librarian, if I continue to assess the needs of
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others I believe I will be much more successful in developing a library program that reaches its patrons well.

Part 5: Analysis of Librarianship

What are at least 2 chief concepts and ideas for each major area? 1. The librarian needs to be seen as the resource (not the actual room with books). 2. The librarian can initiate collaborating with teachers and playing an active role in the academic process. How can I (do I) apply each of these concepts and ideas to my job? 1. I want to make sure teachers know that I am available to come to the classroom or playground or wherever to teach lessons. I need to be visible so that faculty and students associate me as an integral part of the school and not someone stuck in a room all day. 2. I want to make sure I am meeting with grade levels once a six weeks to look at curriculum and plan for that six weeks to meet the academic needs of all my students. 1. I will need to have a process for recruiting, training and scheduling volunteers to help in the library. 2. I will create a calendar to keep up with library events and make sure the school has access to this information. This will also help me to prepare for PR work to promote these events. What more do I need to know in these areas? 1. I need to know my schedule and duties and what is required so that I can effectively utilize the rest of my time helping students in the library and getting out and being supportive in the school. 2. I will also need to know the schedules of the teachers so I can know when is good to meet with them and work with their classes.

The field of Librarianship in relation to Services Provided by a Library

The field of Librarianship in relation to Administrative Functions

1. The librarian is responsible for managing the library volunteers. 2. The librarian is responsible for managing the library programs.

The field of Librarianship in relation to Resources, both print and electronic

1. The librarian is responsible for weeding and updating the collection.

1. I need to make sure I am continually monitoring my collection to weed and assess needs.

1. I will need to have the needs of the library organized and have my expectations set clearly. This way it is easy to know what I need help with and how people can help. The more organized I can be, the easier it is going to be to delegate. 2. I will need to stay in the know of the schools master calendar. I could create a shared calendar for the school and one for the library so that scheduling would be easier. 1. I need to make sure I have a clear understanding of my budget to know how

2. The librarian is responsible for teaching about and promoting online resources.

2. I need to make sure I am incorporating online resources into my lessons and encouraging teachers to utilize the computer lab to help students feel comfortable using these resources.

2.

The field of Librarianship in relation to Technology

1. The librarian is responsible for teaching acceptable use for technology. 2. The librarian is responsible for teaching internet safety.

1. I will need to use the district guidelines to make sure students have a clear understanding of our Acceptable Use Policy. 2. I will need to utilize district curriculum to teach internet safety.

1.

2.

The field of Librarianship in relation to Literature/Literature Appreciation/Reading

1. The librarian is responsible for promoting literacy with all students. 2. The librarian is responsible for creating lessons that support ELAR TEKS in all grade levels.

1. I will need to stay up to date with new titles of books and constantly be reading childrens and young adult literature so I can make suggestions and be familiar with what the students are interested in. 2. I will need to meet with teachers on a regular basis to collaborate and understand their needs and their TEKS.

1.

2.

much I will be able to update my collection each year. I also will need to make sure I understand the district policies on weeding. I will need to keep up with teachers curriculum and projects they are doing so I can recommend and model usage of online resources that will be appropriate and useful. I will need to thoroughly understand the AUP and be able to help explain it to parents and students. I will also need to be able to quickly explain where it is located. I will need to learn the district curriculum for internet safety and be familiar with how students are using the internet. I will also need to be familiar with different websites that are kid friendly and those that post more dangers. I will need to stay up to date on award lists and book reviews to help me find new titles for kids. I need to study the TEKS each year and attend professional development that will help me develop lessons that are meaningful.

Part 6: Course Reflections

Wow! What a semester this has been. There have been times that I have not thought I would make it, but I am so glad that it is coming to an end and that I finished! This has hands down been the best course as far as preparing me for what the role of the librarian entails. One thing is for sure, I have realized that there is so much more to being a librarian than meets the eye. Probably the biggest eye opening experience for me has been learning how much behind the scenes work is required to make the best use of your library and time with students. I have realized that management is a key factor in library success, as well as support from teachers and administrators. When I started my masters to become a librarian, I would have told you it was because it was a fun job where I wouldnt be overwhelmed with testing day in and day out, and that teaching kids to love to read is a skill they can use for the rest of their lives. I still agree that a librarian has less pressure when it comes to state and district testing, but knowing what teachers experience on a day-to-day basis has been so helpful in thinking about how to plan the library program. Teachers are under so much stress these days, and I have seen first hand how knowing your teachers needs and knowing your collection will help you to become an invaluable resource to the school and community. This takes lots of collaboration with teachers and organization of your resources. It is challenging to find the time to do all these things, but worth it. I have also realized that with dwindling budgets, libraries will never have enough staff to efficiently meet their needs. This does not mean all hope is lost. It means that if I am organized, I can utilize volunteers effectively to help meet some of those needs. I will also need to stay on top of the budget so that I can effectively plan for fundraising, upkeep of the collection, and library sponsored events. The more I am organized and can keep up with the library needs, the more I can plan and work to meet those needs. Lastly, I have realized that a successful library program needs a strong set of supporters. You have to have a group willing to sing your praises and support the endeavors you choose to take on. Showing your value to your administration, community and students will help you to successfully execute library programs that would not be possible alone. I realized the importance of advertising your library

and truly thanking those who help you. I have also realized how important it is to be a flexible team player. If people know you want to help them, they are much more willing to work with you. I believe that all of these things help to make libraries and librarians successful and necessary in public schools. I hope that I will continue to think beyond helping students find books, to running a program that will influence the lives of others. This will take time and effort, but one thing I know about myself, when I am passionate about something, the work is fun and I love the challenge.