Here are just a very, very, few ways that I work to make my library
position essential to my school:
I make sure the library always has a comfortable, friendly atmosphere
where staff respect all individuals and make sure they know we are
always here to serve them. I know every aspect of our curriculum in
every content area. I know exactly when teachers are teaching units and
I know when they change them. I make sure I am the first to know about a
new class offering so that I can make sure we have materials to support
it. I sit in on building department meetings for as many departments as
I can. I attend district level curriculum meetings. I make sure the
shelves hold titles that pertain to every subject taught in our school
as well as the current bestsellers that everyone wants to read and I
make sure teachers know about these resources. If they don't use them I
suggest ways in which they can. I have made sure over the years that our
library has always embraced the best technology we can find to give our
users better access to information and resources and to better manage
the library. I find out about grants, show them to teachers and offer
to help write them, even if the library doesn't directly benefit. I
wrote a grant for a large greenhouse for our science department. Since
this month is Poetry month - I am holding poetry readings and providing
snacks during lunch in a teacher's room - I will host a pizza party for
all those that participate at the end of the month. I am doing poetry
readings in various classes throughout the month. I do impromptu book
talks on the whim of any teacher ( if they have time they call me and
request a 5 - or 10 minute book talk): I'll grab a book off the shelf
and head to their room. I promote any writing contest that I find out
about . I run two books clubs for both students and staff. We own a
program that allows me to create tests over books so teachers can hold
students accountable for reading in a content area. At the request of
an Environmental Science teacher I recently read 25 books in 2 weeks and
created tests over them so that he could assign these books to students.
This summer I will read many, many titles at teachers' requests, and
create tests. When any teacher signs up for the library I manage to
work myself into their lesson plan - I teach the students the best
places to access info and how to do it for that assignment. I teach
related subjects such as bibliography style, how to avoid plagiarism,
and much more. I work closely with our public libraries - I teach
students to use the public library system as well as local college
libraries. I am working toward having all our students own public
library cards. I have taken seniors on field trips to local university
libraries. I run the Channel 1 current events programs from the library
and oversee the in-house broadcast room which is part of the library. I
have also run the local cable company's community channel from the
library - putting on local business and community ads (this is a good
money maker for our school ) I could continue for much, much longer
listing all the ways I am essential to this school. My staff
appreciates me and lets me know it. If you were to ask our staff "What
does your librarian do?" they would list many of the activities I have
related because these are the activities that directly impact them.
They probably wouldn't list all the "behind the scenes duties" that I do
such as cataloging, processing books, ordering, reviewing books and
technology, doing displays, etc. Recently a new, young, teacher told me
that she was talking to her mom about our school and she told her,
"Finally, I am in a school that has a REAL librarian!"
Sharon Slaney, Librarian
Timberlake H.S. Library
5973 W. Hwy 54 P.O. Box 909
Spirit Lake, Idaho 83869
(208) 623-6303
sslaney@lakeland272.org
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