Blog Archives

Elevator Communication

Librarians in their efforts to meet their customers’ needs have an inclination to provide an overabundance of information.  Even when the patron is satisfied and has left the library, we frequently continue the search to ensure we have uncovered all

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Posted in Librarian Life, Professional Development

Do You Self-Assess

Most of you deal with SGOs (Student Growth Outcomes) or SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes) as a way to measure your effectiveness. These are specific performance measures relating to how you do your job.  By their nature, they are about one

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Posted in Professional Development

Your Winning Strategy

When I blogged about writing a Mission Statement two weeks ago, I said it would help focus you so at the end of next school year you would not feel overwhelmed, exhausted and unsure of what you had accomplished.  If

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Posted in Librarian Life, Professional Development

Are You In Business

I have just returned from the New York Library Association/Section of School Librarians Conference, where I gave a presentation on tag lines, branding, and elevator speeches.  Later that evening I was speaking with one of the participants who said she

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Posted in Career, Librarian Life, Professional Development

Leadership Is Not An Option

ALA and AASL along with other divisions work hard promoting the value of libraries and librarians with legislators, the community, along with the various partnerships they have built over the years.  If these efforts are to succeed, librarians need to

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Posted in Librarian Life, Professional Development

Changes – Either you’re changing…

There are still reminders of the season that was and some days the air has a chill, but winter has past and spring has arrived.  The seasons change, and we all welcome it.  Yet in our own lives we resist

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Posted in Librarian Life, Professional Development

Developing Essential Or Guiding Questions

Nearly a year ago (January 6, 2014) I blogged on Questions and Answers, pointing out that good answers showed understanding of the topic covered, while good questions demonstrated the ability to take the concepts learned and seek to explore it

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Posted in Librarian Life, Professional Development

Libraries, Librarians, and Learning in the 21st Century

I have just returned the AASL Forum on School Librarians in the Anytime Anywhere Learning Landscape and as usual for this intense two-day institute I am precariously balanced between the excitement of new ideas (and old ones in new guises)

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Posted in Career, Professional Development