Blog Archives

Entrances and Exits

I was speaking with a colleague and friend who was having some difficulties with classroom management in the library.  It is a challenging task for many—even for former classroom teachers.  From elementary through high school, the open space along with

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Posted in Librarian Life

Show and Tell

Do you remember “show and tell” from grade school?  You would bring something you valued to share with your classmates, letting them see the object as you talked about it.  Depending on what you brought, you might explain how it

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Posted in Career, Librarian Life

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

Librarians and the Pareto Principle

Have you noticed that around 20% of your teachers constitute 80% of the collaboration projects you develop.  This is the Pareto Principle. Named after Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist who observed in 1906 that 80% of Italy’s wealth was owned

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Posted in Career, Librarian Life

Acknowledging Others and Building Relationships

As librarians we are in the relationship business which means constantly strengthening the ones we have and always reaching out to form new ones.  We must cultivate relationships with students—not as a friend but as a trustworthy, safe adult.  We

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Posted in General, Librarian Life

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

Cooperation vs. Collaboration

School librarians are quite specific about the difference between cooperation and collaboration.  In the first case, the librarian and the teacher work independently from each other but share a common direction with each contributing content or process based on what

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Posted in Career, Librarian Life

Spring Cleaning – Fresh Perspective

Friday was the welcome arrival of spring.  Even if the weather has not caught up with the calendar, most of us are glad of the promise of warmer weather and enjoying the increasing hours of daylight.  There is the feeling

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Posted in General, Librarian Life

Mentors – Get One, Be One

I mentioned this topic almost a year ago, and my stand on its importance hasn’t changed. Charting your library program, managing students, and dealing with teachers and administrators, all in addition to the your ongoing tasks and responsibilities, can cause

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Posted in Career, Librarian Life