I will never forget, when in my fourth year of teaching, a visiting Georgia Department of Education representative told me that the library media center (LMC) was a thing of the past. After recovering from my shock, I immediately told her my beliefs -- that LMCs and library media specialists are needed now more than ever. Our students and teachers exist in the information age, and without proper guidance and support, they are not prepared to meet its demands.
Today, our students have access to the world's knowledge at their fingertips. That is a vast amount of power for ones so young. They need and deserve proper access, instruction, and continuing support in order to be ethical users of information. This duty, the duty of supporting intellectual freedom, falls to the future-ready librarian. I see my role as a gatekeeper and guide for my patrons. I must show, teach, listen, collaborate, and motivate students through the world of knowledge. I help students become responsible consumers and producers ok knowledge. Combining the content expertise of the classroom teacher and the skills of a future-ready librarian leads to students who are able to use knowledge in the quest for life-long learning.
As a future-ready librarian, I also am responsible for fostering a love of reading in my students. This includes motivating them to read for enjoyment, rewarding them when they do, helping them to develop skills to use when reading for information, and providing them with relevant, current, and appropriate reading materials. So many of our students believe that they do not like to read, but they have simply yet to be matched with the right book. I pride myself in my ability to match patrons with books. Even the most reluctant readers can learn to love and respect reading for information and entertainment.
Although I am sure others would disagree, I believe the library media specialist is one of the most important professionals in the school. No other person has the ability to unlock so much information for every single stakeholder of a school.
Today, our students have access to the world's knowledge at their fingertips. That is a vast amount of power for ones so young. They need and deserve proper access, instruction, and continuing support in order to be ethical users of information. This duty, the duty of supporting intellectual freedom, falls to the future-ready librarian. I see my role as a gatekeeper and guide for my patrons. I must show, teach, listen, collaborate, and motivate students through the world of knowledge. I help students become responsible consumers and producers ok knowledge. Combining the content expertise of the classroom teacher and the skills of a future-ready librarian leads to students who are able to use knowledge in the quest for life-long learning.
As a future-ready librarian, I also am responsible for fostering a love of reading in my students. This includes motivating them to read for enjoyment, rewarding them when they do, helping them to develop skills to use when reading for information, and providing them with relevant, current, and appropriate reading materials. So many of our students believe that they do not like to read, but they have simply yet to be matched with the right book. I pride myself in my ability to match patrons with books. Even the most reluctant readers can learn to love and respect reading for information and entertainment.
Although I am sure others would disagree, I believe the library media specialist is one of the most important professionals in the school. No other person has the ability to unlock so much information for every single stakeholder of a school.