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COMPETENCY:
Candidates demonstarte capacity as a Program Manager.
SUBTOPIC #1 - Candidates understand the needs of a comprehensive library program.
The task of running a comprehensive library program can be daunting for a teacher librarian. There is a full range of traditional library duties such as user needs and collection assessments, selection, acquisition, technical services, classification, cataloging, and preservation. Additionally, teacher librarians also should be heavily involved in curriculum and instruction at their school. Today's modern school libraries are expected to be, and need to be, more than just book depositories and exclusively focused on textual literacy. On top of these traditional roles for a teacher librarian, we must look for increasing ways to serve the real-life needs of out students, not just academic, and fight to keep our libraries relevant in an environment when an increasing amount of school librarian positions are being cut and school library doors are being sealed. We do this by by running comprehensive library programs that provide a wide range of services to our students and staff.
With the limited amount of funding and staffing that school libraries face, all of the above responsibilities are extremely difficult, especially for solo teacher librarians like myself. It begins with a sense of direction, a grand vision outlined in a library mission statement that is aligned to district and school values, and a long-term plan to achieve those goals. With priorities in place, budgets can be prioritiezed, and logistical procedures can be streamlined. As this enitre portfolio reflects, I feel I have accomplished quite a bit in my first two years, but I have very much felt like I've only been attempting to stay afloat while learning the job and completing my librarian credential. While slowly transforming the library into a learning commons, I focused on getting a grip on the overall operations of the library that keep basic library services going. My messy Processing Procedures doc demonstrates my attempts to establish an effective technical services assembly line of sorts, but it is still very much an area of growth for me as my workroom is constantly in a state of "organized chaos". With completeing grad school, gaining additional support staff, and having more experience, I am looking forward to improving my operations so I can continue to add to my comprehensive library programming.
Mount Miguel Library Mission Statement
The mission of the Mount Miguel High School library is to inspire life-long curiosity, creativity, collaboration, critical-thinking, confidence, and care. A space belonging to the students where they can find safety, joy, themselves, and a love of learning. We strive to support the emotional, recreational, and paramount real-life needs of our diverse students all while providing the robust services and materials to meet their academic and information needs. By embracing all individual students and teaching them the multiliteracies to navigate their changing world, we empower our Matadors to be stewards of their environment and empathetic global citizens.
In an attempt to foster collaboration partnerships with my math and science department, I created this comprehensive STEM Project Plan. This doc is for a specific MLIS assignment and focuses on the use of my new Breakout EDU collaborative escape rooms. However, this is a part of my larger multi-year plan. Every year, I focus on a new department to grow closer with and build relationships. My first year was naturally English, second was Social Science. This year it is science and I attend most of their department meetings and make a concentrated effort to collaborate with each teacher. Next year, it will be math and continue my STEM campaign.
An offshoot of my STEM campaign is my library's Makerspace. I established it in my first year and initially focused on non-consumable passive programming that I could put out on tables for students to discover and tinker with. These first efforts were immensely popular. With the success of my continued STEM plan I have now acquired a 3D printer for the library and other Makerspace gadgets. See the linked hyperdoc for a list of STEM goodies and other games and puzzles that offer a range of programming options to our students.
One of my first library programs is my Chess Club. Ever since being a teacher, I have always hosted informal chess games in my classroom and that has carried over to my library. There are always boards out on tables, chess books on my counters, and chess puzzles on my interactive panel and giant floor chess set. That has evolved into my after-school Friday club I call Chess Club & More! The focus is chess and we try to teach the game and host tournaments, but we also welcome other games and have a growing Dungeons & Dragons party!
SUBTOPIC #2 - Candidates demonstrate a capacity to manage a budget.
Budgets are one of the hardest aspects to tame for teacher librarians as funding seems to consistently shrink. With much gratefulness, I am happy to report that I have had an easier time than most as I have been succssful in acquiring additional funding on a regular basis through my advocacy efforts. To this date, my administration has not told me know for any of my budgetary requests, including securing an additional $20k in my first year to transform my library space and programming. However, even with larger amounts of money to spend, I've had to live within my means and work around a set budget. I am actually given the smallest amount for my starting library budget of all my district school libraries. Luckily, I have been able to secure consistent additional money by advocating to my principal, Title I coordinator, and School Site Council.
As I am so short on time and staffing, I have dedicated a large portion of my budget to Junior Library Guild subscriptions that keep books consistently coming to the library to help me with my collections workflow. Until I have a more confident mastery of book selection and overall logistics, I am more than happy to rely upon the professionals at the JLG to select high-interst titles for me in selected genres and make my life easier. It is expensive, but it saves me a ton of time, and that is invaluable when running a library program by yourself. Over the past couple of years, my awesome colleagues have secured a number of grants for our district libraries, with each of us getting a sizable chunk.
Ordering With Multiple Budgets: Library and Title One Funding
STEM Breakout EDU Program Budget Report
Successful Advocacy to School Site Council for Additional $20,000!
SUBTOPIC #3 - Candidates demonstrate the capability of training and managing staff and volunteers.
Officially, I am a solo teacher librarian with no dedicated full-time assistants. The requirements of the position, especially with additional responsibilites that I'd like to take on beyond my assigned duties that would benefit the school, are seemingly impossible for a single librarian. Not too long ago, our district used to provide two librarians, and two assistants per site. Even the CA Model School Library Standards call for one librarian per 785 students, and a fulltime paraprofessional (2011). Those days have past and I consider myself lucky that our district has retained teacher librarians, and half our schools have a Library Tech assistant. I do not.
As such, I need to recruit and train helpers whenever I can. My first attempts targetted unassigned substitute teachers to assist in the library when not in classes, as I did this myself years ago as an on-site sub. I even successfully had one on our multiple site subs permanently assigned to the library for my first school year and I do not know how I would have survived without her. Another resource that I utilized has been retired library staff to volunteer in my library when they can. One former district librarian dubbed the "weeding queen" has made my library a second home and she has taught me way more than I have trained her. This particular year, I've taken on the immense task of handling all Chromebook related issues for our school as our previous system failed miserably. With this extra burden, I have successfully advocated for two office assistants to be assigned to the library to assist with Chromebooks and free me up to perform my actual teacher librarian duties.
An ongoing resource that I have long depended upon, even as a history teacher, has been my student teacher assistants (TAs). Year in and year out, they have been a lifesaver, keeping me afloat when there is no other help. Training and managing TAs and other staff can be quite the responsibility itself, but with time and the right personel, a combination of students and other assigned staff have provided me the support to accomplish more than I have thought possible.
As an officially solo teacher librarian, I would never have the time nor support to do anywhere near all the services and programs that I'd like to do. The only way I can accomplish what I can is with the help of my wonderful student teacher assistants (TAs). I've been lucky enough to be able to recruit and be selective in which students assist me. They each have their own strengths and ways they can contribute to the library. The two links above are for my TA Syllabus and list of TA Duties like designated shelves, cleaning areas, and special assignments. It takes a long time and concentrated effort to train good TAs, but I have been very happy with them and they have proven to be invaluable.
Another example of comprehensive programming and training of staff is my leadership and supervision of our after-school tutorial center in the library. When I first arrived, two long time teachers ran it and it was amazing. Then they retired and I unfortunately watched tutorial go through some tough and ineffective times which hurt our students...and my library. I have since become the lead staff for tutorial and overseen improvements. I recruit tutors which range from students, adult aides, and teachers. I train them in our procedures and establish best practices as the funding requirements can be quite inflexible and we must do our due diligence to follow protocol.
REFERENCES
Model School Library Standards for California Public Schools. (2011). California Department of Education. https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/librarystandards.pdf
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