Introduction

My name is Jason Balistreri and I have the best job ever! Over the summer of 2021, I made one of the hardest decisions in my life by leaving my lifelong dream job of being a high school history teacher to become a teacher librarian at Mount Miguel High School (MMHS). Participating in the SJSU MLIS program has given me the skills and confidence to know that I will be successful. In fact, it has already made me successful and prepared me for further growth. As librarian guru Ranganathan (1931) stated, the “library is a growing organism”, and so am I. This website serves to provide evidence of my fieldwork competencies. 

Once thrown into the school librarian's baptism by fire, I quickly had to sink or swim. Professor Gaffney in his INFO 204 Informations Professions course taught me how to manage change, like my radical career change, and to “move with the cheese” (Johnson, 1998). As I began to drown in my increasingly overcrowded workroom with books, the one-of-a-kind Professor Bolin somehow taught me the art of classification and MARC records via song, and Professor Oliver from my INFO 266 Collection Management class helped me manage my technical services workflow and learn the traditional book duties of a librarian. 

However, I knew I did not want to become a traditional librarian in a traditional library. I wanted to become a Teacher Librarian in a revolutionary Learning Commons. So, Dr. Shelly Buchanan helped me refine my transformative vision and mission. Dr. Michael Stephens taught me there was a whole global information community to learn from and interact with. Dr. Kristen Rebmann taught me that the diversity of our world and our communities needs to be seen on our shelves and as an asset-based strength that enriches our libraries. Dr. Mary Ann Harlan showed us the way to see ourselves mastering school libraries and ensuring our students see themselves and others through the “mirrors and windows” (Bishop) of our collections. Professors Jumba and Hopwood motivated me to go viral with some STEM fun. Dr. Renee Jefferson inspired me to research my passion project of a transformational student-driven library space design. 

The best instructors have been the ones that all my professors told me to learn from the most. My students teach me to become a better school librarian every day. Simply observing their information-seeking behaviors as they attempt to satisfy their academic and real-life needs has been empowering. I also must give credit to my fellow district librarian colleagues. When I started as a Teacher Librarian, I began with no formal training and no other library staff to show me the way. Thanks to my colleagues for answering my countless questions and supporting me throughout this transformative process.  

Librarianship is changing, and I want to change with it. However, I follow librarian law as declared by Ranganathan, and I shall grow with my library. 

References

Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3). https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf

Johnson, S. (1998). Who moved my cheese?: An A-mazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life (10th Ed.). Penguin.

Ranganathan, S. R. (1931). The Five Laws of Library Science. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/105454