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My project involves designing professional development opportunities for school librarians. Summer of 2023, I organized my first Montana Library Association Summer Retreat, with very little guidance or support. The Summer Retreat was a fairly new event and other than an online version during COVID, had always been held in the same location. I was embarking on a new endeavor, and while the Retreat of 2023 can be considered a successful event, I know there is room for improvement. I hope that with more time and the guidance of TLI and the support of my new co-chair, I can improve on last year’s work. I also hope to add an online component as some librarians have expressed to me how much they appreciate that option. 

I chose local school librarians who were familiar with the Summer Retreat and those who had never attended in order to understand the needs of both groups, as well as school librarians from all over the state. 

School districts in Montana are not offering equitable professional development opportunities for school librarians for a variety of reasons. Thus, school librarians must take the lead on providing this. The Montana Library Association is perfectly positioned to provide PD, but the annual statewide conference is usually held in April and it is difficult for school librarians to attend. The Summer Retreat is a great solution to fill this need, but it was in its infancy shortly before the COVID pandemic struck, and is still evolving. The more thorough and creative MLA can be in building the Summer Retreat, the more likely the Retreat, and our membership, is to grow. 

Designing learning opportunities for school librarians across the state of Montana supports the Foundational Competency I am focusing on- Cultivate Socially Just Learning Environments. In this case, the learning environments in question are for adult learners. In my district, which is one of the larger school districts in the state, school librarians are rarely offered professional development that is specific to our content area. When I first became a school librarian after years teaching English, I was dismayed at the lack of continuing education offered to us. I was equally dismayed at how MLA neglected school librarian members at their state conferences. District level administrators advised me to create PD if I wanted it to be relevant to libraries. As an English teacher, that advice was never given to me. That sense of inequity stuck with me over the years. I did in fact start creating and offering in person professional development to my colleagues in my own district. This project is about expanding my scope and reaching school librarians beyond my own zip code.

Is it your intention to broaden the existing vision, values and/or culture of the association or to create a cultural shift?  Explain.

I intend to broaden the existing vision, values, and/or culture of the Montana Library Association. After serving as the School Library Division co-chair for two years, I know the MLA has a goal of increasing participation of school librarians. For the first year I served on the board, our association president was a school librarian, and she helped the board see that school librarians were an underutilized resource. She got us started, but we have a long way yet to go to convincing school librarians across Montana that MLA represents them just as they represent public and academic librarians. The Summer Retreat is one way to welcome more school librarians into MLA.

Why might this strategy be a viable solution for your Capstone Challenge?

Librarians of all kinds are under attack these days. We are stronger together, and MLA is an excellent way to unite us. In order for membership to be attractive to school librarians, they need to know what MLA has to offer them. Professional development is something we need but don’t often receive from our districts. MLA can fill that void, and grow stronger with more school librarian members. 

On which two Overarching Competencies will you focus in addressing your Capstone Challenge?  Why are they relevant? 

The two Overarching Competencies I will focus on are Technological Facility and Continuing Education. Both are relevant as I must hone my technology skills in order to offer online professional development courses that are relevant to school librarians across Montana. 

Which Leadership Pathway competency will you focus on in your Capstone Challenge?  Why is it relevant?

I will focus on Association Leadership with an emphasis on Organizational Leadership-Leading with Skill. This is relevant to my project because I hope to encourage school librarians to participate in the Summer Retreat by offering professional development that meets their unique needs. I am building on my prior experiences in the hopes of leading with skill as opposed to merely being in charge of something.

If your foundational competency is not Explore and Challenge Inequity explain why. Why is it important? 

Explore and Challenge Inequity did not seem to fit my project, but I understand how important it is. Across the country right now, DEI efforts are being undermined and terminated, but the need for these efforts has never been greater. Librarians are champions of DEI, and I think my project aims to ensure school librarians are getting similar training and professional development as public and academic librarians so they can feel confident in their abilities to defend and uphold patron and student rights. 

With whom will you work in addressing your Capstone Challenge?  Who else might you recruit beyond your own cultural and/or professional identity group?

I will work closely with my co-chair of the School Library Division, as well as the Past President of MLA, who is also a school librarian. I will need to collaborate with various employees of the state Office of Public Instruction in order to create an online course for the state learning hub. 

Which resources (such as, people, money, programs, time and space, etc.) do you have to address in your Capstone Challenge?   What resources will you need?  How will you obtain them? 

I will need help from my SLD co-chair and other MLA members. I will need space to hold the Summer Retreat Conference and help from that location. I will need time to organize and plan. Last year’s retreat location allowed us to use the space for free, so I am hopeful we can have that arrangement again. I will need help from the Office of Public Instruction’s Learning Hub staff to design an online course. The help I need is accessible through emails and phone calls.