T. Scott: Lookin’ for a Ladder… post about change, mindsets, and paying our dues made me do a little thinking today. While I don’t agree with everyone - and honestly tell me any deep thinker who does - I like the structure of his post.
Several years ago in TN, our school library organization did a survey of members. We discovered that we had large numbers of people entering the profession and large numbers leaving, but the middle group was very small. Contrary to most impressions we did have many younger members entering the profession. We worked hard to be sure the leadership is not composed only of people who have already taught 30 years and “know” how the organization should be run. I just chafe at meetings where they insist upon rehashing history to illustrate why extra precautions should be in place. I insist that we must seek out the new-to-the-professionals and get them involved.
Let’s face it. I’m not that young anymore! Gasp! 41 years old in fact. Received my MLS at the sweet age of 23 and if you do the math you can see I have been teaching a few years. I actually started teaching before that when I was 20 years old and still an education student, but on a year’s stay in Taiwan, Republic of China. I was hired there to teach English and honed many creative skills there. I also early on witnessed teachers from all over the world who were flexible, creative, and innovative. They were not overly concerned with tenure. They embraced professional development and learning in unique environments. (One of my final adult classes each term involved taking the students to an international restaurant and forcing them to use English in situations where they had none of the specialized vocabulary. They had to use adaptive strategies of language acquisition to survive, but when they did it right, they were well-fed.)
During library school I became involved with my state and national organization. I developed a mindset that our professional duties extend beyond the four walls of our library. I attended workshops for graduate credit on the importance of being a change agent. I chose to develop a mindset of embracing change within corporate structure. I chose to view my job as a small part of the profession and that my patrons and people-in-need included my colleagues. I also understood immediately that I must not be complacent, but should continue to attend conferences and workshops at every opportunity.
I speak to local colleges about our profession and encourage getting involved. This year I have two sons graduating high school and both will leave for the U.S. Army. During this period of reminiscing I looked back at my senior book and the speech I gave that year. The theme revolved around living a complete life of involvement, not just academically being the best but participating in a variety of activities throughout life even when you weren’t the best one in the group.
In school library organizations I do not believe we are so entrenched managerially to prohibit participation of others in professional organizations. If you are new and talk to me, I will connect you with someone and get you involved. That is a warning because I practice what I preach. Just ask those librarians I met socially in Seattle and through emails who are now all on committees.
Perhaps those who are concerned with others needing to pay their dues have forgotten how to listen. When you practice perceptive listening, you can help someone who is new hone their message and develop strategies to implement change. Mentoring is a wonderful thing. It helps me to grow constantly and forces me to live up to the standards that I preach.
Perhaps I am not as concerned with anyone’s paying their dues because there are not as many routes available for school librarians to advance. Take a look at your options. You can be building level librarian, possibly district level coordinator, and then a state-level coordinator (in just a few states left across the country). I was in a recent meeting in DC when someone asked me if I was the coordinator because I had an opinion that went beyond a building view point. I was able to experience that moment when a different type of librarian implied (intentionally or not) that if I didn’t hold a higher position, I might not be the most qualified to voice the opinion. Ouch! I pity the rest of our profession and the close-minded mentality that only”those who choose to leave working at the building level and directly with the patrons” are the ones who think about the profession.
Thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts today. If you are new to the profession or if you are not-new like me, but want to be more involved, contact me and I will help you get connected. Perhaps the dues for school librarianship are in pennies compared to academic and public librarianships higher dues costs.
