Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age
By Shannon McClintock Miller and William Bass
Read the Report | by Lisa Schmucki, edWeb Founder & CEO
I chose Leading from the Library for our first EdFocus book report because of the role librarians have played in the success and growth of edWeb. I met Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School (CT) at the CoSN conference in March of 2010 (10 years ago), and we created our first online community and edWebinar series for school librarians, Emerging Tech. Michelle has presented over 100 edWebinars on using technology in libraries and schools. No offense to other educators in the room, but I’m quite sure that if we had started with any other group of educators other than librarians, we would not have been so successful, and might have even failed and folded.
Earlier in my career in publishing, librarians were key to our success, but that was expected. The surprise is that librarians – 10 years ago – helped us launch a successful online social networking community on the topic of emerging technology in schools. For me, it was pure luck that I attended Michelle Luhtala’s presentation on using collaborative technology in her school library, but her presentation that day at CoSN was foreshadowing of the transformation to come in the role of the school librarian.
In their book and in their presentation at FETC, Shannon Miller and Bill Bass talk about the many ways librarians are leading in the digital age.
At FETC, Bill began the presentation by talking about how librarians and school libraries are a force for change. “Every day there is a conversation about what the role of the library is. Librarians have to be leaders.” They are at the center of efforts to modernize spaces and create change across all buildings in a district. It’s also important to be strategic, to know when to push and when to back off.
Shannon said that the majority of teachers don’t know what we do, so librarians need to show what they can do, how they can help. The Future Ready Framework ® is a great tool to share with the whole community. Librarians can play an important role as a digital age mentor and partner, supporting teachers, then letting them run with it.
Bill emphasized the importance of knowing your culture. “Every school has a unique culture, and librarians need to have the pulse of the school.” Bill always turns to librarians to help – they know all the students, their teachers, the staff, the parents. “School culture is changing year to year. I have to have someone who can help with that.” Bill talked about the “superpowers” librarians have.
Shannon described it as, “I feel like the cruise director.” There are so many kinds of collaboration in one day. As a librarian, you need to know who needs help, who can be more independent. “We’re lucky now because we have all these ways to connect.”
Bill and Shannon shared ways to tell the story of what the library is doing, such as newsletters to the staff and the community, student videos about why they love the library, and sharing stories from teachers about the classroom connection. Shannon pointed out, “It’s not braggy, you’re celebrating!”
Equity is such an important topic, and this is another area where librarians can lead. Bill pointed out that often you think of equity in terms of access to devices and the internet, at school and at home. But there is also the issue of a student’s equity of experience depending on a teacher’s use of technology. Some teachers are going to open up to the use of technology, and others are going to shut down. Through mentoring, collaborating, and professional learning, librarians can have an influence on how teachers are using technology in the classroom.
Edtech industry suggestions:
- Read Shannon and Bill’s book.
- Check out the Future Ready Librarians Framework.
- Check out ISTE resources for librarians.
- Involve librarians in your product and market research.
- Include librarians in your marketing and sales plans. You can get information and order school library lists from MCH Strategic Data.
- Get the librarian to help you connect with and influence the rest of the school community.
- Visit school libraries in your area to see how the librarian might be helpful with your business and product plans.
- Include librarians in your plans, and you may find they are the key to YOUR success.
Shannon McClintock Miller is the K-12 district teacher librarian at Van Meter Community School District in Iowa. She serves as the Future Ready Librarians ® spokesperson with Follett and the Alliance for Excellent Education.
Follow Shannon on Twitter @shannonmmiller
Bill Bass is the innovation coordinator for instructional technology, information, and library media for the Parkway School District in St. Louis, MO, and is president of the ISTE Board of Directors.
Follow Bill on Twitter @billbass