My Social Media Journey

My social media journey began with Facebook. Back in 2007, I finally accepted an invitation to join Facebook. I had no real idea of what it was, but  I thought I might as well check it out. I admit it, I like Facebook. I keep it for personal interactions, and to date, I haven't had any bad experiences with it. Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with old friends and to make new new friends from around the world.  For a long time, this was my only connection with social media.

In the last year or so though, I have become much more involved in social media and I have really started to see its use in my professional life as well as just for fun. My first step was to begin blogging. I had thought about blogging for awhile, but I could never think of anything to blog about. I just didn't think my life was that interesting :) I then thought that I could write about books, so I started to do that. It is a small blog, but I liked figuring out how to blog and learning that I did have something to say. I don't really expect many people to read my blogs; it is a way to get my thoughts out and to reflect on what is going on in my life - personally and professionally.  My next step was linked to my blog on books. I discovered that there are sites out there where people gather to talk about books! How amazing is that! I now expanded my social media life to include Goodreads. This was still all on a personal level; I had yet to realize the power of social media to help me in my professional life. That all changed when I discovered Twitter.

For the longest time I avoided Twitter because I don't really care what Justin Bieber has for breakfast or even where he's going on tour next. I also didn't think that anyone would care what I have for breakfast. Then, another teacher at school showed me how Twitter could be used for professional development. It was like a whole new world was opened to me. I now use Twitter regularly to learn about new trends in digital literacy, how other librarians are doing things, what new books are being released, and so many other things.  Twitter has completely changed my professional development. I am not responsible for my own learning and I have changed so much as a teacher and a librarian because of Twitter.

I have been an active user of Twitter for over a year now, and I highly recommend it. I now also recommend Pinterest. When I first heard about Pinterest I thought it was just a place to post cute pictures, but it is so much more than that. There are thousands of pins on education, and so many excellent ideas. It was through Pinterest that I learned how to create a QR Code and how I can use them to move my teaching forward.

Although there are still many teachers who are uncertain about the benefits of technology and social media, but I have become a big fan. There is still a lot out there for me to learn, but I can really see how all these sites and tools can help me, and other teachers, to move forward and to be able to meet students where they are. Maybe we'll even be able to teach the students something new. Wouldn't that be exciting!

The Fault in Our Stars Review

Caveat: I did not intend this blog to be a place for me to write book reviews; I have another blog for that, but given the quality of the book and the age for which it is written, I am including it here as well.

Although I love YA literature, I was not familiar with John Green's work until this year. I was actually looking to add some LGBTQ friendly literature to the school library, and someone mentioned that I should add Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I bought the book and read it, and immediately knew that I wanted to read more books by John Green. However, when I started reading advance reviews of The Fault in Our Stars, I had no desire to read it at all. Even though the reviewers were all raving about it, I took one look at the subject matter - teens with cancer - and decided that it wasn't for me.

Although I was determined that I wasn't going to read it, I did buy a copy of the book for the school library. Five or six students had all submitted a suggestion sheet for it to be bought, so I knew it would be popular; and it really was. It was in and out of the library constantly.  I hardly ever saw it. When I would ask students about it, they all told me how amazing it was. I was still determined to avoid it. Nothing was going to make me read a book about teens with cancer. I mean, really, how cliched is that? It was going to be full of "inspirational moments" that would make me want to vomit. I couldn't understand all the fuss.

Then something happened. My book club decided that The Fault in Our Stars would be the selection for the month of May. Now I was stuck. I always try to read the books that we're discussing, so I took a deep breath and went and bought the book. I would have taken it out of the library, but the students were still reading it. It was actually the day before my book club meeting when I finally picked it up and started to read it.

John Green, I owe you a major apology. I am so sorry for pre-judging your book. I was wrong. I may not have judged a book by it's cover, but I did judge it based on the idea of teens with cancer. That was wrong of me.


I started reading at the beginning of the day (quiet day in the library) and I couldn't put the book down. Now, I was constantly being interrupted by people commenting on what an amazing book it was, but that was about it. As I started reading the book, I was immediately drawn in by the writing. It was just superb. I really believed what Hazel and Augustus were saying. Was the vocabulary slightly above a typical teen? Sure, but it was still believable. As I continued reading, I found myself laughing out loud. I mean that literally; I was sitting at my desk laughing. I can't remember a time that a book actually had me laughing out loud.

As a got deeper in the book, I really started to admire John Green's brilliance. He took all these typical YA tropes and just tweaked them enough that they were all original. The inspirational author is actually a bitter, alcoholic misanthrope? Wonderful. Augustus' favourite book is based on a video game? Amazing. I really enjoyed seeing all these little tweaks.  Then it all changed. I was loving everything that I was reading; I was laughing; I was thrilled that I was reading it and then ... then the tears started.

Yes, it's true. Just as the earlier parts of the book had me sitting at my desk laughing, the later parts of the book had me sitting at my desk and crying. Damn you, John Green for making me break down! Again, I don't usually cry when I read a novel. The last time was at Dumbledore's funeral. Now, here I am, crying again.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you haven't read it yet, go and get it. Stop reading this blog and go buy or borrow the book. I would suggest buying it because you will want to read it more than once.

Final review: The Fault in Our Stars is perfection.

What's My Job?

I am a teacher-librarian. I know this. I love this. But, what exactly does this mean? What is my job?

I am a teacher. What does a teacher do? A teacher teachers, a teacher prepares lessons, a teacher supports students, a teacher contacts parents when needed and many other things.

I am a librarian. What does a librarian do? A librarian develops the collection to suit the population, a librarian suggests books to meet the needs of specific students, a librarian weeds the collection and maintains the collection. A librarian collects fines and checks books in and out and does shelf reading and shelving and straightening.

How do I put these two things together? To me, I have to do it all. I'm a teacher-librarian, which means that I have to focus on both parts of the job equally. I cannot be only a teacher. It's not fair for me to leave the collection in disarray while I spend all my time preparing lessons for teachers who are bringing their classes to the library. It's also not fair for me to spend all my time shelving books and reading books and neglecting the staff and students who need my help. It is a juggling act.

This set of musings came about because of a rather heated discussion I had with someone else who is a teacher librarian. She had been asked to shelve some books and to put some notices in teachers' mailboxes and this infuriated her. She strongly believed that she was being asked to be a secretary and that it was not her job to do clerical things. When I heard this, I was flabbergasted. How on earth is shelving not one of a librarian's jobs? Of course it isn't the only job, and if checking books in and out and shelving books were the only thing a librarian did then there is no need for librarians, but surely shelving is at least part of the job, isn't it?

I posed this question on Twitter, and the most important response I had was that a teacher librarian must highlight the professional aspects of the job. I understand that completely. If we cannot demonstrate our worth, why should there be teacher librarians? However, highlighting the professional aspects does not mean ignoring the other aspects. Classroom teachers do lots of clerical work. I've never heard a classroom teacher argue that they should not have to photocopy their own handouts; to me, a librarian arguing that they should not shelve books is just about as silly.

As teacher librarians, as my principal put it, our job is to maintain the library. That means doing whatever is necessary when it is necessary.

Your thoughts?

Of Censorship and Sensitivity

Is there a time to remove a book from the shelves in order to be sensitive to the desires of a small group or is that always censorship? It has recently come to my attention that a school library was asked to remove Julie Burtinshaw's YA novel "The Perfect Cut" because a student at the school had used the book to discover new places to cut herself. This student's parents have asked that the book be removed from the shelves. The librarian has removed the book, but I'm really uncomfortable with that idea.

I understand wanting to be sensitive to this family who have just discovered that their child is still cutting and has been hiding it, and the novel serves as a useful focus for blame. Is it the right thing to do, though? Does removing the book really solve the problem, or does it create a bigger problem? At what point does trying to be sensitive turn into sanitizing or Bowdlerizing the library?

If we remove "The Perfect Cut", what else needs to be removed? Should we remove "Looking for Alaska" because of the suicide? The fact is, teens are dealing with a lot of stuff. They are dealing with feeling out of control which can lead to eating disorders (Gravity Journal) and cutting (Fishtailing, The Perfect Cut), bullying and harassment which can lead to suicide (Looking for Alaska and Thirteen Reasons Why), coming to terms with sexuality (Will Grayson, Will Grayson and After River). Do we take all these books out of the library?

I know that in this particular situation that started this discussion, the student in question actually stated that the novel was part of the reasons that she changed her cutting location. Does this make a difference? Should removing a book be a reactive move? I don't know. That doesn't seem right to me. It seems to me that if a book is deserving of being on the shelf in the first place, should anything take it off? I know, books are challenged (evidently "Ender's Game" is pornographic in South Carolina), but I have a problem with challenges as well.

My personal belief is that the teacher-librarian, if s/he is to be trusted as the teacher-librarian, should be trusted to know what should go on the shelves. Students need to see themselves in literature. This gives a voice that they may be lacking in real life. If they can see characters struggling with the same issues that they have, they can know that they are not alone. If they can see characters overcoming these issues, they can have hope that they can overcome it as well.

My heart breaks for the parents who are dealing with their daughter's cutting. I can't imagine the pain they must be feeling. I hope that they can find healing, but I still don't believe that removing a novel from a high school library is the answer.

Any other thoughts?

Interview Reflection and Thinking Ahead

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed for the position of Head Librarian at a different high school. I didn't get the job, so now that I've had some time to think about it, I want to reflect on the questions I was asked and how I might change to answers (if I would).

1. What three qualities do you feel are most important to be a school leader and give examples of how you demonstrate those qualities.

I really liked this question. It gets right to the heart of what it means to be someone who matters in a school. A department head is, of course, a school leader, but one doesn't have to be a head to be a leader. This is the sort of question that can help anyone in a school be a leader. My response to the first part of the question was that I would say that a willingness and ability to collaborate, flexibility, and a desire to put students first were the three qualities that I feel are most important. I still like these responses. They clearly speak to my education philosophy and again, they are qualities that work whether I am a department head or not. If I were in a position to be asked this question again I might include consultation instead of collaboration, but I'm not sure. For me, consultation means something very specific, and I don't know if it's reasonable to expect a school community to view it the way I do. Collaboration is very clear, so perhaps I should stick with that. I don't ever want to be a leader who pretends that she cares what others think but then always does her own thing, and consultation is a way to deal with that. I will definitely have to think about this.

2. What rules would you institute in the __________________S.S. library?

I have to be honest, this question confused me. It is very hard to predict what is going to be necessary when you walk into a school for the first time. I looked at the library's website before the interview, but it was non-existent. It was only a link to the catalogue. Without knowing how the library works, I can't predict. I told them about the rules I had in place at MDHS, but I don't know if those are going to be necessary or not. Libraries are changing, and the librarian must be willing to change along with them. The days of an absolutely silent library are long gone. Students work in groups and need to be able to collaborate on their assignments. However, there are also students who do need quiet to concentrate on their work. We need to have a balance. It's difficult to have a hard and fast rule. The same thing goes for food - I have nothing against eating on principle, but when students grind muffin crumbs into the floor and leave wrappers and desiccated bananas around, it's hard to allow food in the library. I still don't know how I would answer this any differently. I need to see the library first and how the students relate to the library before I would know for sure. Perhaps that is all I need to say - I need to be in the library before I can know what rules would need to be instituted and what may just need to be guidelines. Also, I feel it is important to work with the students when it comes to the rules and guidelines. They need to know what the reason is for a rule. If there is no reason, there shouldn't be a rule. That is definitely important to me.

3. In this time of shrinking budgets, how will you spend your money?

Again, this was a difficult question to answer. The school is bilingual, but I don't know how much the students read in French outside of class. Would I be buying half French books and half English books? It's almost impossible to say. I do have a couple of things that are important to me - one is to buy far fewer magazines and to stop subscribing to newspapers. These things are available online, often at no cost, so why spend money unnecessarily? I also feel that it is important to stock up on fiction. Students use non-fiction books far more rarely then they used to because they do almost all their research on line. It seems to be a much better use of time and money to teach students HOW to research properly so that they can complete their assignments they way they want to but still with reputable information. That way, money can be saved, the students are still learning, and the fiction collection is expanded. I've read articles that say that students aren't reading e-books, so why invest in them? If they want to read books, we need to give them books. See, if I had been given time to prepare, this is what I would have said.

I think that is enough for one post. How would you answer these questions? What important aspects are there to consider?

Technology in the Library

I've been thinking a lot about the role of the librarian in bringing technology into the school. I am attempting to keep up with Web 2.0 tools that can help teachers and students with their learning. Right now I'm trying to teach myself and use Evernote and Pinterest. I think it is important to know what is out there and how it can be used to improve learning.

My best example of this is Easybib. When I was in school, I had to either memorize proper referencing styles for every paper I wrote. It was time consuming and I never did see the point of it. Easybib does the work for you. If you enter the ISBN, or scan the ISBN or enter the information, Easybib will format the bibliography for you. To me, this is a great step forward. Why spend time teaching students how to do referencing when we could be working on creating greater depth in the essay itself. I want the students to learn to think critically, and if I can exchange one or two classes on how to reference with how to think critically, that is an exchange I am happy to do.

We have also added 10 iPads to the library collection. So far, they are not being used the way I had intended. I have downloaded a number of education apps that I thought would be really useful in a variety of courses. The students, however, are much more interested in playing the word games that are also on the iPads. Oh well, I will keep discussing the educational apps and see what happens.

There is so much potential out there for improving learning with technology, but there is still so much fear about it's use. I recently read an article about "who profits from school technology". The answer in the article was that it is the big companies, and not the students, who profit. This article was being used by friends of mine to laud the Waldorf system for not pushing technology. I'm sure that Apple is profiting from iPads in school, but if the students are also profiting, then I'm ok with it.

What are your thoughts? Should a school librarian be pushing technology or should we stick to books?

Weeding Woes.

Before I became a teacher-librarian, I hadn't thought much about weeding. My focus had been on bringing books into the library; not taking them out. It wasn't until I saw the state of an unweeded library that I realized how important weeding really is to a collection. Keeping up with weeding is equally important to bringing new materials into the library.

About two years ago, the school I'm at was torn down and we were moved into a beautiful new building. This meant that the entire library had to be packed up and moved. Actually, not the entire library - we had to weed the library in order to fit into the new space. It was a truly horrible experience on a number of levels.

The first layer of horribleness was actually going into the stacks and seeing what was there. The number of books from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was astounding, and the smell was equally astounding. What was most heart-breaking was to see the number of books that had been on the shelf for decades, but had never been taken out. It made me want to cry. In order to make the process doable in the time we had, we were given a date - 1998. Nothing before 1998 was to make the move to the new school. This gave a good starting point to revitalize the collection once we came to the new building.

The second layer of horribleness came from the reaction of the staff to this mass weeding. Instead of respecting the knowledge and experience of the librarians, and instead of appreciating how hard weeding is, many staff members were infuriated at the books being removed from the shelves. It seemed as though a number of staff members took it personally when we sent a book to storage. One comment in particular stands out - we were asked why we didn't value Plato any more. There is a difference between removing a copy of The Republic published in the 1950s and not valuing Plato. It really hurt when teachers said that we were committing a crime, and that we were as bad as the Nazis with their book burning (at least Godwin's Law holds true). I didn't realize that weeding was such a debatable topic. It's unreasonable to expect a library to continue to add to its collection without ever removing anything.

The comments didn't improve when we moved to the new building. Now we were being told how wonderful the old library was and how bare this library is. Don't we remember fondly what it was like in the old building? My general response is no. I don't remember the old library fondly. I remember over stuffed shelves where it was impossible to find anything; I remember the smell of old moldy paper and books; I remember students not wanting to take anything out. That's what I remember.

When I took over the library this year, one of the first things I did was a massive weed. We sent nearly 30 boxes of books to Library Surplus. Did it take a number of books off the shelves? Yes. Did it make the shelves look a little empty? Yes. However, it also opened up the space to properly display books. As a result, circulation has shot up. We have more than tripled our circulation over last year. How can this not be a good thing? There is now space to showcase some of the books. This gives students a chance to see them.

I am a complete fan of weeding. It revitalizes the library and allows the new purchases to be seen and circulated.

One last note, I read another blog about weeding about a week ago and was really struck by the similarities between me and this other librarian. I posted the blog in a Facebook group to which I belong as a way to show the other side of being a librarian. Again, I was roundly attacked. Hitler and the Nazis were mentioned again, I was told I didn't know what I was doing, and so on. I didn't realize that intelligent, passionate, educated, book loving people could be so ignorant about the importance of weeding.

When I commented on this on Twitter, another librarian told me that she always weeds quietly. She doesn't advertise the fact that she is doing it; it's like weeding must be done in secret. That bothers me. Weeding is an important aspect of librarianship, and if we are hiding it, we can never hope to change the attitudes of those who label us book haters. It is an act of great love to remove a book from the shelf to make room for something newer. I say we should stand up and proudly announce that we weed.

Bah Humbug!

It is now February 15th and I'm just getting back to this post. I've thought a lot about it, and my opinions remain the same.

Over the past month, I have participated in a number of conversations about inclusivity at the holidays. Stop saying "Merry Christmas". Why are there no Hanukkah decorations up in the library? Is there a Kwanzaa celebration planned? I have a number of problems with this attitude.

It seems to me that we are trying to fit everything into the season - even if it doesn't fit. I actually had a teacher approach me because he wanted to makes sure that I was included in the holiday video. There are no Baha'i holy days in December. There is the Birth of Baha'u'llah on November 12th and Ayyam-i-ha which begins on February 26th, but absolutely nothing in December or even January. Why on earth would those holidays be mentioned except as a way to prove how inclusive we are. I don't feel included under those circumstances; I feel patronized. I'm the token Baha'i, woo hoo. I don't want to be a token anything. I want to be me.

Not all groups are going to fit into the standard model. Why are we trying to make them? Why have we made Hanukkah a big deal? Why aren't there Rosh Hashanah assemblies? Why aren't we talking about the High Holidays instead of a minor holiday in the winter? I know - because we can't leave Jewish people out when we celebrate Christmas; that's racist. No it isn't.

Don't even get me started on Kwanzaa. Why are we making a big deal out of an African-American (did you get that - AMERICAN) holiday that came out of the Black Power movement? Canada's history with regard to Africans and other Black people is very different. Considering that somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80% of Black people in Canada come from Africa or the Caribbean, do they really need to reconnect to their African heritage? It seems to me that this is another attempt to fit a minority group into the majority's tradition.

Why aren't we having the real conversation? To my mind, that conversation is about changing statutory holidays so that Christian holidays aren't statutory holidays. Why should Christmas and Easter be special? Why not celebrate Canadian events instead? Take out Christmas and put in Prime Minister's Day. Take away Easter and instead use Flag Day. As long as we make Christian holidays statutory, we will never actually move towards full inclusivity.

Now, moving on to my problems with New Year's ...