So you think you want to be a school librarian? Top tips on getting started

So, you have just accepted your first school Librarian position. Congratulations! But you now realise its getting closer to September and you have no idea where to start.. I've recently started a new position and left school librarianship and it has made me reflect on my first days and what it would have been helpful to know. Here are a few ideas:

Just start from scratch

The previous Librarian had been at the school for the same amount of time as I had been alive. As a new professional, I was really hesitant of altering good practices and spent time thinking  it was best to wait a term before changing procedures. However, it just ended up being a longer time before things were running smoothly. People expect you to alter things quickly, especially in the fast paced school life and are so are surprised when you don't change things immediately. Prioritize, trust your instincts and change the things that matter to you and your school community. In my case, it meant altering reservations so students got their books quickly, bringing in clear procedures for overdue books (gentle reminders and regular notices), writing a Library policy and making sure that everyone could access the Library properly. These weren't huge, but they made a difference that people recognised. Don't get caught in a trap and miss out on any money or help from colleagues for projects because you hold back on things that matter.

Be fair

Most qualifications in Librarianship don't include behaviour management training. You also won't realise this till you are sat in the Library with a group of rowdy Year 10s waiting for their teacher to turn up. Maybe someone gave some guidelines to you, so take the time to make sure you familarise yourself with any school policy and procedures. You will have to handle situations on your own and it is best to work out where you stand and who you can ask for help. 

You will get lots of "But [insert previous Librarians name here] did it like this/let us do that..." which is fine and understandable. The students don't know where they stand with you and are uneasy. This doesn't mean you have to reflect what the previous Librarian did and definitely it is unprofessional to say "well, that was rubbish"!. The main thing to know about behaviour management is to be fair. If you are clear, give brief clarification/justification, then you are trusted and begin to build a rapport. If you want tips, ask not a teacher, but a good cover supervisor as they know all the tricks. Simple ones like using thank you instead of  please works brilliantly.

There will be panic attacks and awkward questions

No, this isn't from you but from the students and staff. Both are naturally inquisitive and want to know all about you. Think a bit beforehand about what you are comfortable telling them- do you mind them knowing you have a partner/pet or where you live? You might feel you are happy with some students knowing important details but not others. In my opinion, don't tell any of them! It appears that you then have favourites which links back to the previous tip abut being fair. One of the most important parts of the role is pastoral care, so be prepared with the magic tissue box which sorts out any tears, to listen to boyfriend trouble, parents rubbish ideas of parenting, friendship issues and a whole lot more. I couldn't have been more happy (not that I reacted to it) when a student casually dropped into the conversation about her girlfriend, when I knew that was the first time she was openly telling someone she was gay. You can give advice and sort out tears but remember the child protection guidelines and report anything you hear and don't promise to fix it or keep it confidential. It's heartbreaking sometimes not to comfort someone, but definitely no hugs!

Finally... you may have a clear idea and path which you have planned to follow. However, be prepared that the school environment is nothing like when you were at school and you will definitely experience things from the other side. It's fast moving and pacy and there is always another acronym to learn! It is also extremely rewarding and I am glad to have done it and I have learnt so much.

Enjoy!

Postgraduate diploma in Educational studies

This weekend, my colleague Dominique and I were invited to the Faculty of Education in Cambridge to receive our Postgraduate Diplomas. We were very excited as it brought to conclusion three years of completing HertsCam teacher led development work projects. Hertscam has been a great way of introducing new projects/ideas into the library and developing my own leadership within the school environment. By completing three 60 hour projects and a 6,000 reflective practice essay which discusses unifying themes within the projects, we have gained this postgraduate diploma.

Our husbands were there to support us both and take some pictures of us posing with our certificates amongst the daffodils in the beautiful grounds of the College. It really was a lovely buffet lunch and afternoon with fascinating people.

Thing 4: Twitter, RSS and Pushnote

My first tweet was:

"Excited about joining the conversation in Twitterland :)"

That was two months ago and since then I have written a grand total of 3 tweets. I have a biography which I think has made people follow me. I have tried to seek out lots of interesting people to follow too. However, I must admit that I feel a bit like the new kid at Book Club... I'm so worried about saying something boring or stupid to the masses that I haven't said anything at all! I think I will use it mainly to follow publishers and other librarians to see what's occuring in Libraryland.

Recently, I have been working with a group of A level Geography students. Like most A Level students, they need to quote up to date events in their exams. Therefore, I suggested using an RSS reader to which the teacher replied "WHAT??". Luckily, this wasn't in alarm, but she had no idea what an RSS reader was! I managed to acquire a lesson with the class in the library to give a demo and sign them up. I showed them Netvibes and Google reader to give them a choice. Most prefered to use Netvibes as they could customize it easily and they liked the tab function which they used to create a different page for each subject. Loads of links to volcano alerts etc later, students each had created their own individual Netvibes page. Bearing in mind that none of the students knew what the RSS symbol meant when they started, I felt this was a step in the right direction!

Pushnote... well, I'm not sure how I would use this online tool. I like the concept and think it could be a useful way of sharing resources but I would prefer it if you could created a public profile and share that. (If you can, and I haven't worked out how to do this yet then sorry!). Would be brilliant if students could rate resources given to them by their teacher and they could have the opportunity to justify their opinion. I would love to hear how other people have used it, especially in a school setting.

My HertsCam Teacher Led Development Work

A Traitor's Kiss

I had a lovely invite to a book launch at Heffers Bookshop in Cambridge last week. Bestselling local author Pauline Francis discussed her new Tudor historical novel Traitor's Kiss and an extract from the prologue was read to the audience. Here is a photo of Pauline Francis and I as she kindly signed a copy of her book for the school. The book is already on loan!

Thing 3: The "MissLibrarian" or ??? Brand

Here goes...

Right,

Step 1: Type name into Google

Step 2: Wait for page to load

Step 3: Check results..

Nope, no mention of me at all! Tried two variations of my first name but no results linked to me.

I am keen to develop more of an online presence and I have yet to really start thinking about branding so this has given me a push in the right direction. I really would like my ideas/discussions to be linked or connected somehow so that people could trace them back to my blog. Using Jo's sub headings, here is an audit of my current online presence:  

Name used: As I said on a previous post, this is a nickname used by students at school and it has stuck. However, it is a relatively new nickname and most of the people I have met at events and in previous jobs will know me by my name. Luckily, the nickname is easily to pronounce!  It seems to be easier to spell than my actual surname too :)

Photograph: I have just added a picture to my profile which was taken at an event I helped organise in my previous job. Though I have had my haircut since, I think it is the best professional picture I have. I think people would still recognise me if we met face to face.

Professional/Personal: I would love to be "profersonal" ! I just have to be careful now that I work in a school about what I put online to protect myself and abide by a strict IT acceptable use policy. NO library Facebook page for my school! My personal Facebook profile has high security settings and I try to check them regularly.

Visual brand: The first thing we were told when we started Library school was to create business cards to give away. I had no idea what images/ colours etc to put on it! These are now out of date and I will have to think about the design soon...This has definitely made me think about the creation of these cards beyond purely aesthetics.

Better go read the articles now!

Thing Two: Getting to know you...

Wow! Aren't there lots of amazing Librarians out there?

I used the Delicious bookmarks to select School Librarians as well as browsing blogs with interesting titles. After reading and following several UK and USA school librarians blogs, I must admit I think "Eek"! Everyone has completed sooo much and I have lots of catching up to do! I have also realised some colleagues I have met at previous events are also following the scheme! Hello Adventures of a Welsh Librarian et al :)

However, it is interesting to learn how everyone is fascinated by new online tools and would like to use them for personal and school use. Just like me!

This task has also meant that I have had comments on my blog and looking at the statistics, quite a few page views.  Loads of lovely Librarian people to reply too.

(This is actually the second time I have written this. I will admit that I got a bit carried away looking at other blogs and managed to delete it- oops.)