Tuesday, August 11, 2015

This Ain't Your Grandma's Library

Maybe you're a veteran librarian. Maybe you're a new librarian. Maybe you're not even a librarian. Maybe you just like to visit your school's library from time to time, either to find a book or to cut through to your ultimate destination.

No matter what your connection is to your school library, when you cross the threshold, I'm hoping you feel it. Can you feel it? 'Cause you should. Can you?

Feel what precisely, you ask?

The energy.

The potential.

Times. They are a changin'. And they are exciting!

Today's libraries are no longer a quiet place dedicated to housing books. They are dynamic places dedicated to the exchange of ideas, the sharing of passions, the uniting and collaborating of learners. They are often noisy. They are often messy. They are no longer about just books. 

They are definitely not your grandma's library.

Our school libraries and our role as the teacher librarians who work from them have evolved rapidly in the last several years. The changes occurring within our spaces require a mind shift for all parties involved: administrators, staff, students, and sometimes even fellow librarians.

When Cynthia Stogdill and I decided to join forces to begin our Twitter chat #mwlibchat, we did so with the intent of not only bringing together fellow Midwestern Teacher Librarians, but also with the intent of celebrating, promoting, and advocating for the changes that are happening (or should be happening) in our school libraries. 

I'm so excited that we are officially launching this adventure this evening (August 11, 2015). Together we can do amazing things.

So I invite you to join in the conversation. Let you library's voice be heard loud and clear. Help extend the impact of your program well beyond the walls of your library. Let us learn from and support each other. After all, 

#mwlibchat official promotional graphic for the 2015-2016 school year created using Canva