"I come from a family of avid readers that encouraged an atmosphere of
lifelong learning -- therefore, my childhood was rich with learning," says
Camille Callison. She's a university librarian.
"I was fortunate enough to be exposed to and experience a wide variety
of multicultural experiences at an early age," says Callison.
"Reading was my way of experiencing new and exciting worlds and I read
every book and many of the encyclopedias in my elementary school library.
And though I can't remember her name, my high school librarian's patient encouragement
saw me through a myriad of troubled days."
Callison studied anthropology at university. She did volunteer work and
participated in a work-study program. She went on to complete a Master of
Library and Information Studies (MLIS).
Callison enjoys many aspects of her work as a university librarian.
"I enjoy developing new programs, outreach and teaching students and faculty
members about library resources as well as being involved in research and
professional development activities," says Callison.
"I believe that librarians benefit from being enthusiastic, hardworking,
attentive to detail and [when they] possess good information technology and
communication skills," she adds.
Stuart Levy is a teacher-librarian at an Oregon middle school. He started
out as a teacher and then decided to move into school administration.
Levy took the necessary classes and then looked for a vice-principal job.
When he didn't get one, he reconsidered his career. A career counselor gave
him some tests. They indicated he should be a librarian.
"When I explored what being a school librarian was all about, it connected
all that I wanted to do -- work with... both students and teachers, create
curriculum, help people accomplish their goals, work with technology and information,"
says Levy. "I took library classes, and, voila, here I am today with the perfect
job!"
School librarianship is a perfect job for Levy because he loves working
with people.
"I love it when someone says, 'Thanks, that was very helpful,'" says Levy.
"That actually happens quite a bit. I really love it when I can connect someone
to the exact resource -- usually a book -- that they really wanted or needed...
"I also love that I work in what is truly the heart of our school -- both
physically and metaphysically," Levy says. "I like that I get to wear so many
hats. I also like that no two days are ever the same. And I love that I get
to buy books as part of my job."
Levy says classroom experience is essential for school librarians.
"To really be a successful teacher-librarian, you have to be seen as a
school leader, and that requires that you be a strong classroom teacher first,"
says Levy.
"Also, you have to be a bit of a renaissance person. You can't just love
fiction books, for example. You have to be knowledgeable and passionate about
all types of information -- the whole range of Deweys."
Linda Shantz-Keresztes used to be a teacher-librarian with a large public
school board. She's now an education and school library consultant. She also
works on temporary contract as a substitute teacher-librarian.
"As a professional teacher-librarian, I find it rewarding to collaborate
with classroom teachers on information literacy skills for research/inquiry
projects," says Shantz-Keresztes. "Also, the love of quality literature is
an important and enjoyable part of my work in supporting literacy development
across all curriculum areas."
Shantz-Keresztes says school librarians must be approachable and flexible.
They need to be good problem solvers. And they should love to learn.
Michael Nailor works at a Pennsylvania university teaching aspiring teachers
how to use library resources and technology in the classroom. He spent 12
years as a high school librarian, and before that he was a high school English
teacher.
"I found this idea of school librarianship really important because it
allowed me, one on one, to help kids with projects," says Nailor.
Nailor earned a Master of Library Science degree at Syracuse University.
"The funny thing about it was, when I was interviewed for my MLS at Syracuse,
at the end of the interview the person said to me, 'You know, there's something
really unusual about you -- you're the first one that I've interviewed that
hasn't spoken about books or kids,'" says Nailor.
"Because all that we were talking about was research and using online resources
and ebooks and that sort of thing to help kids in their learning.
"So I was more focused on the technology and the technology is what drew
me to the program -- how to get kids to be effectively thinking about evaluating
websites and where do we search, how do we construct good searches, things
like that," says Nailor.
Nailor sees the role of a school librarian as a lot like the role of a
marketer.
"I think that there's a marketing role that every school librarian has
to play -- selling services," says Nailor.
"It's not quite selling services, but marketing services to the rest of
the school community. Convincing every new crop of freshmen [that] walks into
the building that there's something valuable going on in the library and it's
not just the books. There's a school library program that's there as well."
School librarians need to be adaptable, says Nailor, since every day is
different.
"You need to be the kind of person who is able to change up your agenda
at a moment's notice," says Nailor.
"If a student comes into your library, or a teacher comes into your library,
or an administrator comes into your library with an information need, your
job is to facilitate that, to help with that.
"So I might start out in the morning saying, 'I'm going to spend today
on weeding my collection,' or 'I'm going to spend my day on budgeting for
next year,' or whatever it happens to be, [but] the moment there's a customer
in front of me, I need to respond."