Communicating with other professionals in my field is one of the essential ways I grow in my position as a school librarian. As part of the Instructional Collaboration course, I was required to create one method of communication that is used among many educators--a blog. This was quite a new experience for me, and I entered it with a bit of trepidation. The blog had several components. First, we had to explore some Web 2.0 tools that were completely new to us and make blog entries about these experiences. Next, we had to view a variety of well-established library blogs written by other professionals and select ten of them to follow. We also had to follow all of the blogs developed by our classmates and comment on them. Finally, we were expected to include entries in our learning log, which is an ongoing reflective journal that chronicles learning experiences, as we progressed through the modules.
Designing the blog and keeping up with all of its requirements was an overwhelming task, but the assignment provided me with the opportunity to have a real connection with other librarians, both local and nationwide. As my classmates and I created and maintained our blogs, we developed a bond and shared our learning experiences and ideas from the course. To me, one of the most meaningful parts of the assignment was discovering well-established blogs created and maintained by librarians who are innovative and up-to-date on all of the latest trends in the library world. One example is “The Unquiet Librarian” by Buffy Hamilton, a mover and shaker in our field. I had never been able to find time to read blogs; this course forced me into looking at some and deciding which ones might be worthwhile to follow. We were encouraged to write comments on all of the blogs we were following. This was true networking in action—the sharing of resources and creative ideas.
Now the challenge is to keep up with the blogs I chose to follow and maintain my own. I have been somewhat successful with the former but not so much with the latter. It is tough for any busy librarian to keep current with blogs, but there are a few I try to check regularly. One is “The Daring Librarian” by the hilarious Gwyneth Jones. She was the keynote speaker at our Association of Independent School Librarians conference this past spring, and she mentioned that she not only has a blog but several other methods of sharing through Twitter, Facebook and other social media. She encouraged us to connect with our community in as many ways as possible. I actually opened my own Twitter account and am now following several of the top librarians who Tweet! They have so many creative ideas for school libraries.
Looking back on the entries in my blog has inspired me to go back to it and share some insights and musings with my fellow librarians. It would be great if I could incorporate some humor and whimsy while commenting on new trends in the field or reviews of the latest materials for elementary libraries. With all of the new ways of networking through social media, I am not sure which avenue is the best for librarians, but blogging is certainly one worth using.
Designing the blog and keeping up with all of its requirements was an overwhelming task, but the assignment provided me with the opportunity to have a real connection with other librarians, both local and nationwide. As my classmates and I created and maintained our blogs, we developed a bond and shared our learning experiences and ideas from the course. To me, one of the most meaningful parts of the assignment was discovering well-established blogs created and maintained by librarians who are innovative and up-to-date on all of the latest trends in the library world. One example is “The Unquiet Librarian” by Buffy Hamilton, a mover and shaker in our field. I had never been able to find time to read blogs; this course forced me into looking at some and deciding which ones might be worthwhile to follow. We were encouraged to write comments on all of the blogs we were following. This was true networking in action—the sharing of resources and creative ideas.
Now the challenge is to keep up with the blogs I chose to follow and maintain my own. I have been somewhat successful with the former but not so much with the latter. It is tough for any busy librarian to keep current with blogs, but there are a few I try to check regularly. One is “The Daring Librarian” by the hilarious Gwyneth Jones. She was the keynote speaker at our Association of Independent School Librarians conference this past spring, and she mentioned that she not only has a blog but several other methods of sharing through Twitter, Facebook and other social media. She encouraged us to connect with our community in as many ways as possible. I actually opened my own Twitter account and am now following several of the top librarians who Tweet! They have so many creative ideas for school libraries.
Looking back on the entries in my blog has inspired me to go back to it and share some insights and musings with my fellow librarians. It would be great if I could incorporate some humor and whimsy while commenting on new trends in the field or reviews of the latest materials for elementary libraries. With all of the new ways of networking through social media, I am not sure which avenue is the best for librarians, but blogging is certainly one worth using.