Standard 4: Advocacy and Leadership
4.2.2. Professional Development: Candidates plan for ongoing professional growth.
Artifact:
Leadership Analysis
It was pretty early on in my School Library Administration course when I realized how challenging our assignments would prove to be. Our first assignment was a combination leadership analysis and action plan. The action plan involved creating a plan to address library needs. I completed this half of the assignment first because I wasn’t too frightened of its requirements. I was, however, quite afraid of the leadership analysis. For someone who is incredibly uncomfortable with identifying and pontificating upon my own strengths, I struggled with writing about how I rock at leading! And yet, this assignment forced me to internalize areas where I know I succeed as a leader and areas where I certainly need to plan for ongoing professional growth
There are five roles a school librarian must fulfill. Some are difficult because of the workload, while others prove challenging because of the implementation of effective teaching. The role I believe is the most difficult, however, is the school librarian as leader because of school librarian stereotypes. School librarians excel at research, recommend excellent literature, know how to utilize modern technology, and tend to be pretty solid at teaching. However, they are typically not identified as school leaders. School librarians are not part of the administrative team. They do not chair departments, and they certainly are not running the PTSA or athletic boosters. So, why is one role of the school librarian that of leader?
In actuality, a successful school librarian is a leader for a number of reasons. According to AASL’s Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs, a school librarian “is an early adopter of changes in current educational and technology trends, participates in local, regional, state, and national professional associations for education and librarianship, shares expertise by presenting information at […] meetings, and takes responsibility for professional growth through continuous program improvement.” For these reasons, the leadership analysis assignment is necessary because candidates need to understand our strengths and weaknesses as leaders in order to plan for ongoing professional growth. By completing this assignment, I was able to identify leadership characteristics I do not currently embody and thus identify the leadership areas where I need to grow professionally.
In the first portion of my leadership analysis, I detailed three areas where I feel that my leadership skills are exemplary. First, I make time for colleagues and students whenever they need me; in fact, I often make time more often for colleagues and students than I do for my own planning and grading. In applying this character trait to other some of my other SLM assignments, I recognized that this leadership skill is essential to the school library realm. This skill is especially important in middle or high school where the schedule is flexible; school librarians are not tied down by fixed periods or classroom duties and thus have a responsibility to the school population to be available throughout the day. I also detailed how during collaborative situations, I am patient and efficient. My patience as a department chair during meetings puts colleagues at ease, allowing them the freedom to share. However, I am also efficient and understand that while meetings must be collegial and comfortable, time is of the essence, and colleagues should contribute without sharing so as to only hear themselves talk. The last point I made is how I model my enthusiasm for what I teach. A librarian must be enthusiastic in order to advocate for her program and entice students and teachers to take advantage of her expertise and resources.
The second half of my leadership analysis focused on two leadership inventories, the LPI and CLQ. As I analyzed the results of the inventories, I focused more on the areas where I need to grow and explained those in my leadership analysis. For example, I noted in my analysis that I do not manage conflict effectively, nor am I able to confront and help groups solve tough issues. I must acknowledge that working to solve tough issues is a leadership skill that I need to be ready to develop early in my school librarianship. Situations will arise in a library where the confrontation of tough issues and conflict resolution are necessary skills: the challenge of a book, tension over library space and time among teachers, classroom management, copyright infringement, the unethical use of materials, and taking materials without checking them out, among others.
Another area of my leadership I included in my analysis that I need to improve is monitoring individuals and groups. As stated in the LPI, I only occasionally, “spend time and energy making certain that the people I work with adhere to the principles and standards we have agreed upon [statement six].” Managing the library space is a larger responsibility than managing a single classroom. A librarian must manage a library for the entire school, including teachers, students, parents, administrators, and community members. As a librarian, I will be responsible for the space of a large population and must “make certain” that patrons “adhere to the principles and standards” I have set forth. As of now, this management of space and the space’s rules is quite intimidating to me. I have a difficult time monitoring colleagues. I do not feel comfortable with checking on professionals to ensure that they are doing their job and adhering to my expectations. Thus, as I noted in my leadership analysis, a professional growth goal I will need to address once established as a librarian is to ensure that my rules and regulations are clear and reinforced so that every patron, student, teacher, or administrator, has equal access to information and materials.
In addition to the conclusions I reached through my leadership analysis, I also know that in order to grow as a professional, I need to be ready to join and be an active participant in a number of professional groups, including MASL, AASL, and librarian leadership groups in my county. I hope to write for professional journals and already feel through this internship and the portfolio process that I am capable of reflecting on my work enough to contribute solid ideas and creative solutions to respected publications. Most of all, having now worked with two librarians in the county and knowing several more, I want to collaborate among library colleagues in order to share best practices and collectively stay on top of the most recent improvements in library technology and instruction.
Entering the profession with ideas already in mind of how I must grow bodes well for my future as a school librarian. School initiatives change all of the time; every year students change trends or attitudes or interests. Knowing that I will change and evolve along with the culture of my school and job is a good first step.
There are five roles a school librarian must fulfill. Some are difficult because of the workload, while others prove challenging because of the implementation of effective teaching. The role I believe is the most difficult, however, is the school librarian as leader because of school librarian stereotypes. School librarians excel at research, recommend excellent literature, know how to utilize modern technology, and tend to be pretty solid at teaching. However, they are typically not identified as school leaders. School librarians are not part of the administrative team. They do not chair departments, and they certainly are not running the PTSA or athletic boosters. So, why is one role of the school librarian that of leader?
In actuality, a successful school librarian is a leader for a number of reasons. According to AASL’s Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs, a school librarian “is an early adopter of changes in current educational and technology trends, participates in local, regional, state, and national professional associations for education and librarianship, shares expertise by presenting information at […] meetings, and takes responsibility for professional growth through continuous program improvement.” For these reasons, the leadership analysis assignment is necessary because candidates need to understand our strengths and weaknesses as leaders in order to plan for ongoing professional growth. By completing this assignment, I was able to identify leadership characteristics I do not currently embody and thus identify the leadership areas where I need to grow professionally.
In the first portion of my leadership analysis, I detailed three areas where I feel that my leadership skills are exemplary. First, I make time for colleagues and students whenever they need me; in fact, I often make time more often for colleagues and students than I do for my own planning and grading. In applying this character trait to other some of my other SLM assignments, I recognized that this leadership skill is essential to the school library realm. This skill is especially important in middle or high school where the schedule is flexible; school librarians are not tied down by fixed periods or classroom duties and thus have a responsibility to the school population to be available throughout the day. I also detailed how during collaborative situations, I am patient and efficient. My patience as a department chair during meetings puts colleagues at ease, allowing them the freedom to share. However, I am also efficient and understand that while meetings must be collegial and comfortable, time is of the essence, and colleagues should contribute without sharing so as to only hear themselves talk. The last point I made is how I model my enthusiasm for what I teach. A librarian must be enthusiastic in order to advocate for her program and entice students and teachers to take advantage of her expertise and resources.
The second half of my leadership analysis focused on two leadership inventories, the LPI and CLQ. As I analyzed the results of the inventories, I focused more on the areas where I need to grow and explained those in my leadership analysis. For example, I noted in my analysis that I do not manage conflict effectively, nor am I able to confront and help groups solve tough issues. I must acknowledge that working to solve tough issues is a leadership skill that I need to be ready to develop early in my school librarianship. Situations will arise in a library where the confrontation of tough issues and conflict resolution are necessary skills: the challenge of a book, tension over library space and time among teachers, classroom management, copyright infringement, the unethical use of materials, and taking materials without checking them out, among others.
Another area of my leadership I included in my analysis that I need to improve is monitoring individuals and groups. As stated in the LPI, I only occasionally, “spend time and energy making certain that the people I work with adhere to the principles and standards we have agreed upon [statement six].” Managing the library space is a larger responsibility than managing a single classroom. A librarian must manage a library for the entire school, including teachers, students, parents, administrators, and community members. As a librarian, I will be responsible for the space of a large population and must “make certain” that patrons “adhere to the principles and standards” I have set forth. As of now, this management of space and the space’s rules is quite intimidating to me. I have a difficult time monitoring colleagues. I do not feel comfortable with checking on professionals to ensure that they are doing their job and adhering to my expectations. Thus, as I noted in my leadership analysis, a professional growth goal I will need to address once established as a librarian is to ensure that my rules and regulations are clear and reinforced so that every patron, student, teacher, or administrator, has equal access to information and materials.
In addition to the conclusions I reached through my leadership analysis, I also know that in order to grow as a professional, I need to be ready to join and be an active participant in a number of professional groups, including MASL, AASL, and librarian leadership groups in my county. I hope to write for professional journals and already feel through this internship and the portfolio process that I am capable of reflecting on my work enough to contribute solid ideas and creative solutions to respected publications. Most of all, having now worked with two librarians in the county and knowing several more, I want to collaborate among library colleagues in order to share best practices and collectively stay on top of the most recent improvements in library technology and instruction.
Entering the profession with ideas already in mind of how I must grow bodes well for my future as a school librarian. School initiatives change all of the time; every year students change trends or attitudes or interests. Knowing that I will change and evolve along with the culture of my school and job is a good first step.