Create opportunities for project-based learning experiences that incorporate connections that flatten the walls of the classroom.

In my mission statement, I write that I hope to “[Create] authentic experiences that foster a sense of joy for learning” and in the 21st century classroom, one way to make that happen is to encourage project-based learning. Melissa Jacobs-Israel, School Library Journal contributor describes project-based learning as an opportunity where “[students] are learning how to develop intriguing questions for further discovery and research, investigate a topic, construct new meanings, develop opinions and supporting arguments, apply new understandings, create final products, and reflect on what they learned” (Jacobs-Israel, 2013). There could be no better place for this to occur, than in the library. In fact, journalist Suzie Boss argues that librarians should be at the forefront of project-based learning experiences in their school: “A key player to invite into these collaborative conversations is the school librarian or library media specialist. Their understanding of information literacy and digital citizenship can make a difference across the arc of projects. What’s more, librarians may know about students’ out-of-class interests through their reading choices or online interests” (Boss, 2013).

Through project-based learning, students are provided with authentic experiences … Read More

Provide students and staff with instruction and resources that reflect current information needs and anticipate changes in technology and education.

In 2009, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) developed a set of guidelines to help “define the future direction of school library programs” (p. 7) and those guidelines were then published in Empowering Learners : Guidelines for School Library Programs. When looking back on my mission statement, I realized there is one passage that I wanted to specifically target and further articulate: “[U]nearth ways to mirror what is happening in the classroom with the outside world” (Todd, 2014). This principle, as written by AASL, exemplifies precisely what I am hoping to convey to my patrons; a library experience that is rich with print and digital information, where both exposure and instruction are equally important.

I recently posted my mission statement on my blog and solicited comments from readers across the globe and one reader provided me with some very insightful feedback: “Could another librarian take your mission statement and would it represent who they are equally well? It’s like the mission statements of libraries or colleges. Many of them sound the same. We all are committed to creating … Read More

Model the effective and appropriate use of print and digital resources to help answer questions and find solutions.

A group of librarians met in 2010 to discuss the future of school librarians and at the core of their discussion was the need to make libraries relevant in the future. These librarians determined, in order to do this, the goal behind their group would be to change the face of librarianship in the 21st century. Their mission, to help librarians around the globe “ensure that students are effective users and producers of information and ideas” (Bartow, 2010). While this may sound like a lofty ambition, one simple action comes to mind that will help me personally make this goal a reality: turn my screen so it is easily accessible to both myself and my patrons. When a student comes in a with a question, I do not simply provide the answer, I invite them to stand next to me and walk them through how to find the solution.

Not only will this allow me to model the behavior I am hoping to see in my students, it also touches on a number of other elements in my mission statement:

• model a