The Librarian Influencer of the Week is Georgia librarian Sarah Sansbury. She’s worked in middle school and elementary school libraries. Click here to listen now!
Here are some librarian influencer tips Sarah shared:
Be patient when you get started in a new library.
Don’t be afraid to delegate to any volunteers you might have.
Don't stay too late. You will burn out.
Sarah started a new job this year and has never seen her students or teachers face to face. Here are some strategies she used to start building relationships.
During the summer she studied all the curriculum for the grade levels she would serve.
Sarah made a menu for the teachers to see all of the services she can provide.
She attended as many staff and leadership meetings as possible so she could get a better feel for the school.
She needed to learn what the teachers were teaching and started looking for resources that aligned with those items.
Sarah wants teachers to see her as an instructional partner.
She wants students to see her as approachable and in their corner.
Be a Human-Centered Librarian.
It can be as simple as looking at your library from the students' or teachers’ perspective.
If you had never been in your library and walked in, what do you first see, experience? What is the feel of your library?
Look at typical traffic flow. Is the way everything is arranged intuitive? Is there prime real estate that could be better utilized?
It really takes intention, time, research, and most importantly--empathy.
You can connect with Sarah Sansbury at:
Twitter: @supersansbury https://twitter.com/SuperSansbury
Instagram: @supersansbury https://www.instagram.com/supersansbury/
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