The Librarian Influencer of the Week is Kaitlyn Carpenter and she just completed her first year as a Texas librarian. Click here to listen to her interview now.
Here are some Librarian Influencer strategies Kaitlyn shared for early-career librarians:
Her library became an information hub during her school’s closure:
~ She wishes she had created an online space earlier in the year prior to school closure.
~ She added 8,000 people to Schoology to get her LMS going during COVID 19.
~ They had a library hotline during COVID 19 to help people with various needs during the school closure, like finding free wifi and checking out digital devices from the library.
~She wants to make sure to start out with an online presence when the next school year starts.
This summer she is evaluating what worked and what strategies engaged students during school closure.
She is exploring her online programming to see how she can transfer that back to her physical space.
This is what Kaitlyn is doing this summer:
She uses NetGalley to discover new titles to share with her students. Set up a free profile and you’ll get access to ebooks that you can read and review.
She is running collection analysis reports.
She is creating collections in Destiny Collections in preparation for next year.
Here is a list of Kaitlyn’s resources for librarians to learn from:
Book: Hacking School Libraries
Professional Learning Networks- FB (Learning Librarians, Future Ready Librarians), Instagram & Twitter
State and National Library groups
FInd a mentor and a “librarian bestie”
You can follow Librarian Influencer Kaitlyn Carpenter at:
Twitter: @carpe_librarian
Instagram: @carpe_librarian
***Join our library squad! Scroll to the bottom of the page and subscribe to our mailing list. Stay up to date on latest blog posts, podcast interviews, and other related topics.***