Happy National School Library month! The Librarian Influencer of the Week is Georgia elementary librarian Ashley Sherman. Click here to listen now!
Here are some librarian influencer tips Ashley shared:
Focus on your time management skills, especially in the beginning of your career when it can feel difficult to say no.
Ashley is fortunate to have a paraprofessional who takes care of book checkout while Ashley takes care of collaborative lessons, pushing into classrooms, and supporting tech issues.
Ashley wants all librarians to remember the work you are doing is important:
Let others know the work you are doing is important. We aren’t just sitting at our desks or reading books. Our work is so important and it matters to every student in the building.
School librarians are like unicorns because there is no other creature like us.
Be the squeaky wheel to advocate for your program. Showcase what you are working on. Showcase what your students are doing. Showcase what your teachers are doing.
Libraries are the biggest classroom on campus. Showcase the learning happening there.
Here are some ways to showcase what’s happening in the library.
Tag your administration, your county, your supervisor in social media posts.
Save the photos under a professionalism tab in your eportfolio to save for your evaluation.
Print out your state library standards. Laminate them. Write your annual goals on the document. Post the document publicly in your library to showcase your goals.
Keep chart paper on your walls with categories like professional development, collaboration, and budget. Throughout the year add post-it notes under the categories to show what you have done.
You can connect with Ashley Sherman at:
Twitter:@ashermly
Instagram:@librarianinlouboutins
Wakelet: @ashermly
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