The Librarian Influencer of the Week is Texas librarian, Rosario Ozuna. She just completed 2 years at a middle school library in Rio Grande City ISD. Click here to listen to her interview now.
Here are some Librarian Influencer strategies Rosario shared for early-career librarians:
She shares a little of her journey as an immigrant student from Mexico who found her place in US schools with the help of a school librarian.
Learn to let go of some things as you learn to adjust to serving the entire student body vs just your classroom.
Attend campus meetings and learn what the teachers are learning about.
Write all your ideas down so you can focus on the tasks in front of you.
Be patient and organized as you work to bring an activity to life.
Always follow the chain of command when you are planning a library activity so everyone knows what’s going on.
She started a YouTube channel as an advocacy tool after the lunch schedule changed and students had fewer opportunities to visit the library during times like lunch. She creates booktalks with books that do not circulate much. She sends the teachers a link to her booktalks to share during homeroom. Then when students go to lunch, they can stop by to browse for books they’ve heard her talk about. Circulation is increasing!
During COVD 19 she created Google classrooms to keep the teachers up on technology and resources. She has classes based on grade levels: 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classrooms, as well as administration and staff classrooms. She posts links to additional resources and even links to her YouTube channel for teachers to use.
Rosario mentions her relationship with authors due to her YouTube channel. Two authors from her local area she mentions are Katelynn Renteria. Ruben Degollado, and Edward Vidaurre.
You can follow Librarian Influencer Rosario Ozuna at:
Twitter: @OneBookOrNovel https://twitter.com/OneBookOrNovel
Facebook: Rosario Ozuna https://www.facebook.com/rosario.ozuna.7902
Instagram: Elegant Book Lady https://www.instagram.com/elegantbooklady/
Youtube: One Book or Novel at a Time https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM4M0nhryWHt3wyzCO6tf1Q
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