Comparisons

While each library media specialist shared at least a little information about each of the focus areas, I want to focus in on the areas that impacted me the most, whether convincing me to look deeper, affirming my philosophy, or challenging my position.

**Collaboration:**
All three media specialists stated they do some but not much collaboration. Several things stand in the way of collaboration: the teachers' fears or desire to do things on their own, along with not understanding the role of the media specialist. As Carol A. Doll states in //Collaboration and the School Library Media Specialist//, "an important part of that role is teaching information literacy and integrating it throughout the school curriculum" (3).

While the high school media specialist is being proactive by meeting with new faculty members before school starts and offering his assistance in many ways, the other two media specialists seem to accept that collaboration won't happen beyond any they currently do. The K-12 media specialist really doesn't do any fully collaborative teaching; she is willing to demonstrate databases and help with projects, but she doesn't sit down with teachers and plan integrated learning experiences.

I agree with the high school media specialist's approach. It falls in line with Linda Wolcott's "Practical Approaches to Collaborating", outlined in //Information Power//: //Building Partnerships for Learning//. These approaches include: "Establish a good relationship with teachers", "show the connections between information literacy and content-related objectives" and "solicit teachers' assistance in library media program". I believe the high school media specialist follows through on all of these aspects. Through his initial meeting with new staff, he shares specific resources that are available and asks for their input. By meeting with them, he immediately becomes a friendly face, someone they can approach with other questions down the road. His proactive approach challenges me to look at what I can do to be a better advocate for our program by seeking connections to new faculty. We have read about this approach in several different readings, but hearing that it is being done pushes me to try to do more.

Technology:
The difference in technology use and know-how among the three people I interviewed did not really surprise me. I knew the high school media specialist was very tech savvy, and the other two seemed to know enough to get by, but not really on the edge of technology. I personally think that the schedules of both the K-12 specialist and the MS/HS specialist add to the reluctance/resistance to learning new technology. The thought "When will I learn how to do that?" probably crosses their minds. Perhaps they don't feel technology is a strength, so they focus on other areas that they excel at - sharing their love of reading and running programs. I know the K-12 specialist relies on our Media Council meetings to provide basic training on using new technologies. She can return from these meetings and repeat the training, possibly playing with the program some to get a better grasp for teaching others.

I too find myself relying on the Media Council meetings to introduce and train me for new technologies. I know I have learned a lot through my courses at IUPUI, but I am happy to know support beyond my graduation will be there to keep me driven to learn and teach new technologies. With the amazing developments in technology just in my lifetime, I can only imagine what is to come. To help students be successful in the Information Age, we need to be knowledgeable about new technologies. As Carol Doll states, "In today's world, the ability to use information effectively is becoming increasingly important; in addition, the amount of information is expanding exponentially" (xiv). Being knowledgeable enables us to serve the students and staff, guiding them through this mind-boggling amount of information.

Accountability:
This was an area that surprised me. I knew that my predecessor had not turned in any reports in years, but I was surprised to learn that very few reports are turned in. I thought all three media specialists would tell me specific reports they turn in on a schedule, recommending I check with key administrators concerning when they would like the self-same reports from me. Knowing a specific blueprint does not exist made me think about the types of reports I want to do and which ones would be the most beneficial for my audience and my program.

I think the high school specialist's tracking of collaboration and attention to information literacy standards is the best option, with budgets being tightened and our positions being questioned. Not turning in anything seems risky, although the K-12 specialist has enough years of experience that her administrators believe what she says. This may work well for her (especially since she is //the// media specialist in the corporation), but I don't think this is a good approach to advocating for our important role in education.

Policies and Procedures:
Having policies is an important aspect of managing a library media center. While the MS/HS media specialist provides students with their procedures and policies that directly affect them, the K-12 and HS specialist share a similar amount of information with their students. The high school media specialist admitted his policies are kept in a file in his desk - and that these policies are the same as they were over thirty-five years ago! While not all of the library media specialists shared their policies, my guess would be that all the policies need to be updated to consider new material formats, check for bias or language that leans toward censorship, and consider revising them to be streamlined yet well-written to avoid the need for interpretation. I know this is a task I face, since the current policy at my school is over twenty years old. Too much has changed to let this slide.

**Collections:**
Less than a month into the school year, I quickly discovered I was in a similar predicament as Doug Johnson described in "Weed!" He opens his article with an eerily similar tale: "I once took over a job from Evelyn who had been a school librarian for 20 years. During her tenure, she never threw anything away — literally. Most of the books were of an age that they could drink. Many could and should have retired." I wondered how I would ever manage to figure out what needed to go and what needed to stay.

I was curious to find out how other media specialists approached this task. Most likely they had pristine collections that only needed light weeding. The MS/HS specialist uses the CREW/MUSTIE method on an ongoing basis. The K-12 specialist uses a more informal, end-of-the-year, weeding during inventory, but I am sure she doesn't get rid of anything unless she absolutely has to. The HS specialist has made his summer projects working on weeding the Dewey. While the K-12 collection was **packed** with many books, the middle school collection was more sparse. I didn't see any older books that were kept because they were classics. My visit to the high school media center put me more at ease. I didn't want a crammed collection (what I now have), but I didn't want a lot of bare shelves. Seeing the painstaking process the HS specialist has gone through to carefully evaluate his collection made me breathe a sigh of relief. His collection did include worn copies of classics and popular books, but they were still in good condition for circulation. Even though their covers may not be appealing, they were still quality materials. This was more like the collection I had envisioned; a mixture of new, eye-catching materials and the aged but still relevant books. Some students are drawn to the worn books, so I have been reluctant to strictly follow the MUSTIE guidelines.

I recently started working on the Dewey collection. I must admit, I did eliminate at least three shelves worth of books. Computer books from the eighties, personal improvement/self-help books from the seventies, multiple copies of books with low circulation/demand, outdated materials... as the pile grew larger I worried that I might be axing too many books. But then, I referred back to the guidelines I had printed that gave specifics for the Dewey sections I had weeded so far, and felt I might have been too lenient on some books! I have also talked to a couple teachers (government and FACS) about helping me determine what else might need to go. I keep reminding myself what Doug Johnson said about collections: "Shelves filled with books of no value are the equivalent of pantries full of empty cereal boxes."

Miscellaneous Ideas:
I "collected" useful ideas from each of my visits. After visiting the middle school, I ordered more Young Hoosier nominees because I realized when she said she ordered 2-3 copies of each, that I was short-sighted in only having one copy of each. How will over 100 junior high students be able to even read one young Hoosier if only 20 are available?

I was surprised at the overall limited space for the K-12 library. I quickly realized how blessed I am to have such a large area to work with when planning changes. I liked her story time area and have been thinking about where I want to set up mine. It needs to be cozy like hers, rather than just a section of carpet and a chair.

I have already adopted the high school labeling for the fiction. Since we have been on Fall Break, I haven't had much time to see how this labeling will impact students looking for books. I have also prepared Dewey summaries to hang at the beginning of each set of one hundreds. As I weed I plan to hang these guidelines where students will see them and use them.

After these visits, I have realized how important it is to network and reach out to other media specialists. Swapping ideas and supporting each other is what we do. I laugh when I think how reluctant I was to go to my first Media Council meeting last year. How naive I was! Media specialists are great people who love to help. They aren't at all like //The// //Librarian from the Black Lagoon// - waiting to laminate me!