So AloneFlying Solo! Coping strategies for the sole charge librarian.

The issues and challenges and joys of being all alone in the

librarywith added coping strategies

Who should be a school librarian?

At the Otago SLANZA AGM in June I asked, what are the thrills and the challenges of being a solo school librarian?

A little survey

You run the entire libraryVariety in workPick and choose how to spend your daySet the tone for your own workplaceThe relationships with studentsWorking with younger students is a joyInteraction with great learnersSpending the $$Choosing and buying the resources

The thrills

Time to spend the $$No lunch or tea breaksHard to liaise with staffLack of support from SMTNo non-contactInterruptionsDamages (stuff gets broken)Budget - lack thereofPoor payConstant messStudents lack of library skillsNaughty kids

The Challenges

I often get comments from new staff at our school that they are surprised that I am with their classes.

They say that usually in schools the staff are in the office.

Or shelving!

What do the staff see?

We need some coping strategies I believe!

Please

Stop doing work that nobody values

Stop doing tasks just because you've always done them

Make your work service focussed - be the librarian your users need

I'm about to upset the purists

Claim back your time

AND GET YOUR SANITY BACK!

Because the only way we are going to get done what needs to be done is to prioritise.

Lets talk priorities

If you have little budget to spend - then you have heaps of time to learn new skills.

If you have dropping usage of your library then you are less busy so can develop new programmes

If you don't have lots of teacher contact - then you have lots of time to go and get some!

Getting real

WORK WITH TEACHERS

NOT FOR TEACHERS

Why would you do any of these:Cataloguing magazines Covering magazinesIndividual subs to magazinesCovering non-fiction which will not be used frequentlyPulling all the books to the front of the shelfPutting dots all over the booksHaving layers of restrictionsCovering adult fiction/crime

Things I think you can stop doing

Information files - ditch them now!Clipping newspapers of any kindBookmarks in your browser - move on peopleMending badly damaged booksDouble handling of anythingEndless filing of paper - use google docs and you'll always find your docs/masters/anythingRecording accession numbers

But wait there's more

Examine the whys of what you do!

If you can't actually see students using something you do then stop doing it.

If your students are ahead of you in ICT then ask them about it and learn new tricks now

Stop putting pressure on yourself to keep up pointless admin.

Commit to learning to use one new tool a month

Advice

What would they miss if you left for three months?

Lets write these down

Starting point

What wouldn't they miss if you left for three months?

Lets write these down

(remember they don't care if you don't do this stuff)

Another starting point

Then do the other stuff.

Nobody knows all this secret library businessAnd they don't really want to knowTherefore stop doing it.

Do the stuff the people need first

Get involvedBe connected at schoolMake powerful friendsDon't whine for no reasonTalk about what you doTalk about why you do what you doGet students talkingShow off your stuff in assemblies and syndicate meetingsAbove all get out of your office and look busy.

Advocate for yourself as well as your library

And mess up your workspaces a bit

Diigo! Never have to search through a billion bookmarks again.

Timesaving tool of awesome!

Best tool ever for choosing booksBest tool ever for gauging opinion on books

Best tool ever for connecting with other readers

Best tool ever for recommending booksBest tool ever for family reading

Best tool everJust best tool ever if you are a reader.

IMNSHO!

Goodreads

I love these (and 100 more)

So many blogs of awesome but

The adventures of library girl@jenniferlagarde

WT

Slanza has made you a bundle of good stuff

https://conversationprism.com/diigo.comhttp://librarylostfound.com/2013/07/02/i-dont-have-time/www.slanza.org.nzhttps://www.facebook.com/POLSiteswww.librarygirl.nethttp://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2013/7/4/school-libraries-a-student-right.htmlhttp://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/knowledgequest/archive/v40no2http://lonewolflibrarian.wordpress.com/http://extracurly.wordpress.com/

Resources and attributions not in the main body of this presentation