MLIS Blog

For the include competency, I interviewed Jacquelyn Harris, the Media Specialist at Bookman Road Elementary. The include competency calls for school librarians to "demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diversity in the learning community"(2018). She achieves this in her program by holding small group discussions, a storytelling center, and selecting diverse materials for her collection. After she completes a read aloud students are divided into small groups and discuss their opinions. Before implementing this, Jackie set expectations and modeled how to share your opinion respectfully. In her storytelling center, she uses a cube with different pictures on it to help shape the story. When selecting diverse materials she uses the Titlewise Diversity Analysis to help see the demographics of her collection and identify her areas of growth. Titlewise also will suggest suitable books for each category. Jackie is currently collaborating with ...

For the collaborate competency, I interviewed Crystal Smith, the Media Specialist at Blythewood High School. The collaborate competency calls for school librarians to teach students to "work effectively with others to broaden perspectives and work toward common goals" (2018). She achieves this in her program by creating Breakout games. During my internship, I had the opportunity to observe a class complete a Breakout about Fake News. They used a mixture of online tools like articles and videos and BreakoutEdu kits for this game. This challenged students to work with each other and provide feedback to their group. She collaborates with a freshman study skills class each week and has open communication with teachers by managing a calendar for the Cyber Center. A challenge she faces with this competency is having access to all teachers. All teachers do not sign up for assistance, but when selecting materials if they receive something that will be relevant to a teacher she always...

  For the inquire competency, I interviewed Amy Whitfield, the Media Specialist at Blythewood High School. The inquire competency calls for school librarians to "build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems" (2018). She achieves this in her program by using technology with students to assist with the inquiry-based research process. When completing my internship, I was able to observe her use of  Ozebots in two freshman study skills classes. She collaborates with both teachers each week and provides their students with opportunities to practice different study and research skills.  Students were asked to use the Ozebot to create a path to graduation from their freshman to senior year with important academic milestones included. A challenge she faces when implementing this competency is allowing students to reflect on their learning. Students visit for the activity but normally reflect with teach...

  For the explore competency, I interviewed Elizabeth Harris, the Media Specialist at Catawba Trail Elementary School.  The Explore competency calls for school librarians to guide students to"discover and innovate in a growth mindset developed through experience and reflection"(2018). She achieves this in her program by creating eye-catching displays for cultural heritage months. She focuses on Biographies and Non-Fiction materials to increase their visibility and circulation. She also likes to do read-alouds with all her students. She does them less with her 3rd-5th graders but feels it's important for them to hear a read-aloud. She also has a suggestion box for students to submit books they think should be included in the library. These all help encourage students to read widely by showcasing books that are not checked out as often and give them a voice to help in the selection process. Elizabeth uses Sora, Epic, and Tumblebooks to expose students to materials in a vari...