Part one of two:

I think that pictures are very telling things.  If you ask your students to form a picture in their minds or draw a picture of a scientist it usually is an older, white male in a lab coat.  A doctor is still usually portrayed as a white man, but the dress is changing and sometimes a woman or a person of color now appears in those pictures.  I hope that when asked to draw a picture of a librarian our students don't choose to draw the stereotypical 'old lady with a beehive and glasses behind a desk’ image.  I think that the new generation of librarians are bonded together in their diversity.  As a soon to be graduate of a cyber-library Masters program my ‘class’ is a prime example of this – young, old, women, men – all diverse in our backgrounds and experiences but with a single mind to help change the world through our love and passion for learning and reaching out to others.  Not so long ago the librarian was the lady (almost always a lady) who hauled the book cart through the hallway, demanded to know when you were going to bring that book back (or she was going to call your mother), and told you to shush when you came in the door to look through the fragile 3x5 index cards for a book title.  The librarian has turned into the School Library Media Specialist (SLMS) and with that new title goes many new hats.

I think busting through the 'old lady at the desk' image is getting easier, but we are still not there yet.  Schools have their own way of doing things and change is slow.  For the most part we still teach in rooms that are set up the way they 'always were' (a square room with desks in rows) and we still tend to gather up our kids and shut the door relying little on others for ideas or assistance.  The self-contained classroom is still alive but is gradually giving way to a new way of teaching and learning.  And I think therein lies the bane and the boon of being a SLMS.  The bane is things move slowly.  Communities, administration, and teachers often struggle with something that looks and feels different.  The boon is that eventually, through hard work and dedication, things change and new ideas and ways of doing things come about. 

Fortunately, students are often our best allies for changing ways.  They always seem to be willing to try something new and let you know what worked (or what didn't!) any time you ask.  Information is scattered everywhere and the schools are finally opening the doors to the possibility of helping students and faculty manage that information via the SLMS!  They now see the advantage to a partnership between the SLMS and faculty, students, and the community.  The SLMS is a true professional, well versed in curriculum, technology, management, and teaching skills.  Schools are beginning to allow online courses to count for credit and blended schools are rapidly developing and are slowing beginning to recognize the need for change.  The SLMS seems to be medium through which change may be, in part, accomplished. 

Next week, part two.....collaboration.