At the MSBO (Michigan Association of School Business Officials) conference, where I just presented a session on ipad apps for administrators. I just spent some time wandering through the exhibits where I saw all kinds of vendors : accountants, architects, heating and cooling folks, food service people, sports field and flooring people. There are some many different people involved in the business of running schools. It's a good reminder that we librarians are just one part of the big picture: one special interest among many. One of the big things we need to do as school librarians is make sure that we are aware of all these others folks involved in running a school.
We need to be aware of how we connect with them, how we can help them and how they can help us, and make sure that we communicate and collaborate with them! We also really need to be aware of how they see us: If they see us as just one of many special interests clamoring for attention and money, that colors the way to work with us. Until we can learn to work with them and speak their lingo , they will continue to see us as some special interest group separate from them with our own jargon. We need always to find ways to connect and collaborate and move to " we" discussions of our common needs and interests. We need to help them see us as part of the group, part of the team, part of the solution. Too often we lose sight of that when we're fighting for our jobs, and sometimes it can be very hard to do.
I've got no magic answers - Just saying we need to do it.
We need to be aware of how we connect with them, how we can help them and how they can help us, and make sure that we communicate and collaborate with them! We also really need to be aware of how they see us: If they see us as just one of many special interests clamoring for attention and money, that colors the way to work with us. Until we can learn to work with them and speak their lingo , they will continue to see us as some special interest group separate from them with our own jargon. We need always to find ways to connect and collaborate and move to " we" discussions of our common needs and interests. We need to help them see us as part of the group, part of the team, part of the solution. Too often we lose sight of that when we're fighting for our jobs, and sometimes it can be very hard to do.
I've got no magic answers - Just saying we need to do it.
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