Jackson_Daley_BlogShareEntryBlog#4

Blog Share Entry

    For this blog post, I decided to talk about another librarian’s blog called “Mighty Little Librarian” written by Tiffany Whitehead. She is a high school librarian at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with a School Library Certification and a graduate degree in Educational Technology Leadership from Northwestern State University. She was named one of the 2014 Library Journal Movers and Shakers and in 2016 a recipient of the Louisiana Library Media Specialist Award. She is also serving as the President of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians.

http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/

    Wow! Talk about someone who has accomplished so much in her time as a librarian! She loves to read, uses social media, and understands technology very well. When I first saw the title of her blog I thought that it made total sense! School librarians are not viewed as important always, but they do a lot of work and try their best to achieve what is best for resources for their patrons. I like how her blog is very simple but colorful at the same time. It is not text-heavy and is very easy to follow. I am thinking about starting a Twitter account to follow librarians like her to gain new ideas in the school library.

    One of her blog posts that I found to be interesting and new was her discussion about “Library Re-Orientation” and how she wanted to get her library to have a vibe that students would be able to enjoy, but also get their work done. She discussed how in the high school setting, students have lots of free time and she felt that managing a productive library space was challenging. Her goal was to make the library a welcoming and inclusive space where students are comfortable and able to complete their work. She wanted to find a balance that would not cause a struggle.

    After watching her library orientation video, I was very interested in how everything was so organized! I love being organized and cannot function if things are not in order. She has a much bigger library than I have ever experienced, but she has a lot more stations for students to complete work. I highly encourage you to watch this video to see how many stations, areas, and activities can be completed in her library. This high school is huge because the library has two stories! 

    I think the information she has shared is very useful because the library is not just a place that holds books. It is a place that offers books, resources, stations for makerspaces, and so much more! The librarian can collaborate with teachers to create lessons for students that will help them learn how to conduct research and find materials available in the library. In her video, she stated that when coming to the library it is important to have a purpose. It is important for students to not be disruptive to others and to not be destructive. 

    A library is a place where students can achieve goals and become better learners. In middle school, students tend to abuse their right to be in the library. They do not yet understand what a library is supposed to be used for in school. My goal as a librarian is to make sure the library is a welcoming environment but also a place to learn. I have often found myself re-organizing bookshelves and tidying up constantly when students leave the library. Despite all of the negatives, there are so many positives and I believe the “Mighty Little Librarian” blog has done a great job of showing how a library should be utilized. 

References
Mighty Little Librarian – Tiffany Whitehead’s Blog. (2019, October 21). Mightylittlelibrarian.com. http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/

Tiffany Whitehead. (2021, August 19). Library Orientation 2021 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGJxRTMomlU