My turn

This month, American Libraries magazine published an article about librarian bloggers. It's a great article, but it raised eyebrows because no school librarians were included. To make amends, AL is publishing another article in the May issue, this one focusing strictly on school library bloggers. Doug posted his unedited responses to the list of questions AL sent to him and urged others who were sent the list to do the same. As far as I can tell, Joyce, Sara, Alice, and Christopher have done so. I guess it's my turn.

My blog is a bit different from these others. It's, as Alice notes, a librarY blog, not a librarIAN blog. My students are my audience, not the library profession. That said, I think blogging is all about voice, so plenty of me comes through in my posts (for better or for worse). And because I maintain a librarY blog, this post is a bit of a philosophical departure from my usual fare. I did try to keep my responses brief, in a preemptive strike against the possibility of slash-and-burn editing :-) .

What differentiates blogging for library media specialists from writing for the generalist biblioblogs?

The obvious answer is that the audience is more defined. Common assumptions can be made about the nature of our jobs and the populations served. Teaching is generally a much more central activity for us, as is collaboration with classroom teachers, so entries will more typically reflect those issues. What's not so obvious is that school librarians often operate under more restrictive conditions and with fewer resources than their counterparts in, say, academic libraries. Blogging may not be allowed, or there may be little technical support for it.

What are your professional objectives for blogging?

My students are my intended audience, not the biblioblogosphere itself. I use my blog primarily for library advocacy, as well as a way to extend the physical library space to the virtual realm. Besides highlighting what's going on in the library (students love to see their pictures on the blog!), I bring in lots of "Library News of the Weird," which is great for stereotype-busting. I depend a great deal on my biblioblog RSS feeds for these tidbits. This approach also allows me to look at the profession from the outside in, with a lighter twist.

I am aware that I have an audience in broader libraryland. I hope that my blog can serve as proof of concept for school librarians who are thinking of starting one.

How much time do you devote to blogging?

Probably about 4 hours a week, sometimes more and sometimes less.

How does having a professional blog impact your work with students?

I think it humanizes me at the same time as it helps them see me as a thoughtful professional. I also enjoy having an outlet for highlighting their ingenuity, their quirkiness, and their energizing presence in the library. A few students have told me how much they appreciated being considered "blogworthy."

What are the pitfalls for a school librarian to be writing a blog?

Gosh, it's hard to think of any. There are the usual pitfalls - your audience is broader than you think, and your words stick around forever. In the school environment, care must be taken to protect students. I always ask permission before I post pictures and never use last names. I love having open commenting, but I do have to be vigilant about spam attacks and the occasional unsavory (usually anonymous) submission.

How does blogging affect your interaction with nonlibrarian colleagues?

It doesn't much, at least not directly. In order to blog, I have to maintain my technology skills and I need to read other edublogs. What my colleagues see is probably more the fruits of those efforts. I'm better able to help them with technology problems and I'm more aware of education trends and issues because I blog. Of course, teachers love to see their pictures on my blog as much as students do.

What has been the response of your faculty and/or administration to your blog?

Very positive, though to be honest, many are barely aware of it. I have my regular readers, including the principal. I am lucky in that the administration has always been supportive. If there's ire at my school, it's generally directed at the online student newspaper, which uses Moveable Type software (a blogging editor) and is out there for the world to read.

If your administration was wary of you blogging, how did you allay those fears?

If I found myself in this situation, my flip answer would be that I would blog first and ask for permission later. Too often, administrators simply don't understand what Web 2.0 tools are, which means they can't grasp the positive potential. Once they see examples of effective implementation, then they get it. Of course, many blogging services are blocked in schools, making it difficult to even be a renegade. On a more serious note, I'd share administrator-friendly professional tip sheets, like the Young Adult Library Services Association's list of 30 positive uses of social networking (available at http://www.leonline.com/yalsa/positive_uses.pdf).

What is the greatest benefit to blogging about school libraries?

Blogging is fun! It's like coloring outside the lines while educating and advocating for libraries at the same time. Blogging encourages reflection on the part of the blogger as well as the blog's readers.

How do you see the evolution of blogging (i.e., the growth of online video) as intersecting with the job of school media professionals?

It's a natural. School media professionals are often at the forefront of adopting new technologies and then passing on their skills to others. If you use it, you can teach it better. At the same time, my blog is not going to morph into a vlog tomorrow. It's important to use a tool that works for everyone, to keep things simple and accessible, and to focus on the main message you are using the tool to convey.