When I tell people I am getting my Masters in Library Science, (after they look at me with I'm not sure is pity or confusion), they ALWAYS say, "I had no idea you have to have a Masters to be a Librarian."
They 1) only know what they see: shelving and circulating books, which is like the iceberg analogy... and 2) they assume the Dewey Decimal System is all there is to know to work in the library.
This is where I get excited. They have no idea how COOL it is to be a librarian these days. We're like, the cutting edge of awesome, right? We're exploring the frontier of technology in our libraries (or I will be in a few years, hopefully), and bringing all of it to our students.
Right now I teach Kindergarten. I use mini laptops and show my kids different educational websites. I am not tooting my horn, exactly, am I? I know I could do more, but to be honest, I have way too many priorities and I want all of them to be first. Competing for that first place spot already is academics, behavior, socialization, respect, responsibility, and on a good day I also help them realize when they ACTUALLY need to go to the nurse vs. when they really don't, and the difference between reporting necessary information to me vs. "they bother me and I want them in trouble" (aka: tattling).
Technology is a goal, but I admit, my plate is perpetually overflowing, and I find it difficult to do much more than using the laptops, incorporating my Elmo, and hoping that the grant we got for smartboards in every classroom gets to me soon. This is why I can't wait to get into the library, where I will not only be expected to use and model these technology tools, but I can stretch my tired lazy muscles and explore more and more, bringing the library to my students, and in turn, hopefully bringing the students to my library.
The ISTE-NETS use wording such as, Inspire, Create, Model, Design, Develop. There are opportunities everywhere online these days with Web 2.0 tools that can bridge the gap between kids and those of us who want nothing more than to excite them about learning or reading. I plan to Model this by having a plethora of tools on my library website, such as, a blog, wikis, Wallwisher, TeacherTube, twitter, etc. This is only a few, and I KNOW there will more by the time I'm actually in my own library. My main goal is to open their eyes to all the avenues to create, research, converse, and learn through the library and to what/whom it can connect them.
The expectation is huge. But I accept the challenge.
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