And so it begins...

And so it begins…

Sharing our work makes us vulnerable. Don’t let the fear stop you from sharing your experiments.

Introduction

I have been micro-blogging professionally on Twitter and personally on Facebook for many years. My dear friend Lindsey Barlow recently reminded me that when she introduced me to twitter, I replied “But, I don’t have anything to say.” For over a year, I have had more than 140 characters to say, but TIME (as always) was the issue. What has changed at this moment: my son is seven years old and a little more independent; after a full five-years, my own library is surprisingly less frenetic this year; and a cute guy* told me recently that I needed to create a blog titled Liboratory.

Why “Liboratory”

Apparently, other librarians in my local organization, Massachusetts School library Association (MSLA) have been referring to my library as a LIBRATORY. I was taken aback the first time I heard the term in reference to my library, but after some reflection I decided it was a compliment and accurate.

Do you think of a library as a place of adventure, daring and bravery? I hope your librarian does. When I stepped into my library as a librarian five years ago, I had a goal: to make the library the hub of my school. If that only meant a “physical” hub, I would not be writing this blog. For me, that goal meant creating a dynamic virtual library. It has been a feverish 5 ½ years of learning and taking risks. Are you thinking…Risk-taking??? Yes, it takes courage to invite unpredictable teenagers to an online workshop or book club. The fear: it doesn’t work, and students now think you are old-school, or they post something inappropriate in your presence. It takes mettle to teach your colleagues via a screencast. The fear: they are critiquing your every pronunciation, grammar choice, stutter, and method. It takes some nerve and thick skin to ask participants to give you feedback electronically. The fear: they say nasty things to hurt your feelings because it’s anonymous. It takes grit to propose an idea that puts fear in teachers. The fear: that people will avoid you for days so they don’t have to comment on your idea. It takes embracing frustration to teach yourself something new. The fear: you are stupid and a failure. 

Overcome your fear!

/Lib-or-a-tory/ n: a mindset conducive to experimentation, testing, investigation, observation and sharing around teaching and learning in a modern library

*Hahaha! If you know me, then you will know that it KILLS my feminist self to admit that the final push to start this blog resulted from a cute, sweet-talking guy.