American Libraries Q & A

 The story continues...

On March 12th I wrote an open letter to the editor of American Libraries grouching about school library bloggers being excluded from an article about library bloggers. LM_Netters, especially Peter Milbury, added voices. Last week American Libraries responded by indicating they were writing another article specifically about the topic and have asked a number of school library bloggers (I am sure how many or who exactly, beside Rob Darrow) to answer a series of questions that will be melded into an article. Cool.

I am posting my full response below and I hope other who have been asked to respond will publish their full responses on their own blogs and link in the comments section below. I, for one, would like to hear everything that everyone asked had to say.

Nothing below you probably haven't already read here and in more detail, but for what it's worth... 

What differentiates blogging for library media specialists from writing for the generalist biblioblogs?
Well, we write about the things that are specific to our own practice, I suppose - K-12 library services, materials, information literacy skills, technologies and such. Compared to the regular library world, teaching and education philosophies and practices are dealt with much more often, as is using children’s literature to promote reading.

What I think is more interesting is how school library blogging differs from writing you find in professional publications. To me it seems more reflective, more personal, and more cutting edge. These are new ideas being bandied about, sometimes half-baked, but always exciting. My sense is this is where concepts for the libraries of the future will be developed. The writers and readers tend to be those who are perhaps less satisfied with the status quo, both for schools and libraries. And I like how many school librarians write from the heart as much as from the head.

What are your professional objectives for blogging?
It’s my chance to reflect, fly test balloon ideas about libraries, and gather input through comments. The Blue Skunk for me is almost a repository for thoughts regarding professional practice – things I am currently thinking about and want remember again one day. Old guys like me need this virtual memory.

How much time do you devote to blogging?
Depends on the week, I suppose, but I’m guessing about 6 hours a week. I tend to be one of the more prolific bloggers, averaging about 4 posts a week. Bloggoreha, I believe it is called ;-).

How does having a professional blog impact your work with students?
Since I am a library supervisor, this question really doesn’t pertain to me.

What are the pitfalls for a school librarian to be writing a blog?
Like any public publication, one needs to realize you never know who your readers might be. I have to assume that my superintendent, my district colleagues, and the folks I supervise may be reading, so I am careful not to criticize individuals or my institution. Education in the whole is fair game to write about more negatively, but one needs to be careful not to be too specific. Even when names are not named, people can identify themselves and are not always pleased. (I learned this when writing columns for print publications.) But then I don’t mind addressing a real problem our district shares with other schools in hopes of getting help. Oh, I know my mother, wife and daughter all read the blog from time to time so I have to watch my language!

How does blogging affect your interaction with nonlibrarian colleagues?
My blog is read by librarians, technology people, and possibly the general public including parents, so it becomes a forum for different perspectives on issues in education. It’s healthy for librarians to look at problems through the eyes of techs sometimes, and vice versa.

What has been the response of your faculty and/or administration to your blog?
Nobody has mentioned it. You are not very interesting unless you live more than 75 miles away.

If your administration was wary of you blogging, how did you allay those fears?
My administration has always seen my professional writings as a source of pride for the district. So long I maintain a degree of professionalism about the content, the forum shouldn’t matter. At this time, no concerns have been expressed.

What is the greatest benefit to blogging about school libraries?
Blogging is about interaction and responses to one’s writing. When writing for print publications, I am lucky to receive one or two responses to an article or column after it has come out. (Unless it is REALLY controversial.) With a blog, nearly every post attracts comments – both positive and negative. As a writer, this is very gratifying. Even when someone disagrees with me, it’s a rush knowing one’s writing has actually been read. I get wonderful ideas and information that help clarify and expand my thoughts about subjects from this blog “conversation.”

How do you see the evolution of blogging (i.e., the growth of online video) as intersecting with the job of school media professionals?
Blogging is a medium that seems to be popular with younger practitioners in the field. I’ve been publishing in print professional communications for about 20 years, but younger librarians will come up to me at conferences and ask, “Are you the Blue Skunk Guy?” Ironic since the blog at this writing is about 18 months old.

Right now most blogs are written for other professionals, including mine. But I look to see more library blogs used as a communication medium for students. Harris’s Gargoyles Loose in the Library blog as a real model for this. It’s a fantastic way to reach this Net Generation of learners and library users.

Like most communication, it seems we are moving from text-dominated communication environments to ones that are more multi-sensory. While I often post photos or other visually illustrative materials on my blog, I’ve not gotten into podcasting or uploading videos. Just a dinosaur, I guess.

American Libraries has risen in my estimation for doing this. I look forward to reading both the article and unabridged responses as well. 

Comments

[Mary]

In addition to what Doug said about how school librarian blogging is different from "generalist biblioblogs," in my experience, I have found school librarians to be incredibly dedicated to the students they serve. A few weeks ago, in response to all the uproar about the use of a certain body part word in a new children's book that was getting a lot of press, I read a message from a school librarian that actually made me weep. This individual reminded us about what is really important in life. In his message, he talked about how he sometimes stays awake at night worrying about some of his students getting enough to eat, or whether they will be safe on the way home from school, and how they will be treated at home once they get there. He is not alone. In my work, I have the privilege of meeting dozens of teachers, school librarians, and media specialists who really CARE.

[Carolyn Foote]

Doug, Thanks for asking. I feel honored to be in this group and posted an excerpt from the questions!

Since I'm on a campus, my blog is primarily for my campus first, like Gargoyles Loose in the Library, but it seems like I have a variety of outside web 2.0 type readers also, and that's where a lot of my reading is done as well.

I really find value as a librarian in being able to be part of a larger conversation.

Thanks for raising the profile of what we do.