2.+Library+Philosophy

Philosophy of School Librarianship Kim Mulloy  The mission of my library media program is to provide an environment where students, faculty, and families develop a lifelong love of learning and of reading; self-improvement, independence and self-expression are encouraged; and where all patrons, including students, teachers and families, can meet their educational, informational and recreational needs. Through collection development, teacher collaboration and student instruction, I will work to support the curriculum, teach information literacy skills, foster literature appreciation and promote social responsibility. As a school library media specialist I will educate the 21st century students by integrating technology with their learning.

I believe I must, as a school library media specialist, encourage students to become lifelong learners and readers. Research has shown that reading improves cognitive abilities. Promoting a love of reading helps students to think creatively and to become better analyzers and problem solvers. Reading provides the framework for students’ ability to make connections with their surrounding world. Reading is the tool that will broaden the students’ possibilities and helps a person be successful in life. I will strive to provide students a variety of reading material targeted at a broad spectrum of interests. I will pursue new tools and innovative methods to encourage recreational reading in //all// students and teachers.

As school librarians, we must reflect on our work and approach our tasks from the perspective of what students will need for this changing world after they leave our schools. In today’s world, we are nearly smothered with a constant stream of information and news. A life-long skill students need to master is the ability to decipher the truth from this overload of information. In addition, we must realize that we cannot teach students all of the content. We do not know what the content, or the learning tools, will be in the next few years. We must teach students to locate information in all subjects, sort through the biases, and make a reasonable and educated conclusion based on the information. These problem solving skills will remain with them for life, and it is our role to teach these skills.