I have demonstrated proficiency in administering and managing the library media program by using a variety of strategies to promote recreational reading for leisure and personal growth.
Description
The artifact for this outcome is a recording of a book talk completed for the Young Adult Materials course. The purpose of this assignment was to connect three different books based on a theme while practicing the art of presenting a book talk in a digital format. I chose to write and present my book talk in the format of a podcast. The three books reviewed were Becoming Maria by Sonia Monzano, Picture us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert, and I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez. The connecting theme I chose to highlight was family and how the main characters navigated their families’ histories and relationships while in the process of growing up.
Analysis
Creating this book talk challenged me to think beyond what I liked about the individual books. When I talk to my students about what I have read, I tend to keep it straightforward and brief in order to keep their interest and then respond. As the school librarian, publishing this type of digital production requires preparation and thoughtful analysis of how best to present and recommend the books to attract and engage students in reading them for personal fulfillment. While I feel that this book talk met the requirements of the assignment, the length may deter students from listening to the entire presentation. Recording episodes in shorter segments and using a podcast format in which two or more people are conversing about books might also increase engagement and interest. Another aspect of podcasting (and other forms of digital recordings) that I learned was allowing for natural mistakes. The recordings do not have to be perfect, and students may relate to us librarians more if they are not.
Reflection
As a school librarian, providing guidance to and support of students’ reading lives will be one of my primary objectives. I will need to be creative, intuitive, and adventurous in trying new initiatives and fulfilling an advocacy role for reading. While this may often happen in conversations and reader’s advisory in person in the physical learning commons, this will also take place in the digital learning commons to reach the maximum number of patrons. Inviting students and teachers to partner with me in these endeavors through discussion boards, videos, web 2.0 tools such as Flipgrid, a library advocacy club, book clubs and other activities will all build the reading conversation in my future school.