What It Means to be a What It Means to be a TIS-LMTIS-LM

What It Means to be a What It Means to be a TIS-LMTIS-LM

A Journey by Suzie MartinA Journey by Suzie Martin

An Introduction In 2006 the State of West Virginia began training

library media specialists as Technology Integration Specialists. To me this training, which I embarked in July 2007, represented validation for work that I and fellow library media specialists have been doing for years: bringing the best of all educational resources and services to our students, teachers and other members of our educational community. This has been a worthwhile experience that I would highly recommend to any media specialist.

Table of ContentsPart 1: Contexts contains education, background biographical

information and my philosophies of library media services and education. It concludes with Reality Checks, an analysis of what on-the-job experience taught me.

Part 2: Here in My Real World contains an analysis of my performance as a school library media specialist at my present assignment and according to the standards for National Board Certification in Library Media.

Part 3: From This Day Forward outlines my vision, goals and dreams for Brookhaven Elementary’s Library Media Center and for my career as a Technology Integration Specialist-

Library Media.

Part 1: Contexts contains education, background biographical information and my philosophies of library media services and education. It concludes with Reality Checks, an analysis of what on-the-job experience taught me.

Part 2: Here in My Real World contains an analysis of my performance as a school library media specialist at my present assignment and according to the standards for National Board Certification in Library Media.

Part 3: From This Day Forward outlines my vision, goals and dreams for Brookhaven Elementary’s Library Media Center and for my career as a Technology Integration Specialist-

Library Media.

Part 1: Contents and Contexts

• In the beginning• Education• Philosophy of Library Media Servic

es• Philosophy of Education• Reality Checks, or What On-the-Job

Experience Has Taught Me

• In the beginning• Education• Philosophy of Library Media Servic

es• Philosophy of Education

In the BeginningWhen  I was little, my school had no library.  But we did have an awesome public library

that was housed in a Civil War-era mansion called Waldomore.  The mansion had two floors, and the children's section was on the second floor.  I loved crawling into an old window seat and looking at all the possible books I could check out. I loved biographies and books about the solar system.  Sitting in that window seat I dreamed that all of this, the window seat, the mansion and all the books were mine.

When I was in third grade my elementary school was the first in our county to get a library.  The library was run by a very nice lady named Mrs. Wolfe.  I really enjoyed spending time in the library; it was new and exciting!  The next year my third grade teacher, Mrs. James, became my school librarian.  Mrs. James held our school's first book fair!  When I was in sixth grade I became a library volunteer.

As I became older my school libraries became bigger and more exciting.  To top that off, my town built a brand-new public library that was huge!  Even though I always liked the stories that my libraries provided, what I really loved was all the information!  I could learn about anything that I wanted to know about whenever I wanted to learn it!  I was no longer dependent on an adult's ideas of what was important or interesting for me to learn.  In a library I was on my own, and I was my own boss. I liked that!

Believe it or not, I never once thought about being a librarian when I was growing up.  It wasn't until I was in college at WVU when I decided that maybe school library media would be a good area of specialization to add to my secondary education degree.  After a work study experience in my hometown public library, I knew that I loved working in libraries, particularly when it came to helping people find information that they needed.

continued

Waldomore in Clarksburg, WV

In the beginning, continued`

Since obtaining my bachelor's degree from WVU, I have taught social studies and have been the library media specialist at Central Preston Junior High in Tunnelton (now South Preston Middle School), media specialist at Valley Elementary in Arthurdale, and reference librarian/head of reference at Morgantown Public Library.  Along the way I earned my master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina. I have been very lucky to be at Brookhaven Elementary (where my kids went to school) since 1996!

I served as a member of the now defunct West Virginia Children's Book Award Committee, American Federation of Teachers, the American Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, and the West Virginia Library Association.  I am very serious about making Brookhaven's library the absolute best it can possibly be and providing lots of information seeking opportunities for my students.

On a personal level, I've been married since 1983 to Dan Martin, a network administrator (computer specialist) at Huntington Banks.  We have two daughters, Christina and Lora.  Christina is studying elementary education at WVU and is specializing in early childhood and science.  Lora is a junior at WVU, where she is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi.  She is a pursuing majors in history and sociology and a minor in political science. (My secret ambition for both of my daughters is that they become school library media specialists.) My husband and I have a miniature poodle named Roxy, a weimeraner granddog named Captain Jack, and three grandcats, Sammie, Lexi and Moxie  In my spare time I work at my farm, cutting grass, clearing brush, hauling and spreading gravel, or building and drywalling our new "structures."

Students and parents are invited to email me anytime at lsmartin@access.k12.wv.us .

Education• Bachelor of Science, Secondary Education, West Virginia University,

1982. Specializations include Library Media K-12, Journalism 7-12, and Social Studies 7-9.

• Master of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, 1995.

• As of August 19, 2007, I have completed more than 60 hours post-masters, including five online courses:

– Transforming Education with Project-based Learning– Using Technology to Enhance Reading in the Lower Elementary Classroom– Using Technology to Enhance reading in the Upper Elementary Classroom– Differentiating Instruction– Approaches and Tools for Web-Enhanced Lessons

• Presently working on West Virginia Advanced Teaching Certification as a Technology Integration Specialist – Library Media.

• Presently enrolled in online Digital Portfolio course.• Enrolled in an online class on using Web 2.0 in instruction, Fall 2007.

Philosophy of Library Media Services

My philosophy of library services is simple:

• The mission of the library media center is to support the curriculum;

• It’s all technology; therefore, it is the media specialist’s job to help users select the right technology for the users’ needs.

• The library is integral to all aspects of the school’s operation.

Philosophy of Education

•All children can learn, though all children do not learn by the same means or at the same rate.

•All children deserve the best that the school system and their parents can provide them as a means of helping them develop into confident, successful human beings.

Reality Checks, or

What on-the-job experiences have taught me.

I honestly believe I have learned a great deal from all my professional experiences, although some of those experiences as a whole were not completely positive. In this section I would like to highlight key experiences from each position and reflect on what those experiences have meant for me today.

Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, 1980-1982: My experiences at this assignment opened my eyes to the totality of library services. Previously my experience had been in the school realm; even though I was a public library patron, I was never aware of the specific job divisions that operate at the public and academic library spheres. Through the professional collegial nature of those with whom I worked, I was introduced to the West Virginia Library Association. I also learned that one could not be considered a professional librarian unless he had a Masters in Library Science from a school whose program was accredited by the American Library Association. It was because of these experiences that I first considered pursuing an MLS from an ALA-accredited institution.I can’t say that I made any significant impact on the program at Clarksburg-Harrison, but I can say that Clarksburg-Harrison made a significant impact on me. I was accepted by the professionals and the support staff, and I learned more about funding, advocacy and politics than I can ever imagine. This job was an awesome first professional experience.

Reality Checks, continued

Central Preston Junior High, 1983-1989: Here was my first teaching assignment. Basically I had no clue what I was doing, but I buckled down and learned. Most of my “classes” were study halls held in the library, but I did teach the “extra, as needed” social studies classes, and I was responsible for teaching research skills to the English classes. Most of my social studies students were special needs kids whose schedules did not permit their being assigned to other social studies classes. I learned a good bit about special needs kids, and mostly, I learned that my philosophy of education – that all students can be “A” students if everyone works hard enough – was not realistic in the public school environment. I think it’s still a good goal, but I had to yield to the constraints of time versus sometimes limited ability.

For the most part I was overwhelmed. The collection was old, many titles copyrighted in the 1940s, when the building was at its heyday as a community high school. The nonfiction was inaccurate, and the fiction was neither appealing nor interesting to the seventh and eighth grade students. My first job was to extensively weed the collection to make room for interesting, appropriate materials. I conducted book fairs and shopped the “discount” titles from a clearance vendor to supply the students with better materials. I introduced paperbacks and did book promotions. Some of my new selections met with resistance from some of the more conservative faculty members, who felt I should draw black lines through every curse word found in each title. I did cave to some pressure, but ignored a lot of it. As a new mother, I found the daily commute of 45 miles one way on secondary roads to be daunting and exhausting. When the opportunity came to take a part-time reference position in the city where I lived became available, I quickly decided to switch gears. I did miss and continue to miss the good friends and supportive colleagues I had in Tunnelton.

Reality Checks, continuedMorgantown Public Library, 1990-1996:

Valley Elementary School, 1990-1991:

Brookhaven Elementary School, 1996-present:

Here In the My Real World

• The Setting• The Charge• The Accomplishments• The Challenges• The Goal

The Setting : Brookhaven Elementary School, Monongalia County Schools, Morgantown,

West Virginia

Brookhaven Elementary School is a preK-5th grade school located in the Brookhaven community in eastern Monongalia County, West Virginia. Our 460+ students come from families of various means, from upper middle class professionals living in homes valued in excess of $400,000 to low income families whose dwellings still have dirt floors. More than 50 percent of our students are eligible for free or reduced meals, and our school receives the services of four Title I reading teachers and one Reading First Reading Mentor Teacher. We have a full-time principal, guidance counselor, library media specialist, as well as full-time art, music and physical education teachers. We currently have the services of a EETT-TIS two days per week.

Other pertinent details pertaining to Brookhaven Elementary and Monongalia Schools can be found at the following sites and by reviewing our Five-Year Plan.

The Charge

The Accomplishments

The Challenges

The Goal: To Deliver a High Quality

Library Media Program based on the criteria developed for National Board

Teaching Certification in Library Media

An Overview of the Standards:• What Library Media Specialists Know

– Standard 1: Knowledge of Learners– Standard 2: Knowledge of Teaching and Learning– Standard 3: Knowledge of Library and Information Studies

• What Library Media Specialists Do– Standard 4: Integrating Instruction– Standard 5: Leading Innovation through the Library Media Program– Standard 6: Administering the Library Media Program

• How Library Media Specialists Grow as Professionals– Standard 7: Reflective Practice– Standard 8: Professional Growth– Standard 9: Ethics, Equity and Diversity– Standard 10: Leadership, Advocacy and Community Partnerships

From This Day Forward: As a Technology Integration Specialist - Library Media

• As a Curriculum Specialist• As a Literacy Cheerleader• As a Technology Integration

Specialist• As a Program Manager• Based on Taxonomies for Library Media Specialists, 2nd ed., by David

Loertscher. Libraries Unlimited, 2002.

CreditsLoertscher, David V., Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2002.Waldomore. Photo credit Harrison County Genealogical Society http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hcgs/ . Accessed

August 16, 2007.