Getting Started in a New Normal

Like many of you, school librarian summers are spent catching up on books to share with my students and thinking and rethinking ways to engage students and teachers in our library.  This summer, however, was much different.  Measuring tape in hand and library map prepared, I spent the summer calculating how many students I could safely fit into the library and what six foot of social distancing looks like. I worried, I freaked out a bit, and I’m on level 520 of Bubble Pop.  In the end, I sat down and prepared a two page document of library operating procedures for the coming school year.  I had to let a few things go to make room for safety procedures.  The end game was to keep students in our library and build a robust digital platform to serve every one of our 1800 students regardless of their location - school or home. 

In my heart, I felt the least prepared I have ever felt before the first day of school.  However, when the students hit the halls and the questions started rolling in, I did what comes naturally.  I helped, problem solved, directed, and escorted a few shaky freshmen to their classes.  I worked with teachers through the kinks of the Google Classroom transition knowing whatever came our way, it was the platform that would support learning. The worries of the summer fell away and within our safety procedures, we rolled. We helped.  And we persisted.  

School librarians have an opportunity to take a seat at the table providing resources and support to meet the needs of students in large and small ways. As our teachers rethink their instruction plans, we can offer collaboration and insight. Rethinking the workflow in our libraries shows our students ingenuity and grit. We can move through this season of uncertainty with courage. My hope for all of you this fall as school opens in whatever capacity, is that you roll and you persist. 

​By Cynthia Stogdill