So You Are Going To Be a Teacher Librarian- Part 3
Today I want to talk about long range planning. As a self-confessed pedagogical nerd and uber planner, I love to long range plan. I like making a chart or a table. I like to add colour. I like to see where themes and topics intersect. I love a big idea and a learning goal.
But planning in the library was always a different kind of challenge. On one hand, you want to plan ahead and push the library programming forward. On the other hand, you want and need to be responsive and collaborative to educator and student learning needs. It's also not just about the curriculum. There's the physical space, the collection, makerspace, virtual LLC AND the curriculum to consider.
One of the first things I did when I started in the library was to consult and talk with fellow teacher librarians. Jenn Brown was a huge help. She shared her 3 year long range plan with me and it really helped me to created mine (which to be honest, at that moment was a very slightly tweaked version of hers!!). My admin and I also printed off all of the continuums from Leading Learning and discussed where we thought the library currently was and which steps we could take to move forward. We kept in printed in a binder and referred back to it often during meetings to track our progress and next steps.
I also worked with the technology teacher in my school to create an inquiry map for a few years to see how we might align and integrate our programs. Our hope was that she could teach the various tech skills, how to use apps, etc and then classes could come to me in the library to integrate their use into existing curriculum inquiries.
When I completed my Librarianship Specialist AQ we were tasked with outlining how the 6 C's fit into the library and how it impacted our planning. I used this chart to create a Year 3 and Beyond plan for how I saw the library moving forward once we completed Year 3 of the original plan.
One small hiccup.
Year 3 was 2019- 2020. The year we shutdown in March due to COVID.
And then nothing in the library was according to anyone's plan.
Library planning was a whole new beast. For the full 2020-2021 school year 80% of my school was virtual and the students that were in the building weren't allowed in the library. In 2021-2022, we started with COVID restrictions and protocols that slowly eased off but students and educators were re-learning how to be together in learning spaces, using the materials, sharing, and more. The last 2 years were much more reactive than proactive when planning anything in the library, or so it felt.
I've pulled together all the documents I've mentioned above on this graphic. Feel free to use it to support your own planning in the school library, to share with others in your network or just take a peek.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments or send me a DM on Twitter.
Happy Planning!!
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