First Year Firsts

In this article, the author shares some tips for the new or not-so-new library media specialists. During the first week of school, the library media specialist's life will be filled with teacher work days, mandatory meetings, piles of stuff with no apparent purpose, and a line of teachers and other staff who want something from the library. There is little time to get to know the collection or the routine, and less time to figure out where everything goes. The author provides a set of goals for the first week of school: (1) Introduce yourself to classroom teachers and school staff; (2) Find one good resource for one teacher; (3) Find one good book for one student; (4) Put up one display; (5) Do one newsletter or Web page; and (6) Be where the students are. In their first month, some brand-new school library media specialists make the mistake of first writing policy and procedures, goals and strategies, without ever meeting a single patron. Policy and procedures should be based on the people in the school, not inflicted on them. At the end of the first month, they have plenty of time to think about the library program they could have in their school. First, they set a standard for discipline based on their values and beliefs and the culture of the school. Second, they offer to collaborate with one teacher. Third, they set goals for the year. Finally, they write a scenario of their vision for the library program in terms of instruction, environment, and collection. (Contains 1 figure.)