Writing/ Research Reflection
LIS 535
"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see
all kinds of things you can't see from the center." --- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
I think it would be very difficult to be a successful school librarian without possessing
exceptional researching and writing skills and an active imagination and sense of adventure. I
think I actively possess all these characteristics. As a historian and educator, I have had much
practice researching topics and writing term papers on an array of subjects including eunuchs
of emperors in ancient China, the multiple intelligences of Howard Gardner, using assistive
technologies in school libraries, and paper that chronicled the cartoon career of Theodore
Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. Good research helps a person possess the building
blocks to create great works of art. They both are significant skills that librarians should
possess, encourage, and recognize as they teach literacy and other academic skills to users,
whether they are children or adults. I believe that my background with history and education has
strengthened my research and writing skills in many important ways because of the practice I’ve
had, the topics I have studied, and my innate curiosity about the world around me. We can train
ourselves to be good writers and researcher, but people like myself who engage their
imagination and sense of adventure, add a new element and depth to their teaching and to their
entire library environment. When Kurt Vonnegut aptly said, "I want to stay as close to the edge
as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the
center" I felt like he was talking directly to me on my first day of library school. If people lack
the ambition to learn new things, they will have a hard time understanding the value of a great
librarian and a great library. We need to find a way to light that spark. Our skills, including
researching and writing, may lead people down a path to discover something great.
The first artifact in the research/writing section is pathfinder on Samurai that I
researched and constructed for LIS 518 Reference Sources and Services. I used my
background on Global Studies I to create this valuable resource. I looked over several NYS
Global Studies Regents exams to see what questions repeated for several tests. Looking over
tests like this helps teachers design their curriculum and lesson planning for year. Quite often
students write practice Document Based Question essays or research papers on topics that
correspond to important subjects in the curriculum. Not only did questions on Samurai repeat
on many of the exams, this is a popular topic to teach because students like Samurais.
Samurais, to adults and to students, are interesting to learn about. This pathfinder lists many
dynamic resources including print and digital resources, reference books, videos, and fiction
books. All resources on the pathfinder were evaluated for appropriate content, reliability,
quality, usefulness. This project helped learn about pathfinders and helped me understand
how to visually organize resources so they can be used effectively. If I had been making this
resource in a school library, it would have been a great collaboration opportunity, a chance to
publish some useful reference tools, and would have been great practice researching age
appropriate resources for high school students.
The second artifact is a research paper I wrote on the topic of collaboration in schools
regarding librarians and special education teachers. Based on the research I conducted, I was
surprised to find that many times the librarian is overlooked when curriculum and lessons are
being planned. This was especially true when it came to circumstances relating to
Individualized Education Plans (IEP) for students with special needs. This concern was the fault
of the all the teachers. Librarians tend to be isolated in the library, but this needs to change.
The most important resource in the library IS the librarian, the rest are bricks, mortar,
computers, and paper. Schools need to seek out opportunities for teachers to have planning
time to more actively take part in collaboration, especially special education teachers. One
important way is for teachers communicate about adaptive technology that is available and
explore options for the children. In this day and age, librarians have a competitive edge using
technology and they are highly aware of the technology that can benefit their students. This
paper explored specific kinds of technology and planning tools that can foster communication
and teamwork, among teachers and staff, to the greater benefit of students with special needs.
I was surprised to learn that much of the technology I researched for this paper was created out
of need and not out of novelty. I enjoy and use technology during much of my day, and the
articles and resources I consulted for this project helped me see how I help other teachers find
solutions to academic difficulties for students who are already struggling in school. I did not
realize that a librarian can be such a valuable tool, and that that the technology is really an aide.
In doing this paper, it reminded me that while the library may be the center of my universe, the
children should be the center of our universe at our schools. We all have a stake in helping
them become successful students and citizens.
As a school librarian we can research and publish great tools, such as pathfinders, but if
can’t communicate and work with students to share these tools, they are useless. Finding ways
to integrate personnel skills and communication skills will be important when I have my own
library. The artifacts above show how I have learned to integrate research and writing skills into
my instructional style as well as in my professional interactions in my school community. I will
need to explore strategies to move students away from the center and peak over the edge. and
spark their curiosity on many new topics and different types of digital resources. Although these
projects commanded a great deal of time searching for articles on education and library related
topics, this process continues to keep my researching and writing skills sharp and my
knowledge of current educational concerns and issues up to date.