Starting this journey, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was nervous and excited, but also hesitant about my decision. All that I have ever done was in athletics and sports, so this was going to be a huge change for me. When looking and thinking about the media center, I felt like I had a fairly good knowledge of the media center. However, now that I am diving into the courses, I have come to realize that there is so much more to learn and think about when running a media center. With each assignment and experience I have, I have learned so much and this will all have an impact on my future in the media center.
Even from the first assignment, there is so much to take into consideration when looking at the books in the media center, ordering books, and arranging the books. Everything is taken into consideration and needs to be looked at carefully to have the best interest of your students.
Starting with the diversity assignment, this began to open my eyes and to truly understand which books should be included in the library. I need to look at my student population and consider their interests, reading levels, and what they are experiencing when selecting books. I need to consider the entire student population. This is something that is overlooked sometimes.
The book ordering assignments were a real eye opener for me. I thought the books were a lot more expensive than they were. A lot more books were able to be “purchased”. The hardest part of this assignment though was to consider the collection currently in the library and enhance the collection to be better for the students. By looking at the current collection and seeing where the gaps are and what could help the students, then I feel as if the collection could be improved greatly.
When I get my own library, I feel like weeding is going to be the hardest part. Getting rid of the books is going to be difficult. I need to go by the guidelines as best as possible. I feel as if I need to do this early when I take over the library, so I don’t get too attached to the books or overwhelmed with the process. Keeping in mind that the overall goal is to have the best books available to my students, I hope to keep the books up to date and interesting for the students.
The bookstore interview was a great experience. I never would have thought to go and look at current bookstores to see how they are organized and to see how they order their books. Even though this would be obvious, I still don’t think I would have thought about this option. Another option I am definitely going to make happen in the future is to go and look at other libraries in my district. Using the resources close by and by talking to other local librarians, this is my best asset to making sure I have the best available to my students.
Overall this semester has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much about the media center and am excited to continue this journey.