Today's Member of the Month is Emily Warner. Emily works at Saint Joseph Elementary School/ Monsignor Haddad Middle School in Needham, MA. She has been a school librarian for 14 years.
We asked Emily some questions about her experience as a school librarian and we would like to share them with you.
What's your favorite thing about your job as a school librarian?
My favorite part of being a school librarian is working with the students every day, and also helping the students make connections between what they're learning in the classroom and what they're learning in the library. I also love working with the other teachers in my school; collaborating with them definitely makes my job a lot more fun!
Name one children's book that you couldn't live without in your library.
Madeline and Dr. Seuss are two favorites!
Tell us why you decided to join the Elementary Librarian Community. What's your favorite thing about it?
I wanted to join the Elementary Librarian Community because I was looking for new ways to present information to my students. My favorite thing about this community is that I can get a lot of great, high-quality lessons and units that are exactly what my students need- and the information is exactly at their developmental level. I like how there are lots of good activities and places where I can go to get fresh ideas for my students.
What's the biggest challenge you're currently facing when it comes to your school library?
If you could give one piece of advice to a brand new school librarian (or someone considering becoming a school librarian), what would it be?
Stay organized- keep a to-do list of things to make sure everything gets done. Teachers are busy, and will often come to you for resources for their classroom. Another good tip is to stay on top of all your lesson planning- the more detailed you are in your first year, it will pay off when you're looking to build your library curriculum. Last, make friends with the school secretary AND the custodians... if you need something done quickly, they'll help you in a heartbeat.
There isn't enough time for me to do everything I want to do! That aside, I think another challenge is that we are facing higher expectations for student achievement with shrinking budgets; I'd love to be able to purchase whatever I want, but it's forced me to be creative with what little money I have.