Today's Member of the Week is Nicole Murray. Nicole works at Conval School District in Greenfield, Francestown, and Temple, NH. She has been a school librarian for 3 years.
We asked Nicole 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?
I love to collaborate with the teachers at my schools and design lessons with them that support both the library standards as well as their classroom standards. And, of course, I really love to share new books with students and staff and do read aloud’s in the library space.
Name one children's book that you couldn't live without in your library.
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
Tell us why you decided to join the Elementary Librarian Community. What's your favorite thing about it?
Elementary Librarian was suggested by a coworker that had used it at a previous school with great success. I really enjoy being part of the Elementary Librarian Community because it provides me with quality lessons that I can use with my students. This service also allows me to share ideas, experiences, and feedback about the lessons with fellow elementary librarians.
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?
The connections you make with your staff and your community are so important as a librarian. You should always be looking out for opportunities to make positive connections with them since they will be your main support system. Taking the time to establish these relationships will make your job ten times easier than trying go-it-alone!
Currently, the biggest challenge I’m facing in my school library is that I am in the transition phase of transforming my three library spaces into “Library Learning Commons”. This requires me to rethink the use of space, as well as the routines for library usage. It's a lot of work, but we are making great progress!