Library Day in the Life---Photo Essay

Welcome to the Cub Run Elementary Library Media Center. I hope to be transparent as I share a window into my day as a librarian with 597 PreK-Grade 5 students. I arrive around 7 a.m. to prepare for the day. First I put up some new book displays. I make sure we have plenty of bear books on our school mascot, Cubby the Bear. We are a community of learners since opening our new school library in 2008.



Snow books ready for the students preparing for the prediction for a snow day on Wednesday.



Katie Kazoo Switcheroo book display is ready for book shoppers.



Super Bowl enthusiasts will love our football book collection.



Chart prepared to give students, teachers, and administrators the opportunity to cast predictions.



Service with a smile is my philosphy as teachers scurry through the library collecting books for curriculum needs.



With budget constraints, there are two and a half days when I am without a library clerk. I've rallied the fifth grade classes and created five S.T.A.R.S. (Student Technology and Research Specialists) teams to help with library tasks. My Monday team is energized and ready to roll with their carts to pick up books for the day.



The logo on their lab coats gives these student leaders added respect and value.



Here is what our S.T.A.R.S. return with in their carts.



Treasure Box rewards for all who bring in Box Tops for Education. This is a great way we have discovered to supplement our library budget that has been cut in half for the last two years.



Parent Volunteers have been generous with their help in the library. This kindergarten mom is my Monday guardian angel who helps with circulation tasks and shelving books.



I love hearing the friendly banter as students discuss their favorite football teams.



__________Drawing the line on their Super Bowl hopes



Even our Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) Dad gets involved in casting his vote.



8:25 a.m. Time for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag



At 8:30 a.m. the first of two First Grade classes arrives for their library time.



Those eager faces look up at me with a sense of learning expectation. Will I be able to guide them in something passionate and worthwhile for their future success as citizens?



We virtually connect with Mo Willems as he gives us a humorous version of "Don't Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus".



Next we work on our fluency skills by doing a Readers' Theater script with Rebus name tags to assist our English Language Learners.


Scripts and Name Tags Prepared




Book Shopping Choices Galore



Connecting with Books



11:15 a.m. Book shelving waits while we focus on more innovative student learning outcomes.



The last half of Monday library lessons, we have our library clerk to assist the students while I focus on teaching.



iPads are fully charged and ready for students.



I'm intrigued by how focused the learners become when they do literacy lessons on the iPad. Kids DO want to learn, and I don't want to get in the way.



I'm pondering the possibility of doing action research to evaluate the comprehension levels of readers who use e-readers versus traditional paper books.



Spanish and Bilingual books take center stage for our many English Language Learners.



Corduroy greets children at the story steps area.



I work intentionally to stock our shelves with books of high interest to our diverse school population.



Mission Accomplished---One Child at a Time



Polar Bears and Penguins---Cool Picks!



Virginia Readers' Choice Reward for Reading

We are currently participating in our state's reading program.
Every year the Virginia Reading Council chooses ten books to read. In April we submit our votes and have a winning book for the school. It helps our students read a wide genre of books.



With eight classes scheduled for library lessons, the library cards are busy with check outs today.



My childhood photo mouse pad reminds me of early dreams of being a librarian.



1:15 p.m. Three fifth grade classes are scheduled to work on their Road Rally Research Movie Projects. Let the video taping roll. "Digital Media enables us to build more stages for our kids to express themselves." - Marco Torres



Editing the movie projects using iMovie. Teaching about proper copyright and citation creation is valuable learning time. Teachers need to stop saying, “Hand it in,” and start saying “Publish It.” Alan November



21st Century learners are welcome here. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offer vision for teaching and learning to both guide and beckon our profession as education leaders. They both shape our library program and serve as a tool for me to use to shape the learning of students in our school.



Waldo hoovers over our eight iMac computers in the library. He is urging us on to think, grow, create and share our innovative learning projects.



The words of Ian Jukes, educator and futurist ring in my ears as I view the old way and the new way looms in the background. "We need to prepare students for THEIR future not OUR past."



3:00 p.m. Twwwaaannnnggg----line up. It's time to leave. How time flies.



3:35 p.m. I pause to reflect on the golden nuggets in our day today in the library. How did I better prepare our students for the future they face?



4:25 Hugs and encouragement to the after school tutoring learner.



Feeling weary at the end of this day. I reflect on a Mother Theresa quote: "Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired." Our diverse school population is needing me to be a genuine warm, encouraging presence in the library media center even when I feel exhausted.



4:30 p.m. Unplugging the laminator means the day in the elementary library media center is almost complete.



4:40 Turning off the lights on our day in the library I feel the passion for the many opportunities in the librarian position. We are a Title I school that has not passed Adequate Yearly Progress requirements in reading under the No Child Left Behind Legislation. The big question that looms in my mind is what have I done today to help boost our readers on to success not only on tests but in life? How can I be a guide on the side as our elementary students become producers and not just users? How effectively did I follow the guiding star: “To empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical producers and creators of information.”?