Praise for Thee – AND for Me!
I am fortunate enough to get to talk to school librarians from all over. From across New Jersey and across the country, I love connecting with other professionals in this field. The joy and the engagement school librarians bring to their work is infectious, in the best way possible.
But I’ve noticed during many of these conversations that, as passionate as school librarians are about doing what they do, they also frequently refer to what they, personally, do as nothing special. Each and every time, this hurts my heart, because nothing could be further from the truth.
Having any kind of school library program provides resources and access for which students and staff would otherwise go wanting. And I have met very few school librarians who are just bare-minimum kinds of folks!
Pot Calling the Kettle
I realize that I am right there with so many folks – if asked, I generally demur that what I’m doing is simply what needs to be done. As quick as I am to heap praise on others, I am just as slow to recognize what I do as worthy of praise.
So I recognize it’s not always easy, but it’s important for all of us to take the time to readjust our thinking. We all need to be in the habit of thinking that what we are doing in our spaces not only matters, but is worth sharing – especially in this time when school library programs in general are facing such difficult times.
Recognizing the Praise
A couple times this school year, I’ve been out of school and the library has been closed. Each time I return, I hear comments from students and staff that affirm that the library is important to them. Sometimes it’s very positive (“We missed you!” “I’m so glad you’re back so I can get this book!”), sometimes less so (“I got in trouble because I couldn’t use the library printer to print this homework!” “It really threw off my lesson plan when my students couldn’t check out books!”), but all of it reflects the fact that the library is seen as a helpful, useful, dare I even say vital, part of the school.
What we do is incredibly important. If all we did was provide students a third space inside the school where they can just “be,” that would be enough. But we do so much more!
Embracing the Reality 
Supporting literacy, reading joy, and the freedom to read is perhaps the most powerful element within the entire educational system. Providing assistance, education, and resources for both curricular and self-directed inquiry are vital for helping students know what they want to know, and what they need to know. Offering various opportunities for students to center themselves and connect with their peers is essential to promoting good mental health.
We do all these things, and more. The school library supports students in ways that no other element of education does, or can.
What we do is important. We are important. We make a difference. Whether or not the wider world recognizes that, I hope you take some time to sit with the truth:
School librarians make a difference, every day. You make a difference. It’s time to embrace that reality.
Thank you! I really needed this right now!