There’s a well-known saying in the world of academia: “Publish or perish.” While the phrase thankfully does not refer to a real death, it does refer to the death of a career and the achievement of professional goals. Unfortunately a similar saying could be used for librarians: “Advocate or perish.” In an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education , author Christopher Schaberg talks about how he eventually accepted and started to enjoy publishing, and he no longer sees it as a chore, but focuses on the benefits publishing brings to his career and students. He writes, “ When you publish new work, your students will be excited to learn about it. That may sound ridiculous and Pollyannaish, but I’ve seen it happen again and again.” In the same way, advocating for your school library can fuel your practice in the school library and benefit both your career, your self-esteem, and your students. I can get lost in the day-to-day tasks very easily, and lose sight of what I do and how I
Each week it seems as though a shiny new tech toy hits the Internet. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and under-qualified to address these technologies and use them competently. Afterall, technology is becoming smaller and faster. We started out with computers the size of rooms, and now we have smartphones in our pockets. Someday we might even use injectables or software in our fingertips contact lenses...while Google Glass was a failure, there is always another newer and smaller technology waiting in the wings (Reynolds). In a way, addressing technology is similar to traveling to a friend’s home. Whether you use verbal instructions, a printed road map, an out-of-date Garmin, or Waze, the basics are the same: while you might take a different route each time, the location of your friend’s home remains constant. Quite simply, the landscape has not changed. What has changed is your means of arriving at your destination. I believe that if you cultivate problem-solving and critica