ERIC Number: EJ1438830
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1094-9046
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Available Date: N/A
Building Bridges: Nurturing Meaningful Relationships with Stakeholders
Amanda Harrison; Rene Burress
Knowledge Quest, v52 n4 p8-15 2024
Building relationships is a crucial part of being a school librarian. But the first relationship the authors states school librarians will want to build is within themselves as a professional. According to the author, knowing yourself and your core values can help when times get tough or if your first tries at a relationship are rebuffed. Identifying your values also affords an opportunity to connect with others of a like mind. Identifying those shared values can be an essential part of making that connection and allows stakeholders a chance to connect with your library's mission and vision. Relationship-building approaches benefit the entire school community. As the author states, school librarians will want to establish trust with administrators, learners, classroom teachers, and the community. Relationship building in the school library, school, or community relies on the concept and principles of leadership. In many cases, connections will not just happen; they must be built with intention. Many leadership principles can help school librarians plan connections and set their intention for relationship building. An important part of relationship building within a school community is to think about intergenerational communication. A school community is intergenerational with every age group, including elementary and middle school students who are part of Generation Alpha, born between 2011 and 2025. Therefore, a school librarian can benefit from studying how to best communicate with each group: first-year classroom teachers working with a school librarian who has 30 years of experience; midcareer school librarians communicating with young parents; and school librarians of any age communicating with their learners. Remember that cultivating relationships is a pivotal part of the school librarian's responsibility. No matter how advanced AI, Google, or other technologies become they cannot substitute for the connections made with learners, classroom teachers, parents, and other stakeholders.
Descriptors: School Libraries, Media Specialists, Interpersonal Relationship, Stakeholders, Professional Identity, Interpersonal Communication, Age Differences, Generational Differences, Individual Characteristics, Communication Strategies, Partnerships in Education
American Association of School Librarians. Available from: American Library Association. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 1-800-545-2433; Web site: http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A