Be the Change – TYSL – Heather Lister

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – President Barack Obama

I began studying library science in 2007. We were told that jobs were going to be in high demand due to retirements and that job satisfaction was among the highest of all careers in education. I learned as much as I could about librarianship and instructional technology. Fortunately, the university I attended had the Instructional Technology and Library Science departments combined, so I was able to immerse myself in emerging technologies as well. I had fun. I was excited to begin my career as a “21st Century Librarian”.

Then came 2008. Librarian positions began getting slashed. Library support positions were slashed. Funding was slashed. Some libraries closed altogether. It was heartbreaking. Yet, despite this devastation, it brought about a great deal of good.

For the few years following the economy crash, students and teachers found ways to survive without us – without the “traditional” us. And now that we’re back, we can’t be the librarians we used to be.

We need to transform.

Which is why I’m so excited to be a part of Mackin’s movement, Transform Your School Library (TYSL). TYSL is a forum where like-minded educators who are excited about the transformation of school libraries can have an arena to work within and help to secure the future of school libraries and school librarianship. I love reading through the Q&A section – they just get it! I’m the only librarian in my school, and it’s sometimes difficult for teachers to see the library as anything other than a warehouse of books. After all – that’s what their library was like when they attended school. And although it can be frustrating, it’s also invigorating. I want to be the librarian that they wish they had when they were in school. I’m not quite sure what that looks like – its still evolving. And it probably will continue to transform.

I can’t wait to see what this group comes up with. I’m so excited and honored to be an advocate of TYSL. Stay tuned for more to come!