Abbi Carr

1/26/15
LIS 550
Reflection on Being Professionally Active
My district recently had acclaimed author and educator Ron Clark speak at a convocation. Mr.
Clark spoke of a classification system he developed when observing educators in action. Mr. Clark
discussed how the educators who are constantly in motion, pushing their students to the very best of their
abilities are runners and are tasked with the responsibility of pulling the educators who are merely
walkers or dead weight riders. These runners are responsible for the progression of a school and its
inhabitants; they strive daily to be a force in the school that promotes learning in a positive and impactful
way. In my opinion, all librarians should be runners. There may not be test scores or even a tangible
shred of evidence to prove or reinforce that they are runners but their ability to motivate, stimulate, and
be a person others want to emulate, should speak to their classification as a runner.
According to Lagarde and Johnson, We cannot afford to wait to be told what our job is or wait
to be told that our jobs are no longer necessary or just keep doing what weve been doing in hopes
nobody notices. The very nature of the job laid before a librarian insists that they do everything in their
power to continuously push their students, peers, and even administration to progress into something new
and purposeful. It is simple for any individual in education to find a pace or a routine in their daily
existence. There is little to no room however, for librarians to slow down or take a development breather.
It is one of the many responsibilities of the campus librarian to stay ahead of the game so that he or she
can consistently be a resource for the population of the campus he or she serves. This necessity, being
ahead of the learning curve, indicates a professional development requirement. The campus librarian
must be consistently seeking and attending professional development opportunities. From conferences
and workshops to forums and blogs, the librarian should be in a unwavering in their search for the newest
information.

Librarians were born out of the need for educational resources. While initially this source of
information was confined to the shelves along a wall, change and time have transformed the role of both
the library and its librarians. If history teaches us nothing else, it is evident that change is inevitable.
Librarians, being runners are tasked with the important job of keeping pace with this concept of change.
Adaptability is one of the many attributes that a successful librarian have, for without it, they will slow
down and no longer have the stamina to both keep pace with the time or keep pulling their campus
forward. Part of this need to be flexible is the acceptance and integration of new technology. The divide
between traditional learning and digital learning grows smaller by the day. While it is difficult to conceive
of a paperless library just yet, it is not far from us. Maintaining a new age or current connection with the
library patrons is essential for campus librarians in the world of today. Establishing an approachable
website, interacting with patrons via social media, and offering a plethora of digital resources have
become key characteristics of the modern library. Campus librarians should maintain a knowledge of
current technological trends and should strive to incorporate them into their library offerings and extend
the knowledge of these trends to educators at their campus.
Theard-Griggs and Lilly describe librarians as eager to engage. This desire to be a voice that is
heard and a presence that is felt outside the confines of the four walls of the library is the cornerstone of
the profession. Librarians by nature must have a aspiration to extend this current and ever growing
knowledge to others and a will to persist in bettering the way education is approached. As an educator, I
can speak to the hesitance many teachers and students feel about asking for help. This hesitance is only
exacerbated when the individual being approached is unwilling or unable to help in a meaningful way. The
campus librarian should, by nature, be an individual who strives to be approachable and encouraging to
any and all individuals who need assistance in seeking knowledge. Establishing this approachability can
manifest itself in a variety of ways via a campus outreach policy. From campus newsletters to simply
being a presence in hallways and faculty meetings, developing a relationship with the patrons is key to
being accepted as a reliable wealth of knowledge.
While there are countless attributes one might apply to a successful campus librarian, they all boil
down to a single simple truth. Librarians should be rock stars. They should be someone others want to
listen to daily. They should be someone others look to for inspiration. They should be someone others

want to collaborate with. Anyone in the field of education can attest to the struggle to maintain current
standards and do it with pride and joy. This struggle is ten times more difficult for the librarian, as the
runner perpetuating the positive and impactful evolution of education, but all the more rewarding.