Each month, TASL honors school librarians from across the state who deserve recognition for their work. We are excited to share with you more about our April Librarians of the Month.
East TN Librarian of the Month
Name: Kerri Courter
Hometown: LaMarque, TX
School: Morristown Hamblen High School East
School District: Hamblen County
What do you love most about being a school librarian?
The very best part of being a librarian is having a student return a book with bright eyes, telling me how much they enjoyed it, then asking for a second recommendation.
What would someone see if they were to walk in your library?
We have a beautiful physical space here at East but I hope they would see students browsing the shelves while library aides shelf returned books as I recommend titles by the shelves. We are a constant flurry of activity with students popping in to check out books, print assignments, and teachers bringing their classes for biweekly book talks and check outs.
What are you most proud of regarding your library program?
We have robust circulation stats because we have a very diverse collection. We fulfill 98% of student requests here so there is something for everyone. I bill our library as a birth to 99 collection because we have board books, a large picture book collection, a parenting section, a traditional non fiction section as well as the beginning stages of a “ditch Dewey” collection where we transformed the 900s into 3 sections that align with our school curriculum (Geography, Government, and History using a timeline organizational approach). All of that in addition to our generified fiction collection that includes separate sections for Manga, Graphic novels, and Comics. We also have a dedicated Spanish language section that includes all genres of fiction and non fiction.
What advice would you give a new librarian?
While it helps to love books, it is most important to enjoy people. Customer service is the biggest part of this job. Also remember that user access is the goal behind every decision. Feel free to move that section, reclassify that book, or reorganize the entire library if that is what it takes to improve access for your patrons.
If you are willing, please provide us with a favorite activity description that we can share with other professionals.
I am very excited about the idea of moving past the Dewey decimal system in our library. Our fiction section has been sorted into genres for over a decade, so the time to generify the non fiction section has arrived. Using our course catalog, I identified the main sections- obviously History, mingling World and United States history in a single timeline, but also Geography by continent and Government by branch. The next sections would cover STEM classes by category. While Dewey has some obvious sections, such as sports and entertainment, using a curriculum centered classification systems allows us to identify weaknesses in our collection and increase access for our teachers and students.
Anything else you would like to share?
Being a school Librarian is not for the faint of heart, and working during a time of dis-enlightenment has only made it more challenging. I believe it is crucial to trust local librarians to make decisions about their collections based on their extensive education, their hands on experience and their working knowledge of their population. We also want what’s best for our students and we know how important it is to have representation in our collection.
Follow Kerri on Instagram @MHHSE.
Middle TN Librarian of the Month
Name: Laura Kleman
Hometown: Franklin, TN
School: Sunset Middle School
School District: Williamson County
What do you love most about being a school librarian?
Getting a reluctant reader hooked on reading, because books open entire worlds for students. I also love teaching students the research process; there’s such an “ah-ha” moment when students realize they can learn about almost everything.
What would someone see if they were to walk in your library?
It’s magical.
What are you most proud of regarding your library program?
I love that the library is the hub of the school – just about every student and staff member will say “go to the library if you need something.” Students come to find new books, to read, to relax, to study with classmates, to get help with projects, and to get help with their Chromebooks. It truly is a room of requirement.
What advice would you give a new librarian?
Be flexible and attend as many professional developments as you can – knowledge makes you the MVP of the school.
If you are willing, please provide us with a favorite activity description that we can share with other professionals.
I absolutely love teaching the digital citizenship program offered through Common Sense Education. They have great activities for every grade level. https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/curriculum
Anything else you would like to share?
A library is a safe harbor for so many, we should all strive to protect this space.
West TN Librarian of the Month
Name: Tijwana Johnson
Hometown: Memphis, TN
School: Willow Oaks Elementary
School District: Memphis-Shelby County
What do you love most about being a school librarian?
I love being a school librarian because I get to cultivate an effective library program that helps to instill a passion of reading in students.
What would someone see if they were to walk in your library?
A welcoming and inviting place of learning. A place where you feel relaxed, comfortable, and safe.
What are you most proud of regarding your library program?
My library program is an instructional program that supports the ELA curriculum. My program also enhances student learning outcomes by providing resources which support teaching and learning.
What advice would you give a new librarian?
Collaboration is key. Collaborate and get to know your classroom teachers. Build relationships with your students and administrator. Get to know other school librarians. All of these people play a key role in building a successful library media program.
Follow Tijwana on TikTok @librarian1908.
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