Brief+Updates

This I believe… Every child has a strength, a gift, something to admire and respect. Those who are difficult to love require, deserve, and are worthy of love; those who don’t fit in with “the beautiful people” possess beauty; those who struggle to learn and comprehend possess wisdom worth sharing. Every person, including every child, should be encouraged and helped to discover and express his or her individuality. The library media center should be a place that nurtures learning, curiosity, seeking, wondering, creativity, and joy. It should be a place of safety and comfort—a learning environment and a retreat. It should offer a variety of media—both electronic and traditional formats—for educational and recreational use so that children can be exposed to and become comfortable with both. It should be a place where every child feels welcome and secure, where every child feels a sense of belonging and even ownership. Technology is a valuable tool and should be utilized to promote learning, but it cannot replace human interaction. Librarians are teachers, managers, marketers, accountants, bargain hunters, and diplomats. We are encouragers, explainers, searchers, storytellers, and performers. We are interior decorators of warm, inviting physical spaces, and we are planners of exciting, enlightening, unique programs and cultural experiences. We are lifelong learners, pursuing continuous education regarding technology, literature, education practices, and any other subjects that will strengthen our service to our children. We are resisters of censorship and (gentle) stretchers of boundaries—even of our own, as we strive to offer books and resources that may challenge our own comfort levels, experiences, and views. My primary goal is to teach children—but I mustn’t let that focus keep me from being open to the fact that they will also teach me. No one should ever stop learning. Learning makes life richer, more interesting, more fun. Reading aids, encourages, and enables learning; in fact, reading //drives// learning. Reading is a crucial life skill. Every life task, from paying bills to cooking, from participating in our hobbies to pursuing our careers, is made easier by reading. Even more than that, though, reading is a profound form of entertainment, can strengthen relationships between parent and child, and engages creativity and imagination. Reading is not just about words on a page. Creative responses and hands-on activities are important too—discussions, interaction with special guests (authors, storytellers, musicians…), art-making, wordplay, puppets, storytelling, writing, music, dance….