Mission

"The mission of librarians is to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities." (Lankes, 2011)

When the Atlas of New Librarianship (Lankes, 2011) arrived in the mail over a month ago, feelings of dread flooded over me.  I've never been a non-fiction, love to read textbooks kind of girl.  But after reading the first thread, "Mission," I see that the Atlas is profoundly different than any textbook I have read (and this is my second round of graduate school people)!  The Atlas represents a movement.  A movement to change the library profession and to change the way the librarian thinks of their role in their profession and in society.  A mission to change the memory maps associated with the word "librarian."  I, for one, am on board, ready to set sail on this mission.  It is at the core of why I am pursuing my degree.

In my prior role as a career counselor, I saw my role as a facilitator between the student and the career information they needed to be successful, whether that meant teaching them to create a resume or cover letter, connecting them to internship or job opportunities, helping them to network with an alum working in their field of interest, etc.  In many ways, my profession mirrored the library profession much more than it did the counseling profession.  I was in many ways, a career librarian.  So when friends and former colleagues hear that I'm pursuing my MSLIS, I am surprised to hear them say it is such a radical departure from what I was doing.  When I explain to them that the profession isn't really just about books anymore, they look at me with blank stares.  We really have some eye-opening and educating to do!

Sure, I love a great picture book as much as the next budding librarian, but what excites me more is guiding kids to discover new ideas, information, and helping them to use those discoveries to better themselves (the worldview).  I'm hoping to help facilitate teachers to integrate diverse forms of information and technology in order to enhance their teaching and to find creative ways for students to express what they've learned.  I am passionate about facilitating students (and teachers) to use their power to create new knowledge in a socially, and personally responsible way.  And I am now motivated after reading the Atlas to think broader, to look outside of my library, my school, my district, to find ways to better my community and yes, change the world.

Reference:

Lankes, R. D. (2011) The Atlas of New Librarianship.  Cambridge, MA:  The MIT Press.