HS Library & back to school workdays

[Elaine]

I'm interested in finding out how much or little secondary librarians are involved in back to school meetings and training such as new teacher orientation, open houses, policies and procedures, and other time given to librarians to share information with faculty and staff before the opening of school.  

Are you built into the agenda, and how are requests taken?  How are the workdays scheduled? Or do you find open time and space to interject and schedule yourselves, grasping for needed time and attention, writing yourself into the agenda?

Besides, the usual policies and procedures, reminders, and sharing new information, I'd be interested to know what other presentations occur with faculty at the beginning of the year. 

I thought it would be helpful to share with teachers the information landscape to give them an overview, how it fits student research, and why it's important to understand when finding, using, and evaluating information. To see the big pictures of the life cycle of information. 

Thanks!

[Lawrence Gillick]

Im working to be officially added to the opening info agendas. The amount of new info thrown at staff at the start of the year is so overwhelming that I am trying a new strategy this year. I'll be sending out LMC memo two times a week (thinking Tuesday and Thursday). This will be a very short email with recommendations or tips for using the LMC resources. My other attempt to info staff is to have short after school gatherings in the LMC to demonstrate helpful practices or answer questions. 

We have a great tech department in the building but they are often busy with trouble shooting around the district. I'm working to collaborate with a few of the tech staff members to share to load in staff training opportunities. 

[Elaine]

Thanks Lawrence, I too agree it is information overload, and in the past have chunked the info into daily and weekly announcements. However, it would be nice to be considered important enough to be placed on the agenda, as a way to ensure another time and place to share info. 

[Kristine Lundeen]

I'm usually a part of back to school trainings and meetings I usually have to be asked to be placed on the Agenda to the whole faculty ... but with meetings with ELAR they usually ask and give me the floor if I want to share. I'm on my campus leadership and administration team at my campus, but I'm not always able to attend meetings during the school day because I teach 6 or so classes at day, but I will try to attend ELAR PLC meetings at least once every few weeks. I am also sending out a newsletter once a month to admin just to let them know how I'm utilizing the space and what's happening. I also sent out a beginning of the year newsletter (using Smore) to all my teachers. I think the newsletters help to keep everyone in the loop. I'll probably ask for time next year at meetings, but it was my first full year this August (still learning).