The Editor’s
Notebook
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tereotypes are a trap, stifling our thinking, fixing us in a time that no longer exists – if it ever did. Think about the notion that a woman’s place is in the home, men don’t make good nurses and Boomers are bad at technology. As for libraries, many people still assume they are places meant to house books and employ middle-aged women with grey buns, whose main role is to shush anyone who makes even the slightest sound. When my daughter announced that she wanted to become a librarian, my mother thought it was a bad idea. “It sounds boring,” she said. The notion that libraries are solely focused on books and reading casts a stubborn shadow over the school library learning commons. Many still believe the main function of the learning commons, despite an emphasis on inquiry, maker spaces and new technologies, is book exchange and print literacy. Just as pervasive are the notions that teaching literacy is the responsibility of the high school English department and only a history teacher can properly guide students through the essay-writing process. That’s why many assume that people with a background in English and history make the best school library staff. But, as you will see from the wide array of articles in this STEM @ your library edition of The Teaching Librarian, reality doesn’t match the stereotype. Many school library learning commons have become showcases for technology and we have pre-COVID-19 examples of this in the publication, including an article on how a Brampton high school partnered with the public library to showcase tech (“Building Momentum Towards Tech-Enabled Futures in the Learning Commons”) and the public library. Meanwhile, another Brampton high school’s computer science teacher
Caroline Freibauer
has partnered with the library learning commons to highlight electronic passion projects created by students (“Teacher Creates a Different Kind of E3). Coding is becoming a common activity in the library learning commons and we have two pieces (“Coding Connections with the Library Learning Commons” and “Trying to be a STEAM Teacher During a Pandemic”) explaining how the school library staff can partner with teachers to help embed it in the curriculum. Tim King, a computer science teacher in Fergus, explains why he thinks teacher-librarians and other school library staff can be the best people to launch a cyber security competition team in a school. Read more about how he has helped coach some winning teams (“Use Learning Commons To Explore Cybersecurity”) and how to get involved in the competition. Melissa Poremba, a trained math teacher, has for many years been leading in the library learning commons at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton. She explains in her article the many ways math and literature intersect (“STEAM: StoryTelling for Engagement and Authenticity in Math”). There was a time when I would have thought it rare to find a school library learning commons staff members with a background in STEM, such as Poremba. As I learned about more and more of them, I decided to find out how they were doing. You can read what I discovered in the article, “Curiosity Lures Science Teachers Into the Library Learning Commons.” Nearly all the articles in this edition chip away at the stereotype of school libraries and those who lead them. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 virus there is so much happening. My mom was wrong. It’s not boring at all. z
The Teaching Librarian is looking for contributors and editorial board members! Interested in writing for The Teaching Librarian? Here are themes and submission deadlines for upcoming issues: “Innovation @ your library” Deadline: September 30, 2021
“Leadership @ your library” Deadline: January 31, 2022
Or consider joining the editorial board! Contribute to issues, write and/or solicit articles, copy edit, and work together to produce three issues a year. For more information, contact the editor at: teachinglibrarian@outlook.com
6 Ontario School Library Association
