The Innovative School Librarian: Thinking outside the Box

Citation

McNicol, S. (2010), "The Innovative School Librarian: Thinking outside the Box", New Library World, Vol. 111 No. 9/10, pp. 444-445. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074801011089396

This book is not a “nuts and bolts” guide to running a school library, rather, as its says in the introduction, it was “written to prompt school librarians to stand back from their day‐to‐day activity and critically re‐examine their values, philosophy and what defines their professional practice”. The authors challenge school librarians to think about their role strategically within the school environment and, in particular, in relation to learning and teaching.

As it was written collaboratively by five practising school librarians and a university lecturer, this book has a good mix of practical examples and underpinning theory, making it of value to librarians and information studies students, and also to head teachers and others with an interest in school leadership. The use of vignettes throughout enables the reader to put the discussion in context and appreciate how ideas and arguments might apply in a real world situation. Another useful feature is the inclusion of a number of planning and development tools, such as a prioritisation grid and force field analysis.

The Innovative School Librarian is divided into three sections. Broadly, the book moves from outlining theories and discourses which have relevance for the school library, to a more practical discussion, and then advocating a way forward for school libraries. “Who is the librarian?” considers the issue of professionalism and perceptions of the librarian; “Your community” considers discusses how librarians can make a more effective contribution my understanding the needs of their school community. Finally, “Moving forward” sets out the authors' ideas about the future for the school library profession, advocating inspiration, innovation and ensuring the library is integral to teaching and learning.

The authors discuss many important questions that need to be considered if school libraries and librarians are to innovate and improve. These include issues of professional identity, harmonising different visions of a school library and the importance of inspiration and risk‐taking. As they point out, in a changing educational environment, it is crucial that libraries constantly adapt and develop.

The authors of The Innovative School Librarian are clearly passionate about the importance of school libraries and well‐informed about current debates. Personally, I found the discussion of professionalism and perceptions of the school librarian in the first section of the book the most interesting as this is an issue which needs to be addressed more seriously not just within the school library sector, but more widely within the profession. This book offers a strategy that could be applied in other sectors as well as school libraries to ensure that librarians are seen as more than managers or technocrats. By reflecting on their role, and taking risks, librarians can be seen to be leaders and innovators.

My one criticism of this book is its strong UK focus. I agree with the authors that the concerns and ideas are not confined to the UK, but I felt that the book would benefit from examples of innovative activities and approaches, which are being trialled and adopted by school librarians elsewhere in the world. One of the appendices describes “Some possibilities for gaining inspiration in the UK”, but I feel it is equally important that librarians look at what is happening in other countries and consider how ideas can be applied or adapted to fit local circumstances.

Overall, however, more books of this quality about school libraries are needed, especially in the UK where school librarianship is too often dismissed, both as a serious profession and as a subject worthy of academic study. The Innovative School Librarian clearly demonstrates that this should not be the case.