ProIessional Values Statement 1

ProIessional Values Statement

ProIessional Values Statement
Or
Dawn`s Five Laws oI School Library Science
Dawn Scheidel Bish
LIS 600
ProIessional Values Statement 2
Introduction

Hark, the Iootsteps oI the night
Fade in silence long.
Quiet chirps my reading light
Like a cricket`s song.

Books inviting us to read
On the bookshelves stand.
Piers Ior bridges that will lead
Into Iairyland.

Rainer Maria Rilke, 'Vigils III, Irom Sacrifice to the Lares (Funke, 2008) p 1.

My Iondest memories oI growing up revolved around books and inIormation. From going to the
public library every Saturday morning to return completed books and take out new adventures to
get lost in; hiding under the covers with a Ilashlight reading aIter lights out; reading the entire
Encvclopedia Britannica Irom A to Z when I was eight; mom yelling at me to put that book
down and go outside and play; crying with the characters oI The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
(1967), when Johnny Cade dies; books have always been and continue to be an important and
necessary part oI my liIe.

Recently, I had the opportunity to answer again the age old question: what do you want to be
when you grow up?`. Faced with unemployment, I took this occasion to analyze the limitless
possibilities I could pursue. It was important Ior me to choose a career which would bring
satisIaction, involve children and to allow me to have Iun. AIter continued appraisal oI what has
always been important to me and what brings me the most pleasure, the idea oI becoming a
school media specialist emerged. This would give me the opportunity to instill in children the
love oI reading but more importantly the love oI seeking inIormation, problem solving and to
encourage critical thinking in the pursuit oI knowledge. My proIessional values reIlect this.

Throughout my matriculation in the Foundations class, numerous topics resonated with me.
These topics included: knowledge versus inIormation, inIormation seeking behavior, the lack oI
research being completed/published by practitioners and access to a diverse collection oI
inIormation (especially Ior children). I incorporated these topics into my proIessional values. I
have taken creative license by developing my proIessional values statement as my Laws oI
School Library Science`. Below are my Five Laws oI School Library Science. Following this
will be my deIinition oI each law.





ProIessional Values Statement 3

Dawn`s Five Laws of School Library Science
1. now your patron, the user oI inIormation
2. Instill the enioyment oI inIormation seeking to the student
3. Access to diverse views oI inIormation Ior all
4. Practitioners/school media specialists can and should be researchers
5. Have Fun


Know your patron. the user of information

There is much value in knowing your patron. I use the word know to indicate understanding and
Iamiliarity with the patrons that use the library. A librarian works with a variety oI individuals
and groups which interact and behave in diIIerent ways. In taking a person-centered or group-
centered approach to knowing your patron one places the patron`s needs Iirst. Person-centered or
group-centered is deIined here as what is the need oI the individual or group; where in the
process oI inIormation seeking are they; what type oI media do they preIer and Ior what purpose
do they seek this inIormation. nowing the needs and preIerences oI the patron leads to ease oI
communicating inIormation and assistance to the patron.


Carol uhlthau (Greer, Grover, & Fowler, 2007)developed a model oI inIormation seeking
behavior that can be very helpIul to the librarian when Iollowing the First Law. uhlthau`s
model includes six stages to inIormation seeking: initiation, selection, exploration, Iormulation,
collection and presentation. These stages are a useIul tool Ior the librarian to use in getting to
know the patron and to determine what the patron needs.

The librarian beneIits Irom understanding how to complete a reIerence interview; by asking open
ended questions; utilizing inIormation theory; and cognitive approaches to behavior; the librarian
can identiIy where the person is in terms oI the inIormation seeking process. Only then can the
librarian provide the necessary guidance to Iinding the inIormation. For example, a Iirst grader
and a IiIth grader come to the library seeking inIormation on dogs. By completing a reIerence
interview, the librarian can better identiIy the needs oI each oI these users. The Iirst grader may
only be interested in dogs because he likes them, whereas, the IiIth grader may be studying
various mammals and must present a paper on dogs as mammals. Each user has very diIIerent
requirements Ior inIormation.
ProIessional Values Statement 4
Instill the enjoyment of information seeking to the student
'To abate the force of these considerations, an enemv of free discussion mav be supposed to
sav. that there is no necessitv for mankind in general to know and understand all that can be said
against or for their opinions bv philosophers and theologians. That it is not needful for common
men to be able to expose all the misstatements or fallacies of an ingenious opponent. That it is
enough if there is alwavs somebodv capable of answering them. so that nothing likelv to mislead
uninstructed persons remains unrefuted. That simple minds. having been taught the obvious
grounds of the truths inculcated on them. mav trust to authoritv for the rest. and being aware
that thev have neither knowledge nor talent to resolve everv difficultv which can be raised. mav
repose in the assurance that all those which have been raised have been or can be answered. bv
those who are speciallv trained to the task. (Mill, 1859)(Bold print added)


John Stewart Mill held that 'For even this doctrine acknowledges that mankind ought to have a
rational assurance that all obiections have been satisIactorily answered; and how are they to be
answered iI that which requires to be answered is not spoken? or how can the answer be known
to be satisIactory, iI the obiectors have no opportunity oI showing that it is unsatisIactory?
(Mill, 1859). From Mill`s writings comes my second law: to instill the enioyment oI inIormation
seeking to the student.

It important that we, as librarians, not only provide inIormation to our patrons but to also instill
the ioy oI learning and appreciation oI how to seek, analyze and Iorm opinions as part oI the
inIormation seeking process. It is important to teach the child to use all sources oI inIormation in
making inIormed decisions. It is essential to teach the child to inquire about all views on an issue
in order to become a critical thinker. I think Mill`s was trying to say in On Libertv, we should not
iust take something at Iace value but to explore each opportunity to seek the inIormation needed.

ccess to diverse views of information for all
As stated in Controversial Literature in Elementary Schools by Dawn Bish and Crystal Haith
(Bish & Haith, 2009) Libraries and librarians are charged with the position oI selecting and
maintaining a diverse selection oI materials Ior the population they serve as stated in the Library
Bill oI Rights (unknown, Adopted June 18, 1948, by the ALA Council; amended February 2,
1961; amended June 28, 1967; amended January 23, 1980; inclusion oI 'age reaIIirmed January
24, 1996.). The Iirst right states: Books and other library resources should be provided Ior the
interest, inIormation, and enlightenment oI all people oI the community the library serves.
Materials should not be excluded because oI the origin, background, or views oI those
contributing to their creation (unknown, Adopted June 18, 1948, by the ALA Council; amended
February 2, 1961; amended June 28, 1967; amended January 23, 1980; inclusion oI 'age
reaIIirmed January 24, 1996.) The role oI the school library media specialist is to enhance the
collection with challenging, engaging and entertaining materials that represent the diversity oI
the user community. However this becomes diIIicult when dealing with what is considered
appropriate content Ior an elementary school.

ProIessional Values Statement 5
Many Iactors enter into developing a collection Ior a school library including budget, age
appropriateness, belieIs oI the librarian and type oI school the child attends. When addressing
this issue in our research proiect, Comparison oI Collections oI DiIIerent Types oI Elementary
School in Regards to Controversial Versus Conventional Books, (Bish, Haith, & Upper, 2009),
we came up with many more questions than answers over how a librarian chooses books Ior the
collection. The librarian should take into account student demographics, age oI students, type oI
school, and library policy but set aside her own ideologies and ethics when selecting a book Ior
the collection.

In a iournal article, Debbie Abilock states 'It is natural Ior each oI us to bring our own' interests
and experiences to the selection task, and to use them to enrich our teaching. Abilock goes on to
quote ay Bishop ( (Abilock, 2007) as Iollows:

Bishop cautions, however, against the excessive inIluence oI our personal interests on selection decisions:
A media specialist with a strong belieI in higher education may be tempted to purchase more college oriented
materials than items Ior vocational courses. A media specialist who advocates online searching as a maior teaching
tool may be overzealous in budgeting Ior online services. A media specialist whose hobby is cinema may buy
numerous materials about .movies and equipment Ior video production. College-preparatory materials, online
databases, books on cinema and video production equipment are. all worthy resources; however the media
specialist's personal interests should not unduly inIluence selection decisions.

I Iound this quote interesting as I tend to assess bias as religious or liIestyle oriented and here
Bishop points out that any personal interest can aIIect the selection oI books in a collection.

4 !ractitioners/school media specialists can and should be researchers
A topic oI concern brought up in Foundations class was there is a gap between researchers and
practitioners. Reasons Ior this include: practitioners are more Iocused on day to day` issues;
communication between practitioner and researcher is inadequate; practitioners do not have the
skill to conduct research; time between identiIication oI a problem and solution to the problem is
too short Ior a practitioner to complete research; and that practitioners iust don`t have enough
time to do research (Haddow & lobas, 2004). However, I believe that it is essential Ior the
practitioner to also be a researcher in order to improve services to community that the librarian
serves, especially when working as a school media specialist.

To better tackle improvement oI services, it is important Ior the media specialist to have a better
understanding oI those she serves. This includes not only the student, but the teachers, principal
and the parents oI the student. Research can include data collection and analysis oI types oI users
in the community; group and individual needs; education paradigms to increase inIormation
acquisition oI the student; how the library can serve the individual teachers/classrooms/grades;
parental needs in regards to the child (i.e. developmental disabilities); and parent/proIessional
users satisIaction oI services rendered.

I understand that as a school media specialist; lack oI Iunding and lack oI time are probably the
biggest deterrents to the lack oI research, however it is important to Iind the time to study,
research, and collect inIormation to better serve the school/patron/parent.

ProIessional Values Statement 6
ave Fun
Do you remember the slogan 'Reading is FUNdamental!? In November oI 1966, Reading is
Fundamental (RIF) was launched. All RIF programs combine three essential elements to Ioster
children's literacy: reading motivation, Iamily and community involvement, and the excitement
oI choosing Iree books to keep (About RIF, 2009). The program is the oldest children`s and
Iamily`s non-proIit organization.
Reading should be Iun! We, as Iuture media specialists, need to encourage children to appreciate
reading and inIormation seeking. By showing enthusiasm Ior what you do; allowing children to
choose books to read; and to get Iamily`s involved with their child`s reading; we can cultivate a
more inIormed, critically thinking child.

Conclusion
'll I know is that I know nothing`. Socrates

At times during the Iundamentals class, I perceived myselI as knowing` nothing; in which my
mind was iust Iilled with a Iount oI useless inIormation. I still Iind myselI lacking the deIinition
oI knowing` and the scheme oI what know` actually signiIies. Nevertheless, I have taken Irom
this class useIul inIormation and values that I am able to express in my proIessional values
statement.

The most important value to me is to create individuals that want to learn and read; children that
think reading is Iun and actually choose to read a book (instead oI watching television or playing
a video game). Reading, as well as inIormation seeking, has always been an important part oI my
liIe and I would like to pass that on to the next generation. Furthermore, I believe that my other
values (see Dawn`s Five Laws oI School Library Science above), support this. One must always
strive to be better, to provide excellent service, to understand those being served and above all
else to have Iun doing what you are doing.













ProIessional Values Statement 7

ReIerence


Abilock, D. (2007). Four Questions to Ask YourselI. nowledge Quest

bout RIF. (2009, April). Retrieved April 20, 2009, Irom Reading is Fundamental:
http://www.riI.org/

Bish, D. S., & Haith, C. (2009, March). Controversial Literature in the Elementary School.

Bish, D. S., Haith, C., & Upper, L. (2009, April). Comparisons oI Collections oI DiIIerent Types
oI Elementary School in Regards to Controversial versus Conventional Books.

Funke, C. (2008). Inkdeath. Chicken House, Scholastic.

Greer, R. C., Grover, R. J., & Fowler, S. G. (2007). Introduction to the Librarv and Information
Professions. Libraries Unlimited.

Haddow, G., & lobas, J. E. (2004). Communicaiton oI research to practice in library and
inIormation science: Closing the gap. Librarv and Information Science Research .

Mill, J. S. (1859). On Libertv.

Roger C. Greer, R. J. (2007). Introduction to the Librarv and Information Professions. Libraries
Unlimited.

unknown. (Adopted June 18, 1948, by the ALA Council; amended February 2, 1961; amended
June 28, 1967; amended January 23, 1980; inclusion oI 'age reaIIirmed January 24, 1996.).
L Librarv Bill of Rights. Retrieved April 17, 2009, Irom ALA:
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/oIIices/oiI/statementspols/statementsiI/librarybillrights.cIm