Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of librarians connected with the Indianapolis Foundation. This group has some funding dedicated to school libraries in the Indianapolis area and they pull that group together for some professional development. My talk was focused on how and why I got involved in our professional organizations – especially AASL.
I’m sure I’ve shared this story before with others (and maybe even on this blog), but it is one of my favorites. I can still remember the message I received one day on my voicemail at school. I was in my second year as a librarian and still figuring out what I was doing. Anyway, here is the voice message, “Carl, this is Marge Cox from Noblesville Schools. I have a wonderful opportunity for you. Call me back!” Now, I knew that Marge was the current President of our association and I had met her before, but that had been about it. So, I called her back…who knew that it would lead to my first AASL committee, getting more involved in my state organization, and a few more years down the road lead me to a position in her district.
I think for me, that is the reason I belong to professional organization. Those connections you make with people are just invaluable. I have a whole support network that I’ve built over the years that I can call on to celebrate the joys and wallow in the defeats. We need those folks who do the same job we do because they can relate.
It was a lot of fun sharing those thoughts (along with the long list of what AASL is working on currently) with the librarians at the meeting yesterday. It was also a joy being on the panel with my colleagues Leslie Preddy from Perry Meridian Middle School and Susan Akers, ILF Exec. Director.
So, next time you get one of those calls, emails, texts, Twitter postings, or a not on Facebook, take the time to get back in touch with whoever sent. You just never know what that opportunity might be!
Tags: AASL · libraries · school_librariesNo Comments