Interview with a Librarian - Amy Whitfield

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Collaboration

This week I spoke with Amy Whitfield. She is the lead librarian at Blythewood High School in Columbia, SC. We spoke about the American Association of School Librarians' shared foundation Collaborate. Please read her insights and my reflections to learn more about collaboration in school libraries. 

"Building relationships is the key to collaboration." - Amy Whitfield

Q: What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

A: "When I collaborate with teachers, I try to be aware of their class dynamics and make adjustments." "I try to give the learners choices and variety in their assignments and include collaborative conversations."

Q: What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

A: "We have tons of resources. I have several novel collections for shared reading assignments. I also create collections in Destiny for teachers to access resources for their units of study. In this way, I can meet their needs even if we don't have time to collaborate or meet in person." "Our website allows our students to access the library 24/7. Our resources there are curated specifically for projects we know the students will have."

Collaboration can take many forms. It doesn't have to be you and the teacher teaching a lesson in tandem. You can collaborate to curate resources. Or collaborate with other staff members to create professional development opportunities for teachers. Mrs. Whitfield has hosted several professional development book tastings in the library. She has also worked with the school's technology learning coach to provide professional development. Sometimes, professional development is hosted in the library due to available space and Mrs. Whitfield takes that as an opportunity to reach out to teachers and make connections for future projects.

Q: Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples.

A: "I collaborate with several teachers on research lessons. It is so important for our students to know how to use the library and the library website to find information. For most of them, high school will be their first real research experience. So I try to get into every freshman classroom and teach them about our library services. I have worked with 9th -grade Human Geography classes on their immigration projects. This is a big help as they move forward."

Q: What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

A: "Time is a challenge to planning in-depth lessons or using the library. Collaboration with me is just another thing for teachers to do."

Mrs. Whitfield goes on to explain that collaboration is often initiated by her. She will go to teachers during their planning or during class observations and ask to collaborate on lessons. She wants to offer lessons and services that are useful to teachers. In essence, "take something off their plate." So how do you accomplish this? Like Mrs. Whitfield, I find it is easiest to collaborate with teachers when they can incorporate what we are doing into their curriculum. I have worked with teachers on research projects that can be graded as class assignments. I have also worked with teachers on pulling resources for their lessons or units of study. I also just allowed them to use the physical space. Sometimes the library is the only space big enough for activities. When they are here, it provides the perfect opportunity to discuss a new collaborative venture. If you want to increase collaboration, be of service in some capacity.