I believe in inquiry based learning that supports diverse learning styles and intellectual abilities. As a librarian, it is my job to seek out those voices and groups that are missing representation and advocate to seek resources to provide not only for their community to read about themselves but also for the community as a whole to benefit from the knowledge of others. I believe in creating a collection filled with resources that provide “mirrors, windows and doors” so the library collection is a self-affirming reflection of the lives and experiences of our student readers. (Sims, 1990).
I hope to uphold the service model and Ranganthan’s “Every Reader His/Her Book and Every Book Its Reader” (Rubin & Rubin, 2020) by attempting to remove barriers or reduce barriers that might frustrate a person’s search for resources. My goal is to be a librarian that strives to enable students to activate the library independently. Opening up the discussions for collection development and acquisitions, providing self-check out training, and creating a space that feels like no one needs permission to be there.
Rubin, R. E. and Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.
Sims Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 1(3), ix–xi