The world is forever changing around us and with it so does technology. Each year more and more shiny and daunting programs and tools come out that we as future school librarians, need to keep up with. But how do we do that?

The first step is to get over our fear of technology. I know I am not the first to admit that through this course some of the things we have had to do, such as coding and creating a video, have been very scary, and instead of having fun with it, I have stressed out about not knowing how to do it. If we go into each new technology with fear then we are bound to fall behind. When we are in that situation, Page Szmodis says to remember that technology is a skill and not a talent, that it is always changing, and to use our research skills (2021). No one is born knowing how to use everything, it takes time and practice in order to use it and it’s ok to mess up as that is how you learn. If you don’t know where to start when using new tech, using your research skills will come in handy to research instructional videos and demos.

With that, another way to stay up to date is by making the time to do so. It’s easy to forget when you have family, school, work, and just life happening but if you actually set aside time one day each week, you can take that time to learn a new skill. It can be anything from reading an article, going to an event, or trying out a new activity (Rayome, 2017). This way not only do you stay up to date on new skills, but you can also have continued use of skills you already know.

Librarians are also not alone in your continued journey to be on top of the newest thing. Teachers also have to stay up to date so why not work together? As Kari Heitman says, “we are co-teachers, co-partners, collaborators with teachers to help students be successful” (as quoted in Burroughs, 2022). Start a forum between the librarians and teachers to keep each other in the loop of new technology or updates, or new ways to use technology the school already owns.

There are many other ways that librarians can stay up to date but I wanted to only list a few just to start off. This way it’s not overwhelming and it’s an easy way to start getting into the habit of updating ourselves.

Burroughs, A. (2022, July 8). Tech-savvy school librarians provide value to modern learners. Technology Solutions That Drive Education.https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/07/tech-savvy-school-librarians-provide-value-modern-learners  

Rayome, A. D. N. (2017, September 7). 10 ways that it pros and developers can keep their tech skills up to date. TechRepublic. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-ways-that-it-pros-and-developers-can-keep-their-tech-skills-up-to-date/ 

Szmodis, P. (2021, July 27). How to get over technophobia. HLS. https://hacklibraryschool.com/2021/07/27/how-to-get-over-technophobia/