I found Catherine Masrour’s article a solid reminder that innovation does not have to be groundbreaking or expensive to change the culture or climate of a library. In a time where education feels like “we must innovate or become obsolete” (Dickey, 2023) it was nice to have a reminder that having the right people in the right place makes an impact on our students. Creating a space where students feel welcomed, and they can see themselves in that space makes it a welcoming place.
After hiring the assistant basketball coach to be a library TA, the environment and clientele of the library changed for the better. It wasn’t that the athletes of the school didn’t feel welcome before their coach started working in the library; it was that they didn’t yet understand that the library is for everyone. But once someone like them opened the door they realized that the space had so much to offer them. Especially in high school, where who your friends are and what activities you participate in define you as a person, it is so easy for students to see themselves as only one type of person. And if the only reason a student goes to the library is because their English teacher takes them, they don’t see they have ownership in the library space too. The article resonated because it can be so difficult to make students “suddenly curious about what goes on” in the library, but if more teachers and staff use the library as a space where all students can learn, they will see themselves as learners too.
Masrour, C. (2024). A coach in the library makes an impact. School Library Journal, 70(8), 19. https://www.slj.com/story/basketball-coach-scores-at-library-reasons-to-love-libraries
