What Do You Call Yourself?
This article got me thinking.
When I started off in the school library profession back in the early 2000's, I referred to myself as a Media Specialist. That was what my degree listed and so that was what I went.
I spent a decent amount of time explaining exactly what I did. I mean, nowhere in the title was librarian or library, so I usually just ended up saying "I'm a School Library Media Specialist."
A mouthful. For sure.
Then I started seeing the word librarian re-enter the school library world.
I liked this because people instantly understood this term. Short, sweet, and relatable.
But then, on occasion, people would then confuse me with a public librarian. Truth is, I've never worked a day in a public library other than volunteering and serving on boards.
So... school librarian.
Yes, that succinctly summed it up.
Then teacher-librarian came into the game. And, that felt right too. It explained the teacher in me and the librarian in me.
After all, I did I start out in education as a high school English teacher.
When I moved into the school library world, my library WAS my classroom. So were the classrooms I would visit to teach or co-teach. I really leaned into my role as teacher and instructional partner.
Today, I switch between school librarian and teacher-librarian all the time. Honestly, it just depends on the audience or whatever happens to roll off my tongue.
It might change down the road as I ebb and flow or as society evolves. But, for me, right now, what I choose to call myself as a professional matters less than what I'm actually doing as a professional.
Side note: These days my current title is School Library Technology Coordinator. Yeah, a mouthful. I usually follow up with my handy elevator speech about supporting South Dakota's school librarians as they do their thing in education.
Another side note: AASL and Future Ready Librarians refer to professionals in the school library as school librarians.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What do you call yourself as a professional? Does it matter to you?
When I started off in the school library profession back in the early 2000's, I referred to myself as a Media Specialist. That was what my degree listed and so that was what I went.
I spent a decent amount of time explaining exactly what I did. I mean, nowhere in the title was librarian or library, so I usually just ended up saying "I'm a School Library Media Specialist."
A mouthful. For sure.
Then I started seeing the word librarian re-enter the school library world.
I liked this because people instantly understood this term. Short, sweet, and relatable.
But then, on occasion, people would then confuse me with a public librarian. Truth is, I've never worked a day in a public library other than volunteering and serving on boards.
So... school librarian.
Yes, that succinctly summed it up.
Then teacher-librarian came into the game. And, that felt right too. It explained the teacher in me and the librarian in me.
After all, I did I start out in education as a high school English teacher.
When I moved into the school library world, my library WAS my classroom. So were the classrooms I would visit to teach or co-teach. I really leaned into my role as teacher and instructional partner.
Today, I switch between school librarian and teacher-librarian all the time. Honestly, it just depends on the audience or whatever happens to roll off my tongue.
It might change down the road as I ebb and flow or as society evolves. But, for me, right now, what I choose to call myself as a professional matters less than what I'm actually doing as a professional.
Side note: These days my current title is School Library Technology Coordinator. Yeah, a mouthful. I usually follow up with my handy elevator speech about supporting South Dakota's school librarians as they do their thing in education.
Another side note: AASL and Future Ready Librarians refer to professionals in the school library as school librarians.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What do you call yourself as a professional? Does it matter to you?
