You Are Essential

by Kristi Starr, librarian at Coronado High School in Lubbock ISD, TASL chair

Only a few short weeks ago I was looking forward to April 1. It was to follow an amazing week of learning, connecting, and reconnecting at the Texas Library Association conference in Houston. It was a day when I anticipated commencing planning for 2021. The April 1 I woke up to, however, is one that no jokester would have ever predicted.

Friends, we are working in challenging times. The world to which we had grown accustomed has been turned upside down. You know it, your teachers know it, your students know it … everyone knows it. For many of us, it’s like working with one arm tied behind your back. You can do part of your job, but something critical is missing. Maybe it’s the people. It could be the books. Or the makerspaces. Even a reliable internet connection. Regardless, let me remind you of one thing.

You are essential.

• Librarians are essential to providing stability for students through storytimes and booktalks. They’re simply online now rather than face to face.
• Librarians are essential for curating resources for teachers and students. We aren’t throwing together lists and links, rather we are thoughtfully gathering and sharing a variety of resources and ideas. 
• Librarians are essential for technology support. We are answering emails, conducting office hours, picking up the phone to assist our colleagues and students when they need a new tool or aren’t quite sure how to do a certain task on a device. 
• Librarians are essential as collaborators. Whether it’s working with departments that we’ve never before worked with or collaborating on projects and websites with librarians across our districts, we are showing the value of teamwork and new perspectives. 

TASL and TLA are here to support you. We know times are crazy. We know it’s a challenge. But we’re here for you. And we all need to be there for each other. Session proposals and volunteer requests will come, and we’ll meet again in 2021 in San Antonio when we Celebrate Differences; Empower Voices.

Because today is April 1, it’s time to share our monthly advocacy statement. We have a slight departure from the planned statement, however. Thanks to Brooke King, TASL Talks editor, we have changed this month’s tweet to “Did you know that full-time certified librarians are supporting teachers and students virtually by ________?” Fill in the blank with what you’re doing. Be sure to tag #TxASLTalks #txlege and #TxASL You might mention @TxLA and your district and anyone else who needs to see this message. If you aren’t on Twitter, take it to Facebook or Instagram. Let’s get our stories out there. You are essential. 

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One last thought. We owe a debt of gratitude to Nancy Jo Lambert who is rolling off the TASL executive board and to Richelle O’Neil as she assumes the role of past chair. I have officially taken on duties of TASL chair and welcome Jill Bellomy as chair-elect. Thank you, Nancy Jo and Richelle, for your leadership. Thanks also to Lisa Zinkie who has served the past two years as TASL secretary. We appreciate you, Lisa, and welcome Linda Kay into that office. We appreciate our councilors Nicole Cruz and Jenn Hampton who represent TASL both at the state and national levels. A heartfelt round of thanks goes to Brandi Dawson and all those others who served on ProCo for the 2020 conference, and to Dr. Leah Mann who co-chaired the programming committee. To all of you who spent time preparing presentations, serving on committees, planning events - we feel your disappointment, and while we were unable to enjoy the fruits of your efforts, we commend you on a job well done. Finally, to the TLA staff for all the hours and continued work on the virtual conference, we express deep gratitude.

With the past in mind, and with a foot in the present, we look to the future. And it’s bright, y’all. It’s bright.