What the World Needs Now

Closing keynote speaker Michael Sorrell inspired the audience with his presentation on The Leaders We Need Now (abstract). This session was ripe with empowering quotes on leadership and advice for all those who aspire to be the leaders that our learning communities need now. The keynote focused on his presidency at Paul Quinn College in Texas. He took the job at a time when the future of the institution was grim. The college was failing at trying to be a traditional college, and not the college that the students needed. A college that would address the issues that students were currently facing. They asked themselves, how could they use the 18 months afforded to them by COVID to change the trajectory that the college was on. 

The following is a list of quotes from Sorrell that continue to resonate with me. 

"To be a leader you must have the ability to face our fears"

"Fear of failure is merely a stumble, it is only a fall if you refuse to get up"

"Don't fear history, know history"

"History is defined by the people who stood up and said we need a different way, who said not on my watch, who said I choose A instead of B, who said I will go on this path alone until the rest of you catch up"

"Leaders must represent people whose voices are not being heard"

Live by the principles of the four L's. 

• "Leave places better than you found them"
• "Live a life that matters"
• "Lead from wherever you are"
• "Love something greater than yourself"

He closed his keynote with questions for the audience:

• "What are you going to do?"
• "Who are you going to be?"
• "What do you want history to say about you?"

Being an Ally

Allyship that makes an Impact: Outcomes that Identify Action (abstract) was presented by Shohreh Bozorgmehri and Julie Yohm. 

Bozorgmehri and Yohm discussed the Women in Tech initiative at University of California, Irvine, which is a community of practice focusing on action and change. Their goals include helping individuals to realize their full potential as leaders and innovators through: allyship, promotion of best practices for inclusive excellence, educational events and finally strategic partnerships to support diversity on campus.  One event that they held recently was a book club where they invited author Karen Catlin,  "Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces" to engage in a conversation. One key takeaway from the event was that for allyship to be successful you need a diverse population participating. As well, they recommended that we engage, apply and share strategies with the broader community and provide education around small daily actions that can have a big impact. They highlighted examples of mentorship and sponsorship. 

Advocacy

Session: Demise of School Libraries: Consequences & Options, panel presentation hosted by Ryerson University Centre for Free Expression and the Faculty of Communication and Design. Panelists included: Michael W. Apple, Brandi Bartok, Kamalijit Purewal and Dianne Oberg. Session was moderated by Richard Beaudry.

Cross Canada discussion of the current state of school libraries and the important role that teacher-librarians play within a school system; from collection development practices that ensure diversity of materials and inclusion (representation matters), to instruction on the use (and referencing) of primary, secondary and tertiary sources. School libraries support teachers by connecting curriculum to information sources, teaching academic integrity, as well as research and referencing skills. School librarians assist with the improvement of literacy skills. Putting the right book into the hands of a child can change a life. The child may discover themselves, and others like them. They may discover a passion yet unignited. They may learn about the world around and hopefully from multiple perspectives that are different from their own. We recognize the importance that reading and literacy skills have for our children, so why is it that we see many school boards release policy documents stating strategic goals for literacy skills, while simultaneously cut funding to the school library and/or staff. Not to mention other equity issues such as the digital divide. Libraries help to reduce barriers and freely allow for access to content. They can be a child's only source of reliable internet access, their only opportunity to read a book and engage with materials. 

As a college librarian I would strongly argue that academic integrity should be taught through a K12 school library as students need to recognize the value of information and the importance of citing their sources from their very first research project. This would allow post-secondary institutions to focus on advance research and writing skills, and shift our discussions to misinformation, critical thinking skills, and evaluating resources.  And dare I say that a focus on academic integrity from a young age might just prevent the alarming rates of plagiarism that we see in colleges and universities. If a child grows up knowing that information has value and needs to be cited, they will not need to learn why this is important as a first year post-secondary student, when the stakes are much higher. Just my two cents, I will step down from my soap box now.