The Disruptive Librarian

This site and blog has been a long time in the making. I had the idea to start a blog and a website several years ago to chronicle my adventures as a library media specialist. I thought it would be a great way to look back at the many projects, students, and staff I’ve had the privilege of working on and with throughout the years. Little did I know that it would take me this long to sit down and make this dream a reality. First, it was about picking a new “handle.” I have gone by Young_Librarian on Twitter for years, but that name never quite fit for my grand plans for a blog and new website. I then started asking friends and colleagues for words that described me and though I received many great ideas (innovative, vibrant, WYSIWYG, daring, bibliotechie, etc.), nothing really hit hard enough for me be inspired. Until the word disruptive came along.

I was actually working for INFOhio at the time and we were discussing the theme for our staff retreat. One of my co-workers had been listening to a TED Talk and heard the word disruptive being used as a positive force in the world of business – so why not also use that word in education?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, disruptive is defined as: “disrupting or tending to disrupt some process, activity, condition, etc. : causing or tending to cause disruption.” When most hear this word, they think of all the negative connotations behind the word – a child interrupting while their parent is talking, a pet knocking over a glass of soda and spilling it all over the couch – these are all disruptions to our lives.

I want to take a positive spin on the word disruptive. Disruptive can also mean innovative or groundbreaking. A few synonyms are: inventive, original, novel, fresh, unconventional, unprecedented, experimental. Aren’t all of these what we should be doing in education? It is time to become all of these things and disrupt the status quo. Shake things up a little. A lot!

I am not your conventional school librarian. I do not shush people. I do more than check out and check in books. I try to bring a fresh approach to teaching and learning on a daily basis. I love literature and technology and combining the two. I think the best thing we can do for our students is to experiment with our teaching and lessons – and to show them it’s okay to try and fail. Failure is the best teacher.

So, welcome to my journey as the Disruptive Librarian. Hold on to your seat!