help wanted: school media specialist

dawn heller
library director
riverside-brookfield township
district 208
riverside, illinois

Requirements: Candidates must possess "the right stuff."

Tom Wolfe's fascinating account of the original seven astronauts was entitled The Right Stuff because all of the test pilots emulated the "hottest" pilot of them all, Chuck Yaeger. And he was believed to be the embodiment of skill and grace under pressure, thus endowed with "the right stuff" to the nth degree.

Recently, I had the responsibility to advertise for are placement for a school media specialist for our high school district. Because my associate for fifteen years had announced her intention to retire, I was faced with the task of assessing the job responsibilities and enumerating the requisite skills and attitudes that a desirable candidate should possess. I found that process to be an important one in analyzing what it is we are really about. In the process I arrived at a composite image of the school media specialist appropriate for our high school.

An examination of those component qualities that made up our formula for the desired media specialist's "right stuff" will, I believe, be helpful indefining our professional image in a more global sense.

It is obvious that an appropriate educational background is essential. We have stressed the value of a Master's degree in Library Science, and that is certainly a foundation. I have always felt that the undergraduate program is also critical and I favor a strong liberal arts program. Particularly in school libraries, we always deal with the entire range of curricular areas, and an effective media specialist is going to have to be conversant with the "ought-to-knows" of our culture.

It is no accident that certification generally requires a teaching certificate since the skills of a trained educator are an important component. In other words, the fellow professionals with which we deal each day need to rely on us for this very training and background.

A second requirement, which is not as readily ascertained, is a quality of professionalism in approaching the position. In my mind, that professionalism is an essential sense that what it is we do is important and that each element, though seemingly small, contributes to the total effort. Whether it is a brief handout for a single class or a formal report to the school board — it should elicit the same kind of attention and standards. I believe a professional attitude is exhibited when students — of any age — receive the same level of courtesy as the superintendent or the school board.

Professionalism also implies the willingness to continue to learn new skills, new attitudes, and new information.

I suppose that the next quality seems self-evident, if one thinks of education and attainment of degrees as a sign of "intelligence," but I am not sure that this is always so. Suffice it to say that it is imperative that a school media specialist be intelligent. The ability to solve problems, to see alternative ways of tackling a task, to grasp quickly what it is that another is asking or answering is essential. There are those folks who have learned to get grades and degrees who don't seem to have that kind of intellectual core.

Another special desirable quality is creativity. It's that spark — that flash — that is instantly recognizable but hard to define. Those that have it are challenged by new situations. They enjoy seeking multiple and unique solutions. When providing reference service, for example, the creative practitioner is almost able to make intuitive leaps to the best resources for difficult searches.

When walking into a media center occupied by a creative media specialist, that creativity is going to show. A hallmark will be that the "we've always done it that way" mind-set will not be present. New approaches will appear, be modified, and utilized until they are no longer effective. Then these will give way to newer ones. The creative individual will have made some unique efforts that one will not see in any other center. That's why our profession is appealing to creative people. They see the opportunities for self-expression within the framework of a typical school.

Another characteristic of media specialists with "the right stuff" is that they laugh easily. They have a sense of humor, not only about the people and events that surround them, but most importantly, about themselves. They are secure enough to laugh at themselves. They smile easily; they relate to other people easily; they have a positive mental attitude about the promise of life, even in the face of the daily drag of routine. I think this comes from a sense of self-worth but not self-importance, and it makes the individual easy to relate to and work with.

This sense of humor and positive attitude virtually guarantees that our media specialist will get along well with others. Believing in one's own value and by extension, the value of others, means that there is a sense of respect for other staff members, for support staff, fellow teachers, and for students. It is axiomatic that the ideal media specialist is going to have to like kids... kids of all types and personalities. You can't fool them for long!

When I specify that an essential ingredient is "maturity," it must be understood that maturity is not an age but an attitude. There is nothing sadder than an aging adult trying to act like an adolescent. Kids don't need more "pals"; they need positive role models that show what it is like to be a successful adult. In schools, staff members must be the role models (in many different varieties) that kids need.

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In a sense, appropriate grooming is a component of this ingredient. It is, in my opinion, important to dress for the job as an adult... as a mature adult... as a professional at work. This does not preclude fashion and flair, but I believe it does preclude blue jeans and sweat shirts unless its "clean out the closet" day!

Our media specialist with the "right stuff" will also have a quality shared by Chuck Yaeger and other test pilots; that is, grace under pressure. In our busy days and hectic weeks, there are many times when everything seems to come crashing in at once. The ability to keep one's head, to cut through to essentials, to place items in priority, is absolutely vital.

Also needed? A talent for communicating, in both written and oral form. The articulate practioner can win support for the program, and enlist the cooperation of all segments of the school community.

Finally, my media "astronaut" will have the one final quality that makes it all work — the desire to take responsibility, the willingness to use the talents to achieve professional results. Without that, all of the rest are just unmined riches with no real value.

Incidentally, if you wonder how we made out on our quest, let me tell you that our new school media specialist not only fits the prototype just described, she was the model for this description!

I know many professionals in our field that also share the "right stuff." That's why I'm proud to be called a school media specialist.

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