Knowledge Quest, the journal of the American Association of School Librarians, featured articles in the May/June 2010 issue by Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) Assistant Professor Renee Franklin and Adjunct Professor Steven Nabinger.
Franklin, who teaches courses in School Media and has a background in working with children with developmental disabilities, wrote in the section “Voices from the Ivory Tower” about the choice between practicing and professing librarianship. Though her day as an assistant professor is not as structured as it would be in a school and often continues to work once she gets home from campus, she still has an opportunity to serve and give back to the libraries she loves.
“It turns out that choosing the professoriate did not require me to abandon my love of libraries,” she wrote. “In fact, my research, teaching and service activities actually provide opportunities for me to spend time in school libraries.”
As a teacher-librarian at the C.S. Driver Middle School in Marcellus, Adjunct Professor Steve Nabinger offered a different point of view in the section “Pass it Forward: Teaching as Adjunct,” but echoed Franklin’s sentiment about the demanding work schedule and rewarding results.
“For me, the decision boils down to personal growth,” he wrote. “As an adjunct at a highly ranked program like Syracuse, my students and colleagues challenge me in ways that are wholly different from those in my ‘day job.’”
The American Association of School Librarians publishes Knowledge Quest bimonthly September through June. The journal features articles addressing the integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning theory, and relevant disciplines.