Reflections

As I’ve reflected back over the semester of reading I’ve done for my professional reading postings I’ve noticed that through these postings I’ve had to delve deeper into topics and issues that previously were just words or surface issues.  But having read more about bullying and cyberbulling, image issues, standardized testing, etc I’ve solidified thoughts and feelings on the subjects and viewed each topic through the lens of librarianship rather than just an impersonal observer, and have come to conclusions and come up with ideas on how to combat some of these issues in my professional life.  All of the topics discussed figure prominently in the lives of tweens, their peers and even their parents (all of whom can be library patrons at some point), and it is beneficial to know about, understand and even have an opinion on these topics so that when/if someone comes looking for information or help we are prepared to provide it.  After reading some of the articles I did, I looked at my nieces and nephews through a new lens, and found myself asking them questions about their reading tastes, interactions with their peers, bullying/cyberbullying, and many other topics, and gained valuable insight into how very changed the world is today from when I was in their shoes not so many years ago.  As librarians, and possibly parents, we need to know about and be willing to be open to the changes in the lives of our tweens rather than dismissing their concerns because “that’s not the way it was when I was a kid.”