Philosophy
Statement of Professional Philosophy
Goals as a Teacher Librarian
I hope to direct a high school library. I enjoy working with most ages of young people, but I find I have the most rapport with high school students. I especially enjoy working individually with students on developing questions and finding resources for research projects.
I am a lifelong learner. I love taking classes, searching for information for others, or me creating things, organizing things, and, perhaps if I am fortunate enough, inspiring students to reach higher in their academic career. I also would like to inspire in my students the goals of helping others, caring for our environment, using their creativity to the good of our world, and being good citizens in their community.
Having been a volunteer interviewer for Harvard College since 1990, I encourage students to attend college. I will continue to help students to
research scholarships and to be available to write letters of recommendation.
I organized a mentor and job matching resource for Berkeley High School in collaboration with their Career Counselors and the Librarians. If this project is successful, I would like to repeat the project at other schools. Students need to learn how to form alliances with adults in order to get the experience they need for the working world.
I am interested in particular in the education of young women in the fields of math, science, and computer technology. These are regions of economic growth and where new jobs are created. Young women should be encouraged to pursue careers in growth industries, especially those fields now heavily male-dominated.
I want students to enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction for pleasure. I want them to be able to determine reliable sources of information on the internet. I want students to be able to question information sources and to think critically for themselves. I want them to take responsibility for the course of their own lives and to strive to climb as high as they aspire to climb in the world.
SJSU SLIS Courses and Readings of Note
I enjoyed my coursework in the San Jose State Graduate Program in Library and Information Sciences. I find it significant that the degree is titled Library and Information Sciences and not solely Library Sciences. Technology is increasingly changing the skill set for librarians. The ability to use
appropriate technology and teach its use is an important group of skills. I thought it was excellent that the program started out with LIBR 203, focusing on how to use the technologies necessary for a virtual learning environment. I have built my confidence in using technology for library applications. We had some useful assignments in additional courses (LIBR 233 – Library Media Centers, LIBR 266 – Collection Development, LIBR 285 - Research) where we worked in a group, chose several similar technological applications on the internet, compared the applications using set criteria, and made our recommendations to the class. These were excellent real life exercises.
My most enjoyable classes were LIBR 281 – Contemporary Issues: Storytelling with Beth Wrenn-Estes and LIBR 264 – Tween Literature with Mary Ann Harlan. Professor Wrenn-Estes class was very challenging for those of us who are not natural extroverts. We researched material for stories, wrote a script and practiced each story, in some cases put together a costume, then taped the story and posted it on Youtube.com. I did not have an editing program so every time I made an error I started my taping over again from the start. By the end of the assignment, I knew those stories cold. The class gave me the confidence to offer to tell one of the stories at a story telling evening at my daughter’s elementary school. The taped result is contained in my portfolio under Competency M, on oral and written communication, as Old One Eye under the Stars.
Mary Ann Harlan’s class on Tween Literature was especially enjoyable for three reasons. I have a 12-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son and taught Middle and High School so I enjoyed the readings such as Totally Wired: what teens and tweens are really doing online, by Anastasia Goodstein, on use of technology by Tweens. I enjoyed the assignment to read or view fifty pieces of tween literature and review them on my blog at www.klevenson.wordpress.com. This caused me to accompany my son and three of his friends to a Twilight series film and to spend Saturday morning watching cartoons with my daughter. I enjoy reading YA (young adult) literature and through the class, I discovered some new authors I
enjoy. I am still maintaining and updating my blog. I enjoy getting comments and title suggestions from my followers.
One of my favorite readings for the SLIS program was Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf. I enjoy reading non-fiction books that bring
together science and society. As a former archaeologist, I enjoyed the first part of the book about the development of language and the earliest writing. My interest in neuroscience was piqued by her discussion of whether reading is created to fit brain structure or whether the brain restructures itself to accommodate reading. Probably both things are occurring. As a former teacher, I was interested in her ideas on dyslexia and how it actually could be seen as an advantage – allowing for thinking “outside the box.”
The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts, edited by Haycock and Sheldon almost seemed wasted when assigned in an introductory course. It was not until I was much farther through my studies that I realized what a gem this book is. It is an excellent set of summaries by some of the leaders in their fields. It was my “bible” for the e-portfolio. Every time I needed a little reminder on the scope of a topic or competency, I could refer to this book.
I used the article “The Saturday Evening Girls” by Kate Larson in the Library Quarterly (April, 2001) as an example of a Case Study in my
portfolio for LIBR 285. This was an article about a social and educational club started in Boston in the 1800’s by upper class women to benefit girls and women factory workers. It allowed women to further their education and gain life skills that eventually allowed most of them to move from factory workers to the “middle class.” Some members eventually became teachers or librarians. This study especially struck a chord with me, as I am interested in encouraging female students to move into more male-dominated fields such as math and science.
Group Projects
There is a large amount of group work in almost every course. Librarians need to work cooperatively with other librarians and technicians or with teachers and administrators in the case of a Teacher-Librarian. The course gave us a chance to try out a range of skills, from being Team Leader, to Editor, Researcher, Webpage or PowerPoint Designer, and Liaison with actual libraries. We had a range of skills, experience, and personalities in every group I worked in. Some students were already professional librarians. Other students had only recently completed their B.A. Some of us volunteered in libraries, but worked full time in other professions. As happens in the outside world, there was the non-communicative team member, the person who was always late with their part of the assignment, and the person who did not seem to have a clue what was going on. We managed in almost all cases eventually to pull together to complete the project with a feeling that everyone had contributed at least something of
value.
Instructor Role Models
Our instructors and advisors ran the gamut from fine instructors who were well- organized and cared about good communication with their students to those who were more interested in attending conferences than working with graduate students. Some professors modeled excellent organization and clear expectations. They will be my inspiration for future instructional sessions I will construct and present. Other professors were models of how not to interact with students – ill-organized, snide and sarcastic, self-important, very late returning assessments, and ready to blame their inadequacies of preparation on the students. Having studied at UCSB, Cal State East Bay, and Harvard University prior to San Jose State and taught at several instructional levels from Kindergarten to university and adult education, I have seen a broad variety of instructional methods. I feel I am well prepared to collaborate with teachers and other instructors to present interesting and relevant course material to students and to attend to their academic needs.
I would like to make note of three instructors I especially enjoyed interacting with: Mary Ann Harlan, Beth Wrenn-Estes and Steve Tash. Thank you
for making my courses with you so meaningful and enjoyable. I heard several other instructors were wonderful experts in their fields but was unable to work their courses into the class and time constraints of the program.
Connections
This statement of Professional Philosophy also covers connections between my goal of being an effective Teacher-Librarian with my responsibility to the “economic, educational, and social well being of our community.” It is not easy to separate out these factors as they all work together to create a healthy, productive community. Quality education is important to ensuring good jobs in the workforce. Technical as well as academic skills are important, as are social skills such as communication skills and qualities such as responsibility, honesty, and empathy for others in the community.
Education is not only job oriented. Education on other cultures and levels of society help to increase empathy with “the other.” We live in a multicultural society. We should value the contributions of all social and ethnic groups. We respect and celebrate the differences between us while recognizing what we all have in common. This includes exposing students to literature, history, and arts from different cultures.
Students with a solid education will be prepared for well paying jobs and careers. Over their lifetimes, they will earn significantly more than their
peers who do not attend college. Better paying jobs equal more money that can recycled into the community through purchases, taxes, and contributions. I think all students should have a social or community service requirement yearly. We should be building a society that expects community service contributions from all its citizens.
Research projects of mine that related to concern for the cultural, educational and social well-being of the community included
Our group project for LIBR 204 with instructor Steve Tash. We performed a SWOT survey of the El Cerrito Public Library, where I am a volunteer. We looked at where the library is now and what aspects might be improved. I noted that the Spanish collection needed more shelf space. The library staff agreed with me and they expanded the Spanish literature shelf space soon after our project.
Another great group project was the Collection Development Manual we worked on for the entire semester for LIBR 266. We took turns writing chapters and edited each other’s work on Wikispaces. We had to think about the many aspects of collection development including provision of multicultural resources and books for multiple interests, points of view and reading levels in order to best support reading in our community.
Storytelling is an activity that draws members of the community of all ages together in a shared cultural experience. Stories may be based on legends and folktales of cultures from all over the world or based on personal experiences. LIBR 281 – Contemporary Issues – Storytelling with Professor Beth Wrenn-Estes combined creativity, performance skills, and videotaping, all good skills for a Teacher Librarian.
Even thought I knew I would choose the e-portfolio rather than a thesis for my culminating SLIS experience, I enjoyed LIBR 285 with Professor Gregory Liu. I put together an entire package of a Thesis Proposal Presentation, entitled “Does Birth Order Influence the Way Parents Treat Children Regarding Education.” The presentation included the research paper, a PowerPoint presentation, a handout to accompany the PowerPoint, and an Elluminate presentation for my fellow students. This experience was relevant to my future as a Teacher Librarian. I will spend time making presentations to teachers and administration to ensure buy-in and collaboration on educational projects. I will teach students how to research and prepare for written and oral presentations, contributing to their educational well-being.
My internship (LIBR 295), advised by Mary Ann Harlan, was an extremely valuable experience for a future Teacher Librarian. I received a good feel for the day-to-day rhythm of the job. I had plenty of opportunities to instruct and interact with students. It allowed me to build networks with other librarians. My daily log was too detailed for the purposes of my advisor but interesting to me for reflection. My log is listed in my portfolio as Levenson_Final Log w Artifacts. My internship enriched my ideas about how Teacher Librarians can be responsible for the educational well being of our community
Another research paper is titled “Can the Library be an Effective Resource to Support the Learning of Homeless Children? Focusing on Contra Costa County and Alameda County Libraries”, listed as Homeless Children & Libraries in my portfolio. I wrote it for my LIBR 200 class on Information and Society. I have learned more about the homeless after my work with the U.S. Census 2010 and my interactions with homeless children in classes I taught and with homeless people at the libraries where I volunteer. This paper is an example of my awareness of my responsibility to the social and education well being of my community.
For LIBR 210 on Reference, I wrote “Information Seeking Behavior in Emergency Service Workers, Focusing on Search and Rescue Volunteers.” I was interested to see articles on how librarians can assist in emergency disaster situations (e.g. providing information resources, reference materials for doctors, and free computers to file insurance claims). This has added to my understanding of how librarians may support the social welfare of my community.
Conclusion to Statement
I have spent my life to date as an active volunteer and have had several careers in the service professions. I always have had too many interests to specialize in any particular subject for long. Having a final career as a Teacher-Librarian will allow me to keep learning as well as guiding young people to their own interests for academics and pleasure reading.
Goals as a Teacher Librarian
I hope to direct a high school library. I enjoy working with most ages of young people, but I find I have the most rapport with high school students. I especially enjoy working individually with students on developing questions and finding resources for research projects.
I am a lifelong learner. I love taking classes, searching for information for others, or me creating things, organizing things, and, perhaps if I am fortunate enough, inspiring students to reach higher in their academic career. I also would like to inspire in my students the goals of helping others, caring for our environment, using their creativity to the good of our world, and being good citizens in their community.
Having been a volunteer interviewer for Harvard College since 1990, I encourage students to attend college. I will continue to help students to
research scholarships and to be available to write letters of recommendation.
I organized a mentor and job matching resource for Berkeley High School in collaboration with their Career Counselors and the Librarians. If this project is successful, I would like to repeat the project at other schools. Students need to learn how to form alliances with adults in order to get the experience they need for the working world.
I am interested in particular in the education of young women in the fields of math, science, and computer technology. These are regions of economic growth and where new jobs are created. Young women should be encouraged to pursue careers in growth industries, especially those fields now heavily male-dominated.
I want students to enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction for pleasure. I want them to be able to determine reliable sources of information on the internet. I want students to be able to question information sources and to think critically for themselves. I want them to take responsibility for the course of their own lives and to strive to climb as high as they aspire to climb in the world.
SJSU SLIS Courses and Readings of Note
I enjoyed my coursework in the San Jose State Graduate Program in Library and Information Sciences. I find it significant that the degree is titled Library and Information Sciences and not solely Library Sciences. Technology is increasingly changing the skill set for librarians. The ability to use
appropriate technology and teach its use is an important group of skills. I thought it was excellent that the program started out with LIBR 203, focusing on how to use the technologies necessary for a virtual learning environment. I have built my confidence in using technology for library applications. We had some useful assignments in additional courses (LIBR 233 – Library Media Centers, LIBR 266 – Collection Development, LIBR 285 - Research) where we worked in a group, chose several similar technological applications on the internet, compared the applications using set criteria, and made our recommendations to the class. These were excellent real life exercises.
My most enjoyable classes were LIBR 281 – Contemporary Issues: Storytelling with Beth Wrenn-Estes and LIBR 264 – Tween Literature with Mary Ann Harlan. Professor Wrenn-Estes class was very challenging for those of us who are not natural extroverts. We researched material for stories, wrote a script and practiced each story, in some cases put together a costume, then taped the story and posted it on Youtube.com. I did not have an editing program so every time I made an error I started my taping over again from the start. By the end of the assignment, I knew those stories cold. The class gave me the confidence to offer to tell one of the stories at a story telling evening at my daughter’s elementary school. The taped result is contained in my portfolio under Competency M, on oral and written communication, as Old One Eye under the Stars.
Mary Ann Harlan’s class on Tween Literature was especially enjoyable for three reasons. I have a 12-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son and taught Middle and High School so I enjoyed the readings such as Totally Wired: what teens and tweens are really doing online, by Anastasia Goodstein, on use of technology by Tweens. I enjoyed the assignment to read or view fifty pieces of tween literature and review them on my blog at www.klevenson.wordpress.com. This caused me to accompany my son and three of his friends to a Twilight series film and to spend Saturday morning watching cartoons with my daughter. I enjoy reading YA (young adult) literature and through the class, I discovered some new authors I
enjoy. I am still maintaining and updating my blog. I enjoy getting comments and title suggestions from my followers.
One of my favorite readings for the SLIS program was Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf. I enjoy reading non-fiction books that bring
together science and society. As a former archaeologist, I enjoyed the first part of the book about the development of language and the earliest writing. My interest in neuroscience was piqued by her discussion of whether reading is created to fit brain structure or whether the brain restructures itself to accommodate reading. Probably both things are occurring. As a former teacher, I was interested in her ideas on dyslexia and how it actually could be seen as an advantage – allowing for thinking “outside the box.”
The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts, edited by Haycock and Sheldon almost seemed wasted when assigned in an introductory course. It was not until I was much farther through my studies that I realized what a gem this book is. It is an excellent set of summaries by some of the leaders in their fields. It was my “bible” for the e-portfolio. Every time I needed a little reminder on the scope of a topic or competency, I could refer to this book.
I used the article “The Saturday Evening Girls” by Kate Larson in the Library Quarterly (April, 2001) as an example of a Case Study in my
portfolio for LIBR 285. This was an article about a social and educational club started in Boston in the 1800’s by upper class women to benefit girls and women factory workers. It allowed women to further their education and gain life skills that eventually allowed most of them to move from factory workers to the “middle class.” Some members eventually became teachers or librarians. This study especially struck a chord with me, as I am interested in encouraging female students to move into more male-dominated fields such as math and science.
Group Projects
There is a large amount of group work in almost every course. Librarians need to work cooperatively with other librarians and technicians or with teachers and administrators in the case of a Teacher-Librarian. The course gave us a chance to try out a range of skills, from being Team Leader, to Editor, Researcher, Webpage or PowerPoint Designer, and Liaison with actual libraries. We had a range of skills, experience, and personalities in every group I worked in. Some students were already professional librarians. Other students had only recently completed their B.A. Some of us volunteered in libraries, but worked full time in other professions. As happens in the outside world, there was the non-communicative team member, the person who was always late with their part of the assignment, and the person who did not seem to have a clue what was going on. We managed in almost all cases eventually to pull together to complete the project with a feeling that everyone had contributed at least something of
value.
Instructor Role Models
Our instructors and advisors ran the gamut from fine instructors who were well- organized and cared about good communication with their students to those who were more interested in attending conferences than working with graduate students. Some professors modeled excellent organization and clear expectations. They will be my inspiration for future instructional sessions I will construct and present. Other professors were models of how not to interact with students – ill-organized, snide and sarcastic, self-important, very late returning assessments, and ready to blame their inadequacies of preparation on the students. Having studied at UCSB, Cal State East Bay, and Harvard University prior to San Jose State and taught at several instructional levels from Kindergarten to university and adult education, I have seen a broad variety of instructional methods. I feel I am well prepared to collaborate with teachers and other instructors to present interesting and relevant course material to students and to attend to their academic needs.
I would like to make note of three instructors I especially enjoyed interacting with: Mary Ann Harlan, Beth Wrenn-Estes and Steve Tash. Thank you
for making my courses with you so meaningful and enjoyable. I heard several other instructors were wonderful experts in their fields but was unable to work their courses into the class and time constraints of the program.
Connections
This statement of Professional Philosophy also covers connections between my goal of being an effective Teacher-Librarian with my responsibility to the “economic, educational, and social well being of our community.” It is not easy to separate out these factors as they all work together to create a healthy, productive community. Quality education is important to ensuring good jobs in the workforce. Technical as well as academic skills are important, as are social skills such as communication skills and qualities such as responsibility, honesty, and empathy for others in the community.
Education is not only job oriented. Education on other cultures and levels of society help to increase empathy with “the other.” We live in a multicultural society. We should value the contributions of all social and ethnic groups. We respect and celebrate the differences between us while recognizing what we all have in common. This includes exposing students to literature, history, and arts from different cultures.
Students with a solid education will be prepared for well paying jobs and careers. Over their lifetimes, they will earn significantly more than their
peers who do not attend college. Better paying jobs equal more money that can recycled into the community through purchases, taxes, and contributions. I think all students should have a social or community service requirement yearly. We should be building a society that expects community service contributions from all its citizens.
Research projects of mine that related to concern for the cultural, educational and social well-being of the community included
Our group project for LIBR 204 with instructor Steve Tash. We performed a SWOT survey of the El Cerrito Public Library, where I am a volunteer. We looked at where the library is now and what aspects might be improved. I noted that the Spanish collection needed more shelf space. The library staff agreed with me and they expanded the Spanish literature shelf space soon after our project.
Another great group project was the Collection Development Manual we worked on for the entire semester for LIBR 266. We took turns writing chapters and edited each other’s work on Wikispaces. We had to think about the many aspects of collection development including provision of multicultural resources and books for multiple interests, points of view and reading levels in order to best support reading in our community.
Storytelling is an activity that draws members of the community of all ages together in a shared cultural experience. Stories may be based on legends and folktales of cultures from all over the world or based on personal experiences. LIBR 281 – Contemporary Issues – Storytelling with Professor Beth Wrenn-Estes combined creativity, performance skills, and videotaping, all good skills for a Teacher Librarian.
Even thought I knew I would choose the e-portfolio rather than a thesis for my culminating SLIS experience, I enjoyed LIBR 285 with Professor Gregory Liu. I put together an entire package of a Thesis Proposal Presentation, entitled “Does Birth Order Influence the Way Parents Treat Children Regarding Education.” The presentation included the research paper, a PowerPoint presentation, a handout to accompany the PowerPoint, and an Elluminate presentation for my fellow students. This experience was relevant to my future as a Teacher Librarian. I will spend time making presentations to teachers and administration to ensure buy-in and collaboration on educational projects. I will teach students how to research and prepare for written and oral presentations, contributing to their educational well-being.
My internship (LIBR 295), advised by Mary Ann Harlan, was an extremely valuable experience for a future Teacher Librarian. I received a good feel for the day-to-day rhythm of the job. I had plenty of opportunities to instruct and interact with students. It allowed me to build networks with other librarians. My daily log was too detailed for the purposes of my advisor but interesting to me for reflection. My log is listed in my portfolio as Levenson_Final Log w Artifacts. My internship enriched my ideas about how Teacher Librarians can be responsible for the educational well being of our community
Another research paper is titled “Can the Library be an Effective Resource to Support the Learning of Homeless Children? Focusing on Contra Costa County and Alameda County Libraries”, listed as Homeless Children & Libraries in my portfolio. I wrote it for my LIBR 200 class on Information and Society. I have learned more about the homeless after my work with the U.S. Census 2010 and my interactions with homeless children in classes I taught and with homeless people at the libraries where I volunteer. This paper is an example of my awareness of my responsibility to the social and education well being of my community.
For LIBR 210 on Reference, I wrote “Information Seeking Behavior in Emergency Service Workers, Focusing on Search and Rescue Volunteers.” I was interested to see articles on how librarians can assist in emergency disaster situations (e.g. providing information resources, reference materials for doctors, and free computers to file insurance claims). This has added to my understanding of how librarians may support the social welfare of my community.
Conclusion to Statement
I have spent my life to date as an active volunteer and have had several careers in the service professions. I always have had too many interests to specialize in any particular subject for long. Having a final career as a Teacher-Librarian will allow me to keep learning as well as guiding young people to their own interests for academics and pleasure reading.
