School Librarian Interview: Explore

The fourth school librarian interview I conducted focused on the Shared Foundation Explore. The librarian I interviewed for this interview is Lucye Magill, the school librarian at Lucy Beckham High School. Lucy Beckham High School (LBHS) is a new high school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina that currently only has freshman and sophomore students. The library operates on a very flexible schedule and students use the library at all times throughout the day. 

One way Mrs. Magill fosters learners' personal curiosity is through encouraging them to read widely and deeply across multiple formats. She does this through library displays. For example, for the month of November the library had multiple book displays for Hip Hop History Month, Native American Heritage Month, and Veterans Day. These displays were set up all over the library and included several different books and resources for each display. Mrs. Magill explained that these displays encourage students to read and explore these topics they might normally have skipped over. She also promotes using many classic graphic novel adaptations in classrooms so that students can read different formats of a novel. 

To stimulate learners to construct new knowledge and develop through experience and reflection, Mrs. Magill utilizes many of the STEM materials, 3D printer, sewing machine, and makerspace items. These materials and tools allow students to develop knew knowledge, work to create something, and learn through experience and trial and error. 

Several of the competencies require collaborations with teachers. The librarian worked closely with the engineering teacher in order to find groups of students that would be interested in using the robots and 3D printer. He was able to explain and begin teaching the students how to use these tools so they could begin exploring on their own. 

One challenge Mrs. Magill explained is the saying "give an inch and they take a mile". She has struggled with the idea of letting students explore the STEM materials and other technology tools in the library independently. Some students take a little bit of freedom and run with it. For example, the students are currently able to use the 3D printer when they want, but the librarian has to help them set up the program to run on the 3D printer. One student snuck in to the library and tried to run a program on his own without asking and ended up breaking the 3D printer because it was set on too fast of a speed. Mrs. Magill explained that she believes in letter students explore on their own, but there are times the school librarian must facilitate. 

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