D1Q4

Question 4: ==Oberg’s article “Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture” discusses the role of the LMS as a “change agent,” the nature of the school library and culture of schools in which the library is a part, and the organizational change process. Assuming you aspire to be the change agent Oberg espouses, what were at least 3 key take-aways for you about how to work with the cultural/social/personal context of your future school-job setting and explain why you felt these are so important, OR if you disagree with Oberg, outline your argument?==



Of the 10 students in the class, roughly half of us had substantial issues with Oberg’s piece. Many were concerned with the idea of the librarian as a change agent and how realistic that role really is in a difficult economic climate. Others were concerned with the fact that the article was written largely from an academic stand point and was short on real world strategies for situations we might find ourselves in.

Oberg’s article brought up memories of readings from 640 on leadership. There were two quotes from prior readings that were addressed, in some form, in many posts. One quote from //Starting confused: How leaders start when they don’t know where to start,// stated that we need to, “Hit the ground learning,” (Jentz & Murphy, 2005, p.738) reminding us that you can’t change what you don’t understand. The second quote, Oberg borrowed from Fullan, “Change is a process, not an event; it is a journey into uncharted territory,” (p.14).

As a class we collectively found that there are many factors that affect change. Among them, you must understand and respect the current school culture, have a principal who supports your endeavors, and acknowledge that change takes time- sometimes LOTS of time. We also collectively acknowledged additional challenges to being a change agent.

Especially of concern was the idea of administrator support. The school principal is critical to the progression of change. Increasing turnovers of principals can make changes more difficult to sustain. There were a few postings reflecting on experiences of principals or other leaders in their organization coming in, beginning change and then suddenly transferring, leaving staff to continue with a new principal who may or may not, be on board with the vision for change. Stacy Kitsis eloquently stated that “ although you can pick a job based on a sense of principal support, you have no guarantees about how long that person will be in the school, and that it's probably incumbent on us to look for ways to steer the transitions so any important reformations or changes-in-progress are preserved. ”

While some questioned Oberg’s opinions on conservatism, presentism, and individualism, we all seemed to agree that getting teachers on board for change, whether new or experienced, is a challenge. Teachers have their various own motivations, agendas, habits, and personalities that can help or inhibit change. Some of our former teachers, Laura Spangler and Stacy Kitsis, had the take away from the article that their teaching experience will likely be both a strength and a weakness at points. This is an important realization in looking forward to being an effective educator in a different role. Something from Oberg’s article that received consensus from most was the idea that change is personal and that it always has a cost

Change involves an element of risk. In the current economic climate and new LMS’s, being a change agent can be a scary prospect. In spite of fear and acknowledged challenges, our role as LMS is uniquely positioned to be a change agent that would represent the interests of the entire school.



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