What It Means to be a

TIS-LM
A Journey by Suzie Martin
 An Introduction
In 2006 the State of West Virginia began training library
media specialists as Technology Integration Specialists. To
me this training, which I embarked in July 2007,
represented validation for work that I and fellow library
media specialists have been doing for years: bringing the
best of all educational resources and services to our
students, teachers and other members of our educational
community. This has been a worthwhile experience that I
would highly recommend to any media specialist.
 Table of Contents
Part 1: Contexts contains education, background biographical
information and my philosophies of library media services and
education. It concludes with Reality Checks, an analysis of what
on-the-job experience taught me.
Part 2: Here in My Real World contains an analysis of my performance
as a school library media specialist at my present assignment and
according to the standards for National Board Certification in
Library Media.
Part 3: From This Day Forward outlines my vision, goals and dreams
for Brookhaven Elementary’s Library Media Center and for my
career as a Technology Integration Specialist-Library Media.
 Part 1: Contents and
Contexts
• In the beginning
• Education
• Philosophy of Library Media Services
• Philosophy of Education
• Reality Checks, or What On-the-Job Exper
 In the Beginning
When  I was little, my school had no library.  But we did have an awesome public library that
was housed in a Civil War-era mansion called Waldomore.  The mansion had two floors,
and the children's section was on the second floor.  I loved crawling into an old window
seat and looking at all the possible books I could check out. I loved biographies and
books about the solar system.  Sitting in that window seat I dreamed that all of this,
the window seat, the mansion and all the books were mine.
When I was in third grade my elementary school was the first in our county to get a library. 
The library was run by a very nice lady named Mrs. Wolfe.  I really enjoyed spending
time in the library; it was new and exciting!  The next year my third grade teacher, Mrs.
James, became my school librarian.  Mrs. James held our school's first book fair!  When
I was in sixth grade I became a library volunteer.
As I became older my school libraries became bigger and more exciting.  To top that off, my
town built a brand-new public library that was huge!  Even though I always liked the
stories that my libraries provided, what I really loved was all the information!  I could
learn about anything that I wanted to know about whenever I wanted to learn it!  I was
no longer dependent on an adult's ideas of what was important or interesting for me to
learn.  In a library I was on my own, and I was my own boss. I liked that!
Believe it or not, I never once thought about being a librarian when I was growing up.  It
wasn't until I was in college at WVU when I decided that maybe school library media
would be a good area of specialization to add to my secondary education degree.  After
a work study experience in my hometown public library, I knew that I loved working in
libraries, particularly when it came to helping people find information that they needed.

continued

Waldomore in Clarksburg, WV
 In the beginning,
continued`
Since obtaining my bachelor's degree from WVU, I have taught social studies and have been the library
media specialist at Central Preston Junior High in Tunnelton (now South Preston Middle School),
media specialist at Valley Elementary in Arthurdale, and reference librarian/head of reference at
Morgantown Public Library.  Along the way I earned my master's degree in Library and Information
Science from the University of South Carolina. I have been very lucky to be at Brookhaven
Elementary (where my kids went to school) since 1996!
I served as a member of the now defunct West Virginia Children's Book Award Committee, American
Federation of Teachers, the American Library Association, the American Association of School
Librarians, and the West Virginia Library Association.  I am very serious about making Brookhaven's
library the absolute best it can possibly be and providing lots of information seeking opportunities
for my students.
On a personal level, I've been married since 1983 to Dan Martin, a network administrator (computer
specialist) at Huntington Banks.  We have two daughters, Christina and Lora.  Christina is studying
elementary education at WVU and is specializing in early childhood and science.  Lora is a junior at
WVU, where she is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi.  She is a pursuing majors in history and sociology
and a minor in political science. (My secret ambition for both of my daughters is that they become
school library media specialists.) My husband and I have a miniature poodle named Roxy, a
weimeraner granddog named Captain Jack, and three grandcats, Sammie, Lexi and Moxie  In my
spare time I work at my farm, cutting grass, clearing brush, hauling and spreading gravel, or building
and drywalling our new "structures."
Students and parents are invited to email me anytime at lsmartin@access.k12.wv.us .
 Education
• Bachelor of Science, Secondary Education, West Virginia University, 1982.
Specializations include Library Media K-12, Journalism 7-12, and Social
Studies 7-9.
• Master of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina,
1995.
• As of August 19, 2007, I have completed more than 60 hours post-masters,
including five online courses:
– Transforming Education with Project-based Learning
– Using Technology to Enhance Reading in the Lower Elementary Classroom
– Using Technology to Enhance reading in the Upper Elementary Classroom
– Differentiating Instruction
– Approaches and Tools for Web-Enhanced Lessons
• Presently working on West Virginia Advanced Teaching Certification as a
Technology Integration Specialist – Library Media.
• Presently enrolled in online Digital Portfolio course.
• Enrolled in an online class on using Web 2.0 in instruction, Fall 2007.
 Philosophy of Library
Media Services
My philosophy of library services is simple:

• The mission of the library media center is to

support the curriculum;
• It’s all technology; therefore, it is the media
specialist’s job to help users select the right
technology for the users’ needs.
• The library is integral to all aspects of the
school’s operation.
Philosophy of Education
•All children can learn, though all children do
not learn by the same means or at the same
rate.
•All children deserve the best that the
school system and their parents can provide
them as a means of helping them develop
into confident, successful human beings.
 Reality Checks,
or
What on-the-job experiences have taught me.
I honestly believe I have learned a great deal from all my professional
experiences, although some of those experiences as a whole were not
completely positive. In this section I would like to highlight key
experiences from each position and reflect on what those experiences have
meant for me today.
Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, 1980-1982: My experiences at this assignment opened my eyes to
the totality of library services. Previously my experience had been in the school realm; even though
I was a public library patron, I was never aware of the specific job divisions that operate at the
public and academic library spheres. Through the professional collegial nature of those with whom I
worked, I was introduced to the West Virginia Library Association. I also learned that one could
not be considered a professional librarian unless he had a Masters in Library Science from a school
whose program was accredited by the American Library Association. It was because of these
experiences that I first considered pursuing an MLS from an ALA-accredited institution.
I can’t say that I made any significant impact on the program at Clarksburg-Harrison, but I can say
that Clarksburg-Harrison made a significant impact on me. I was accepted by the professionals and
the support staff, and I learned more about funding, advocacy and politics than I can ever imagine.
This job was an awesome first professional experience.
 Reality Checks, continued
Central Preston Junior High, 1983-1989: Here was my first teaching assignment. Basically I had no clue
what I was doing, but I buckled down and learned. Most of my “classes” were study halls held in the
library, but I did teach the “extra, as needed” social studies classes, and I was responsible for
teaching research skills to the English classes. Most of my social studies students were special
needs kids whose schedules did not permit their being assigned to other social studies classes. I
learned a good bit about special needs kids, and mostly, I learned that my philosophy of education –
that all students can be “A” students if everyone works hard enough – was not realistic in the public
school environment. I think it’s still a good goal, but I had to yield to the constraints of time versus
sometimes limited ability.
For the most part I was overwhelmed. The collection was old, many titles copyrighted in the 1940s,
when the building was at its heyday as a community high school. The nonfiction was inaccurate, and
the fiction was neither appealing nor interesting to the seventh and eighth grade students. My first
job was to extensively weed the collection to make room for interesting, appropriate materials. I
conducted book fairs and shopped the “discount” titles from a clearance vendor to supply the
students with better materials. I introduced paperbacks and did book promotions. Some of my
new selections met with resistance from some of the more conservative faculty members, who felt
I should draw black lines through every curse word found in each title. I did cave to some pressure,
but ignored a lot of it.
As a new mother, I found the daily commute of 45 miles one way on secondary roads to be daunting
and exhausting. When the opportunity came to take a part-time reference position in the city
where I lived became available, I quickly decided to switch gears. I did miss and continue to miss
the good friends and supportive colleagues I had in Tunnelton.
 Reality Checks, continued
Morgantown Public Library, 1990-1996:

Valley Elementary School, 1990-1991:

Brookhaven Elementary School, 1996-present:

 Here In the My Real
World
• The Setting
• The Charge
• The Accomplishments
• The Challenges
• The Goal
 The Setting : Brookhaven Elementary School,
Monongalia County Schools, Morgantown, West Virginia
Brookhaven Elementary School is a preK-5th grade school located in
the Brookhaven community in eastern Monongalia County, West
Virginia. Our 460+ students come from families of various means,
from upper middle class professionals living in homes valued in
excess of $400,000 to low income families whose dwellings still
have dirt floors. More than 50 percent of our students are
eligible for free or reduced meals, and our school receives the
services of four Title I reading teachers and one Reading First
Reading Mentor Teacher. We have a full-time principal, guidance
counselor, library media specialist, as well as full-time art, music
and physical education teachers. We currently have the services
of a EETT-TIS two days per week.
Other pertinent details pertaining to Brookhaven Elementary and
Monongalia Schools can be found at the following sites and by
reviewing our Five-Year Plan.
The Charge
The Accomplishments
The Challenges
 The Goal: To Deliver a High Quality
Library Media Program
based on the criteria developed for National Board Teaching
Certification in Library Media
An Overview of the Standards:
• What Library Media Specialists Know
– Standard 1: Knowledge of Learners
– Standard 2: Knowledge of Teaching and Learning
– Standard 3: Knowledge of Library and Information Studies
• What Library Media Specialists Do
– Standard 4: Integrating Instruction
– Standard 5: Leading Innovation through the Library Media Program
– Standard 6: Administering the Library Media Program
• How Library Media Specialists Grow as Professionals
– Standard 7: Reflective Practice
– Standard 8: Professional Growth
– Standard 9: Ethics, Equity and Diversity
– Standard 10: Leadership, Advocacy and Community Partnerships
 From This Day Forward: As a
Technology Integration
Specialist - Library Media
• As a Curriculum Specialist
• As a Literacy Cheerleader
• As a Technology Integration
Specialist
• As a Program Manager
• Based on Taxonomies for Library Media Specialists, 2nd ed., by David Loertscher.
Libraries Unlimited, 2002.
 Credits
Loertscher, David V., Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2002.
Waldomore. Photo credit Harrison County Genealogical Society http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hcgs/ . Accessed August 16,
2007.