mission statements

School libraries are in a state of flux. As student needs change, and as technology becomes more central to our lives, and as libraries become “media centers,” we need to have an expanded definition of “literacy.” To me, literacy is at the goal of any school library’s mission. I feel that this sentiment is reflected in the AASL’s Common Beliefs, which celebrate reading and learning in many forms.

I feel as though some of the nine common beliefs could almost be mission statements by themselves. In terms of considering them through the lens of the mission statement, I think the most relevant and important beliefs are “School libraries are essential to the development of learning skills” and “The definition of information literacy has become more complex as resources and technologies have changed.” Both of these statements frame school libraries as central to learning, critical thinking, and skill building for 21^st century learners. Some of the other beliefs are important, but perhaps not at the core of what school libraries are about. For example, I agree that “Ethical behavior in the use of information must be taught.” But this isn’t quite big enough an idea for a mission statement, in my opinion.

If I was going to write a school library mission statement, I think the most important ideas to include would be:

• The goal of literacy in multiple forms (information literacy, media literacy) along with comfort and engagement with the printed word

• The goal of helping students critically evaluate information (from encyclopedias to databases to tweets), to better prepare them to engage with the world around them
• Promoting inquiry, curiosity, and self-directed exploration
• Integration of technology into teaching and learning in the library
• The library as a site where community members (students, teachers, parents, administrators, etc.) can come together to interact, collaborate, and learn.

Even as I’m looking at this list, I feel like maybe that’s too much for a mission statement. There’s a lot that I believe libraries can be, so it’s hard to whittle it down to just a few meaningful sentences.

I’m reminded of Joshua Prince-Ramus’s fabulous TED talk about designing the Seattle Public Library building. He presented a diagram that showed the evolution of the public library—how public libraries began with a narrower focus that has expanded over time.

Though he’s talking about public libraries, I feel like this evolution is echoed in the role of school libraries, due if nothing else to the expansion of information in our culture. That libraries can be many things to many people is part of their magic, and yet it’s important to have a clearly defined mission and message.

So I’m not sure if my reactions to the Common Beliefs have changed- I still think they’re pretty fabulous and definitely relevant. Some strike me as more “mission statement worthy” than others, but they are a reminder that defining our goals and beliefs is an important step in achieving them.