Part two of an interview with 2022 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year and Certified School Library Media Specialist, K.C. Boyd. K.C. offers ideas around Digital Literacy and describes her various Makerspace projects (e.g. Read Poster Project & Divine Justice) that both offer refuge and attract students into her library. K.C. also shares how critical the role of a Certified Librarian is to mitigating the book banning process alongside institutions like the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom and Every Library).
Some of Many Awards, Honors & Published Writing Highlighting K.C.’s Work:
K.C.’s Social Media Presence:
#EveryLibrary #TheNewsLiteracyProject #JAReaders #KCSaidIt #TrojanLMCMakerspace #workWOKE #DivineJustice #READProgram
Get solutions from Schoolutions!
#solutionsfromschoolutions #schoolutionsinspires #schoolutionspodcast
Part two of an interview with 2022 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year and Certified School Library Media Specialist, K.C. Boyd. K.C. offers ideas around Digital Literacy and describes her various Makerspace projects (e.g. Read Poster Project & Divine Justice) that both offer refuge and attract students into her library. K.C. also shares how critical the role of a Certified Librarian is to mitigating the book banning process alongside institutions like the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom and Every Library).
Some of Many Awards, Honors & Published Writing Highlighting K.C.’s Work:
K.C.’s Social Media Presence:
#EveryLibrary #TheNewsLiteracyProject #JAReaders #KCSaidIt #TrojanLMCMakerspace #workWOKE #DivineJustice #READProgram
Get solutions from Schoolutions!
#solutionsfromschoolutions #schoolutionsinspires #schoolutionspodcast
Schoolutions –S1 E17: Why Every School Needs a Certified Librarian with K.C. Boyd-2022 School Library Journal Librarian of the Year (Part II)
[00:00:00] Olivia: Welcome to Schoolutions, where listening will leave you inspired by solutions to issues you or others you know may be struggling with in the public education system today. This is part two of an interview that began with Episode 16. If you have not listened to that episode yet, I strongly suggest that you press pause right now and do just that.
[00:00:26] Olivia: Listen to Episode 16 from the beginning to have a proper introduction to K.C. Boyd, a Certified School Library Media Specialist for over 20 years, as well as a school library activist, keynote speaker, book reviewer, and blogger. And if you have listened to that episode and have been waiting a week to hear more, get ready to continue being inspired by The Boss Librarian, K.C. Boyd.
[00:00:54] Olivia: Here we go. Hello, I am Olivia Wahl. I am honored and excited to have K.C. Boyd back with us for a second part two episode. This episode we're going to jump into hearing more about how K.C. miraculously balances the myriad of roles that she takes on in addition to being a librarian. These are some of the boards and committees that K.C. is on in 2021 American Librarian Association Chapter Council representing Washington, D. C., American Association of School Librarians Digital Tools Committee, American Library Association Center for the Future of Libraries Advisory Group.
[00:01:32] Olivia: Also, Every Library Institute, as well as Executive Board, District of Columbia Library Association, Washington Teachers Union Equity Collaborative Committee, Executive Board for the Black Caucus, the American Library Association, also known as the ALA, and 2020 American Library Association's Newberry Selection. How in the world do you balance all of these roles with family, with the commitment to your own school librarian role?
[00:02:03] K.C.: Very carefully. That's the best way I could say that is that very, very carefully. And just understand us, you know, you can be a part of a lot of organizations and committees and so forth because some committees meet weekly some by monthly, some quarterly. So that's how I have always been able to balance.
[00:02:25] K.C.: It just gets a little hair-raising at the end of the fiscal year or the calendar year when these organizations need to meet to get their final reports together. So that's when it gets a little crazy.
[00:02:37] Olivia: Yeah, I can imagine.
[00:02:37] K.C.: But it can be done. And at the end of the day, when you look at the bigger picture, we're, what are we here? We're here for, for kids.
[00:02:44] Olivia: Yeah, I think I missed you're also an ambassador for the News Literacy Project as well.
[00:02:49] K.C.: Yes I am. I'm really passionate about that because I spent some time working in mass media before I entered into education. And it's important that our students need to be proficient users of news and be able to decipher between the news that is really exaggerated and news that is credible and reliable.
[00:03:11] K.C.: And teaching kids the difference is something that I really enjoy discussing. And I've always been like that. And it's ironic that the News Literacy Project kind of dropped in my lap because I said, this is something that I've been doing all along and now I get to do it with an organization that actually believes in the same thing.
[00:03:31] K.C.: So that's the great part about working with them. And they're just a really great group of people. And they really get it that our kids are bombarded with a tremendous amount of information.
[00:03:41] Olivia: Yeah. It's incredible and scary.
[00:03:42] K.C.: But they just don't know how to figure it out. So that's why we're here to help them.
[00:03:47] Olivia: It makes so much sense that you're in that role, and I think it's empowering.
[00:03:53] Olivia: I want to give a little bit of background around your current library. It was actually originally built in 1938, and then Jefferson underwent a major renovation in 2019. You now manage a brand new 4,269 square foot library that features original glasswork, shelves along the modern print and digital collection with an impressive 37.6 books per student. That is absolutely incredible. How in the world do you cultivate and invest in books that create a culture of reading at all of those libraries?
[00:04:32] K.C.: Easy. I just listened to the kids. The kids will tell you what they're interested in and what they're not interested in. The kids will also help you drive the decision-making in terms of additional resources that can be used in the program that they actually want to use.
[00:04:49] K.C.: And then being attuned and very aware of what's in the curriculum, what the teachers are teaching. Now this is my fifth year. I kind of know the teachers and what they teach every year. You know, some of their favorite units that they like to teach with kids. And I try my best to provide those additional materials to support it.
[00:05:09] K.C.: So, having that relationship with the teachers as well. And then the third part is that being aware of what's going on in society. What our parents are struggling with their students, what's going on in DC that helps with making my purchasing decisions.
[00:05:24] Olivia: So how do you communicate with students? How do they drop you a line to let you know the latest and greatest that they want to have access to?
[00:05:33] K.C.: I don't even have a box to say suggestions. I just have a relationship with kids where they can walk up to me and say, I want this book or I don't like this series, but I like this series instead. So having that really close relationship with kids. Even the ones that are mischievous and they're trying to ditch class and they try and hide in the library.
[00:05:53] K.C.: And I kind of talked to them. They see that, okay, she's cool. I thought she was going to yell at me for ditching in her library, but she's cool. And then eventually those kids will come back and say like, well, I like this particular basketball player. What do you think, Miss Boyd? Okay. All right. Cool.
[00:06:08] Olivia: Yeah.
[00:06:09] K.C.: Let me see if I can find the latest nonfiction title, you know, about this particular athlete. See, that's how it starts.
[00:06:16] Olivia: Yeah. So I hear relationships are everything with students, with families, with district leaders, with politicians, really thinking of how we move forward together by trying to listen to each other and understand.
[00:06:30] K.C.: Right.
[00:06:30] Olivia: I think right now in our country, and it's just not right now, it's been a very long, long time that people are not listening to each other. And perspectives are just they're not heard. It's everyone in their own box. Just listening to themselves. I have to ask you the question. What are your thoughts on the banning of books that's happening most recently and in the past? How are you navigating that?
[00:06:58] K.C.: It's really silly, if you ask me, and the issue is not really the banned books per se, the issue is more so the banned books was pushed up, I think, to hide another real underlying issue that they wanted to use it as a diffusing mechanism while they were arguing another point or trying to get something else pushed forward.
[00:07:24] Olivia: Yeah, yeah.
[00:07:24] K.C.: And they knew that this is something that people feel very strongly about.
[00:07:28] Olivia: So it would strike a chord. Yeah.
[00:07:30] K.C.: Yeah. So at the end of the day, you know, when you, when you, you know, I've experienced a book ban before, and I will say 9 times out of 10, when you ask the parent or the community member, have you read the book in its entirety?
[00:07:43] K.C.: No.
[00:07:44] Olivia: Isn't that terrifying?
[00:07:44] K.C.: Yes, and and that's part of the challenge process is that we have to ask them Have you read the book and then you give them the challenge forms to complete and when you look at the form and they're like, I didn't read the book. I just read the excerpts and I have a problem with it So it's, it's very disheartening and it's a form of censorship, especially with our kids that are black and brown.
[00:08:08] K.C.: Also that our kids that are LGBTQ+, you know, these are books that affirm them and they make them feel like they're a value and, and they are respected in our society. And we're sending some really strong and very negative messaging to them. And that's what, what really concerns me.
[00:08:26] Olivia: I've had the privilege of interviewing Morgan Jackson, an English teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada, and her words continue to bounce in my mind of when you remove a book from a library and that book has representation of students in your community.
[00:08:42] Olivia: You're saying you don't think the student fits and that community as well. And it's really just, it's scary um, what's happening.
[00:08:51] K.C.: But see, this is the other problem that we're having in school librarianship is that, you know, prior to these mass book bans that take place since last year, some districts have put a warm body into the library program.
[00:09:05] K.C.: And in many cases, there'll be an English teacher.
[00:09:08] Olivia: Yes.
[00:09:08] K.C.: You know, because they think that the English teacher will be a good fit. And I'm not throwing shade because I have colleagues that are former English teachers that are now Certified Librarians. There's no problem with that, but get your certification.
[00:09:20] K.C.: That's the thing. And because you have these people that are sitting in the library positions, whether they be a classroom teacher or either a para, they've not been formally trained. And then a challenge comes their way and because they don't want to deal with the backlash from the community, they put the book on vacation.
[00:9:39] Olivia: Yeah.
[00:09:39] K.C.: And so we have been hearing as Certified Librarians that there are some Non-Certified Librarians that are sitting in these library programs that have put these books on vacation. So when organizations see this, then they're thinking: oh, okay, this is how we can push this issue even further, but the book never should have been removed from the collection without going through that reconsideration process.
[00:10:05] K.C.: And that's why we have American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom. This is why we have Every Library, which is a political organization that supports libraries. And between these two organizations, they help us fight these good fights that we should be having for kids.
[00:10:23] Olivia: What I'm hearing you say is, obviously there should be certified librarians in every building.
[00:10:28] K.C.: Exactly!
[00:10:28] Olivia: If that is not a possibility, because we're dealing with reality right now in this moment, there are organizations out there to support those folks, to feel like someone has their back out there in the universe. That's good to know. I'm learning so much from you. The way I'd love to wrap this episode is by hearing more around your digital literacy initiatives.
[00:10:52] Olivia: It's amazing. You have The Read Poster Project that you've taken on with students. How have you worked to elevate digital literacy to running your popular Makerspace program that attracts more kids into the library?
[00:11:07] K.C.: Yeah, it does. It does. Because kids are naturally curious and kids love to do a lot of hands-on activities in class.
[00:11:15] K.C.: And honestly, no shade again, our K-12 system has turned into a test prep, test-taking kind of environment. So when you present kids with hands-on activities, where they can work in groups and talk and think things out and figure it out. They really enjoy stuff like that. But a lot of my activities like tween coloring, bracelet making, things like that, these are very calming activities for kids.
[00:11:42] K.C.: And as some of our kids come to school, highly stressed, this is, you know, we're still in the pandemic. We have kids that are dealing with a lot of anxiety issues, a lot of trauma, post-trauma and current trauma. So, sometimes that experience can just be so helpful to a young person.
[00:12:01] Olivia: Yeah.
[00:12:01] K.C.: I have some kids that will not participate, but they will sit off in the corner and they'll watch the other kids.
[00:12:08] K.C.: And you know, as much as I've tried to get them to get involved, they're just happy sitting in this stress-free environment and just being quiet and watching.
[00:12:17] Olivia: That speaks volumes.
[00:12:18] K.C.: So, I have a lot of different types of kids with different issues and I've learned not to push them. I've learned to observe them and support them as best way I can.
[00:12:29] K.C.: And if you want to be the leader or you want to sit in the back seat and you know, either way you have a place and your voice is valid here, you know, so that's my thing with the program. And, and yes, um, the digital literacy has been a great plus. We have, I've had to get some funding outside of the school district because unfortunately my district does not support or fund the Makerspace program.
[00:12:55] K.C.: So I've had to use donors, choose some private organizations, and I'm thankful to God for him because through that generosity, I've been able to bring some dynamite activities into the program.
[00:13:05] Olivia: Speak to the activities.
[00:13:07] K.C.: Some of them, like, like you named the, The Read Program and The Read Program has gone in different directions because the kids are using Canva like crazy.
[00:13:15] Olivia: Yeah.
[00:13:15] K.C.: Now that is a district tool, which I'm very happy we're able to use, but I also think about some of the other projects like we just did one that was pretty big, which was it's called divine justice and it's on my social media pages now. And it is a tribute to all of the female justices of the Supreme Court, given that yesterday was a real big day for Ketanji Brown Jackson.
[00:13:40] K.C.: You know, we were waiting to finish up the project and post it online, but see buying those materials to put that together, like the actual mannequin and everything that costs money.
[00:13:50] Olivia: Yes, it does.
[00:13:52] K.C.: So I'm really geeked about that because the, the kids love doing stuff like that, putting things together, making things that have a meaning and they speak, they really send an indelible message, but not just about themselves, but they were also just a part of creating that message.
[00:14:11] Olivia: Absolutely.
[00:14:11] K.C.: You know, so I, that's what, that's what really drives me and keeps me going every day.
[00:14:16] Olivia: It's wonderful. And I, I know too, that you continued your Makerspace projects virtually when you were out during the pandemic and the kids learned how, they…what was the project? It was a 3D-Intersection project?
[00:14:30] K.C.: Yeah, it was a 3D-Intersection because we said it eventually when everybody's out and the pandemic is over, you know, this is what we were thinking at the time people are going to be walking and running around like crazy. How can we create a intersection that's safe, not only for pedestrians, but for animals too.
[00:14:49] Olivia: I love that. Yeah.
[00:14:49] K.C.: And so that's how that came about. So they came up with some really interesting, um, intersection designs, you know, so it called for them to be, to kind of become an architect as well. And engine and a single engineer.
[00:15:03] Olivia: So I also, as I mentioned, you're all over social media and you are really smart how you use it.
[00:15:10] Olivia: Could you speak to The Clubhouse Chat Group: Boss Librarian and Friends, how you use that as a platform?
[00:15:16] K.C.: Yeah, sure. Um, What I have learned in my years of serving as a school librarian is that meeting librarians from across the country, some of them are a part of a big district library group that has professional development, but then there's some districts where they are the sole librarian for K-12.
[00:15:39] K.C.: Or they don't have professional development funds or the librarian is looped in with the ELA department and nothing about their program or their skills is really addressed.
[00:15:51] Olivia: Yeah.
[00:15:51] K.C.: So I find that having a weekly chat where we have different topics that is laser-focused for school librarians has been helpful to other librarians.
[00:16:02] K.C.: I've always had mannequins in my library. But as a result of being in The Clubhouse and meeting Tameka Lawrence, for example, she designed this wonderful mannequin display for women's history month. And I said, well, I'm going to make mine called Divine Justice.
[00:16:20] Olivia: Yes! Yes!
[00:16:20] K.C.: Essentially what Clubhouse is, it's an interactive podcast program. So just think about listening to a podcast, but you can actually talk to the podcaster while it's being broadcasted. That's what Clubhouse is. Yeah.
[00:16:35] Olivia: I investigated it a bit. I need to learn more about it. I'm just so impressed with all of the different platforms you are savvy with. It's incredible. I can't thank you enough for your time.
[00:16:48] Olivia: If you had to leave with two pieces of advice for folks out there that want to become Certified Librarians, what would you say is their next step? What could they do?
[00:17:01] K.C.: Well, understanding that do not buy into even what educators are saying that it's a dying field. It's not a dying field. This is a beautiful field.
[00:17:11] K.C.: It continues to grow. We're needed more than ever before in K-12. And I'll say this, I'm a school librarian and it's the best job on the planet. I've done a lot of different other jobs prior to working professionally after college, but this job has given me the most personal fulfillment, joy, and happiness than any other job I have had.
[00:17:35] K.C.: So, I would say. Join us. We need more people that will be advocates for children.
[00:17:42] Olivia: Yeah.
[00:17:42] K.C.: And you will find that this will be a, or, or feel that when you give to it, it gives, it gives more back to you threefold. It really does.
[00:17:53] Olivia: I can't say thank you enough for you, um, being willing to be a guest. Uh, two-part interview, two episodes.
[00:18:01] Olivia: I will include as many details as possible in the show notes. Your repertoire is so expansive it's going to be impossible to fit everything in. The good news for listeners. You have a gorgeous website, KCBoyd. com. I can give a brief synopsis, but your website is just a plethora of resources and the best way I would guess to get in touch with you moving forward.
[00:18:23] K.C.: It is. Yeah. Don't DM me on any, any social media account. It'll take me two or three weeks to get back to you.
[00:18:30] Olivia: Well, I, I can't thank you enough for your time on your spring break, no less. And I am grateful for you being an advocate for just the world of Certified Librarians, but the world of access and equity for us children.
[00:18:45] Olivia: Thank you so much, K.C.
[00:18:47] K.C.: You're quite welcome. And thank you for inviting me on your podcast.
[00:18:50] Olivia: Absolutely.