Here's My Card: The Teacher-Librarian 2012

SUMMARY
Teacher-librarians are invited to create a business card that introduces their present roles and future vision. The author presents his own model and describes a process that fosters ideas and applies results for innovation, invention, inspiration, and integration.


Your Business Card

Pretend that as a teacher-librarian or school media specialist, you carry a business card. Not just the usual card that describes what you do now but one that promotes your plans for the future. Your card should be both a professional and personal vision statement. An extension of your handshake. Your best first impression. A cheerful and concise  introduction to you!

In becoming an educational consultant, I wanted to marry my background in school libraries to continuing interests in 21st century learning. My card had to be catchy and visually attractive. An arresting graphic was essential. I had to give out a card that said "This is what I believe I in and can do for you. I will help you to believe it when you see it and to see it when you believe it."

Why not make your own card. To start you off, I have reproduced my card's logo above on a slide. You can work on your own or work as a group. Have fun and take your time. Remember to get vital and sobering feedback from your partner, friends, children, and strangers before you rush off into production.

A Useful Matrix

To make my card's logo, I examined my past and intended practice. What emerged were the four key visionary terms of my graphic: innovation, invention, inspiration, and integration.

Then I put them into a matrix to clarify my thinking according to the four types of activity I was trying to foster: personal, interpersonal, professional, and program. I then completed the matrix with statements of purpose using operational verbs. The result is the chart below.

In my consulting work, I apply the results differently depending on the context and contact. Of course, you will have different ideas, contexts, and contacts according to your situation and vision. In any case, such a matrix should help in your quest to make the perfect business card.

Sharing Our Best Selves

Why not send me examples of your final business card. I will post them on my pages section of the blog. We can respect copyright but truly inspire each other.

Like a good vision statement, you will want to use your card, message, and graphic in many ways: as a signature in your email or social network, as a logo on correspondence and presentations, and on posters and displays in your library space.

It's time to introduce the new teacher-librarian!