What's in a Name?

[Tori Jensen]

It seems that I am not alone in my confusion over and dislike of the title Media Specialist. Media Specialist does not say anything about what we really do. When I tell people I am a Media Specialist they ask what TV station I work for! Visiting with colleagues at our summer leadership conference, I found that most if not all of us feel that a new title is in order. What title do you think we should go by? I have been using Library/Media Teacher, but I'm not crazy about that moniker either. Any ideas?

[Laurie Conzemius]

I'm with you, Tori. However, I have no idea what that name should be. I get called the "computer teacher" most often. I would rather be called "super hero" - and once a child actually called me "Miss Congeniality" - but as far as an actual title, it's rather unclear. I don't really feel that "librarian" fits the bill - but "Information goddess" seems a bit much. I'd love to hear what some of the other MEMO members think!

[Doug Johnson]

Well, like lots of issues, I dealt with this name thing once upon a time:

http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/names-can-never-hurt-me.html

My conclusion was that there are NO good choices. Call yourself whatever you want to be called.

Good MEMO meeting this week. Really nice to connect with everyone.

Doug

[Mary Mehsikomer aka Mehsi-Mart]

I always felt "school library media specialist" didn't really get to the heart of the matter, and in fact, was rather confusing. Now it just seems not only confusing, but outdated because when I think of media, I either think of television or film projectors.

I really liked what Doug's article said about it-- call it anything but just make sure it benefits students.

I don't think Information Literacy Instructor or Information Literacy Teacher is such a bad handle, either. It's better than a lot of the things people call me...

[Anne Marie Griffin]

Hi Tori,
I have struggled with this, too. Very few people outside the profession think of media the way we do. I have been using librarian as a title just because people understand at least part of that. The big challenge is to find a way to include the idea that we work with digital components as well as print. A presenter at MEMO in Brainerd called us Teacher Librarians. I like that because many teachers I work with don't realize that I am a licensed teacher and library professional. I agree with Doug, Mary and Lori that you should find a title that helps your patrons connect with you. That is what really matters.

[Barb Neitge]

I like the title librarian because people are familiar with this word. The job has evolved as libraries have changed. Wikipedia says: Traditionally, librarians have been associated with collections of books, as demonstrated by the etymology of the word "librarian" (< Latin liber, 'book'). However, modern librarians deal with information in many formats, including books, magazines, newspapers, audio recordings (both musical and spoken-word), video recordings, maps, manuscripts, photographs and other graphic material, bibliographic databases, and digital resources. Librarians often provide other information services, including computer provision and training, coordination of public programs, basic literacy education, assistive equipment for people with disabilities, and help with finding and using community resources.
Hennepin County calls their people librarians and they are involved with books, websites, and all kinds of technology and teaching. I like the title Library Media Specialist more than just Media Specialist, but librarian is my favorite.