An Interview with Emily Baccomo

                   Lugoff-Elgin Middle School                  

Meet the Librarian......

                         Mrs. Emily Baccomo 

This semester I had the opportunity to spend the day with Emily Baccomo, the librarian, at Lugoff-Elgin Middle school. Mrs. Baccomo is in her third year as a librarian and she is winning big in her profession! She was extremely open and eager to show me all of the tools she uses to be an effective librarian to students and teachers. 

Collaborate

During my time at LE Middle, I was able to conduct an interview with Mrs. Baccomo. I was very curious about how the library was used by teachers. My questions were centered around the Collaborate Shared Foundation of the AASL standards. The Collaborate Shared Foundation states that librarians and teachers should "work effectively with others to broaden perspectives and work toward a common goal" (National School Library Standards, 2018). When a teacher and a librarian collaborate, students can develop a deeper understanding of classroom standards as well as the AASL Domains: Think, Create, Share, and Grow.

Mrs. Baccomo became the librarian at a school that was not accustomed to teachers working closely with the librarian.  Before, the library was mainly used for book checkouts. When Mrs. Baccomo began her job, she knew the importance of collaborating with classroom teachers.  Soon she found herself on a mission to win over the teachers in her school. Mrs. Baccomo created a "menu" outlining her services. Mrs. Baccomo wanted to help teachers take their classroom lessons and make them more impactful. She understood that teaching students how to formulate research questions based on their intrests and effectivly seeking the information to answer the questions is the best way to create lifelong learners.

 

Then, she started attending department and grade level meetings. At first she would listen to the topics that  were discussed and leave the teachers with a copy of her "menu".  Slowly, teachers began asking her to work with them on lessons. As time went on, word got out that the new librarian could be an amazing classroom resource! More and more teachers were eager to collaborate with Mrs. Baccomo. 

Now, Mrs. Baccomo is constantly on the lookout for new resources and materials teachers can use in the classroom.  She has created a wonderful rapport with the faculty and students. Her library was full of students exploring the books on the shelves, students researching information for class projects, and teachers asking questions about the resources in the library that relate to their classroom lessons. 

Mrs. Baccomo was quick to let me know that winning over the teachers and convincing them to use her as a resource has been her biggest challange as a middle school librarian. She still has one grade level that hasn't utilized her as much as others, but she calls it a work in process.  

Resources

National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries (2018).

            American Library Association, Chicago, IL.