SUNY Oswego’s library faculty and professional staff recently welcomed nearly 30 librarians from around central and northern New York to Penfield Library for a joint professional development day on March 9. The day was jointly planned by SUNY Oswego librarians and representatives from the Onondaga, Oswego, Cortland and Madison School Library System (O2CM).
This collaboration between Penfield Library and O2CM advanced SUNY Oswego’s strategic emphasis on local connections: positioning SUNY Oswego as a go-to regional resource while also applying librarians’ knowledge, resources and expertise to support the community, region and state. Penfield’s librarians teamed up with local K-12 librarians and representatives from regional library systems and councils to discuss shared challenges in the modern education and information ecosystems.
In addition to opportunities for librarians to network with regional partners they normally don’t get to see, visiting librarians received a tour of Penfield Library and a behind-the-scenes look at the University Archives and Special Collections. A panel on opportunities for collaboration between librarians and teachers/faculty featured representatives from multiple K-12 libraries as well as SUNY Oswego’s Emily Mitchell (assistant library director) and Ritu Radhakrishnan (Curriculum and Instruction).
Discussion sessions covered topics including AI, New York’s Portrait of a Graduate and creating a culture of reading. During another session, on how to bridge the gap between K-12 and undergraduate information literacy skills, visiting instructor and Writing Fellow Ken Nichols (English and Creative Writing) dropped by to share his expertise with the group.
Penfield Library Director Sarah Weisman called the day “invaluable” and emphasized future possibilities springing from this event.
“What skills do we see students coming prepared with and what are they struggling with? How can librarians at each level support classroom teachers and faculty with integrated lesson planning?” Weisman asked. “Librarians can play an important role in a student’s educational journey, and this collaboration will help us do this more seamlessly and effectively,” she said. Plans are already underway to grow this regional collaboration with future joint events.
-- Submitted by Penfield Library