To be a data warehouse, or to not be a data warehouse... that is the question

Joking aside, that isn't even a question. It is not the job of the Media Specialist to have every book read and memorized along with every fact and resource available to mankind. It is important to know your library, to know the faculty/staff in the school, and to know the needs of the environment in which you are serving. I say serving because Hamilton explained that we are resources to be used to a teacher's advantage in their classroom. For this relationship to be formed and beneficial to both parties it is important for there to be open communication and flexible ideas. The advantage to cooperative learning is that it can turn an idea into an organic thing that grows upon itself as it is bounced back and forth between the teacher and the media specialist. Outside of being a resource for the teacher, we are to encourage students' learning. I feel like those are words I constantly hear thrown about until they have no real meaning. But to encourage students' learning we need to be fully attentive to the needs of the students and understanding how they process information.