Hit:interview questions and tip #1

[Patricia Hamilton <ForLfKlovr@AOL.COM>]

Thank you all so much for all of the wonderful tips and info. that you sent=20
about interviewing and questions! =A0Several people asked me to post a hit s=
o=20
here goes...

Having just taken a new job myself, I would make sure I knew whether the
school was automated or not.=A0 Also, what is the budget for the library.=
=A0 If
it ranges around $2000 - run for the hills - they don't care about the
library.=A0 I think you should expect at least $15,000 for a school of 500.
Otherwise, you will get nowhere fast in collection development and/or
on-line resources.=A0 Find out the average year of the books in the
collection.=A0 If they don't know, ask to see the collection and peruse it
before you commit.=A0 If it looks ancient AND they are not committing to big
bucks, you will be in for a tough job.=A0 I'd also find out if you are a pre=
p
period for teachers (you'll never get flex scheduling that way) and what, if
any, duties in addition to being the media specialist you are expected to
perform.=A0 Has there been collaboration between the media specialist and th=
e
teachers in the past - what sort of things does the administration know of.
All of these things indicate that they support the library and understand
what your job is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
--

----------------------------------
v=A0=A0 I get interviews with principals, all of whom are, I'm sure, great
> teachers, but not one knows beans about libraries, or even what a good
> librarian does.=A0 What they want to know is your direct impact on kids.=
=A0 Be
> prepared to talk about how you will use a library to impact instruction
and
> (especially) test scores and you will do fine.=A0 You might go over
> "Information Power" and show familiarity with Big 6.
>
> v=A0=A0 I just interviewed a couple of years ago for library jobs.=A0 I re=
member
> the following questions:
> Tell us about yourself.=A0 Do you envision the library containing books in
10
> years?--explain.
> Know about Information Power.
>
> v=A0=A0 I have been a school librarian for 22 yrs. in TX, and the one aspe=
ct
of
> the job that is puzzling to most newcomers is the budget.=A0 Running the
> library is like running a small business in that you have to conform to
all
> the school district procedures and guidelines.=A0 Some of these can be a
> mystery as all districts do things differently.=A0 I started out by making
> friends with the secretary and got tips from her.=A0 Because the library
> usually has a separate budget, you do have to keep track of it, and also
> prepare a new one when budget time comes around.=A0 If you are interviewin=
g
for
> elementary position, you need to be concerned with flexible scheduling.
>
> v=A0=A0 Get a copy of David Loestcher's book Reinvent Your School's Librar=
y in
> the Age of Technology.=A0 It was written for principals but has wonderful,
> succinct information and one page is all interview questions that a
principal
> might ask.=A0 It is from Hi Willow Press.=A0 And when you start your new
> position, read Gary Hartzell's Building Influence for School Librarians.
>
> v=A0=A0 JOB INTERVIEW Questions=A0 To ASK.doc
>
> v=A0=A0 You should stress the fact that you believe a librarian should be
> service-oriented.=A0 Emphasize your desire to be helpful to all
> patrons--students, faculty, parents, community. You might mention
programming
> ideas such as reading incentive programs, guest authors, special events,
etc.
> as things you want to do. Most certainly you want to express a high degree
of
> interest and enthusiasm for technology. Since you are currently in library
> school, your training will be very up-to-date. And, always, come back to
the
> fact that you love children and love books, and that this is the best way
to
> combine the two things you value so much.
>
> v=A0=A0 I found some really good questions at:
> http://www.morgan.k12.ga.us/mchs/newlms/questions_from_interviewer.htm. I
> don't know what your requirements are in TX, but would also add questions
> about supporting and enhancing State standards, and maybe additional
support
> for teachers for students to pass literature based standardized tests.
>
> v=A0=A0 If I were interviewing you, I would want to know your knowledge of
> cataloging skills (using Dewey and Sears); and I would want to know about
> your information skills/savvy.
>
> v=A0=A0 If the principal is geared toward "Your client is the teacher" she
will
> ask how you intend to work with the teachers. Go to grade level meetings,
get
> their curriculum and buy books, design lessons, push books, to support it,
> and if all else fails, offer lessons you have designed but they have not
> asked for (I do this all the time and they lap them up).If she's more
geared
> toward students as clients, she will probably ask about getting reluctant
> readers to read, teaching skills, making the MC a friendly place, etc. If
you
> can get your hands on a book or two, there are tons of great ideas.=A0 But=
 I
> think it's good to say I will try anything, lots of different things, I
will
> be constantly offering something new and interesting. You might even say I
> regularly monitor LM Net and I'm constantly printing ideas to try myself.
>
> v=A0=A0 My principal told me some questions he will ask in the interview,
which
> will be a group interview with at least two technology people on the
> committee. . How can the library increase reading scores, andhow can it
> increase technology scores?
>
> v=A0=A0 Read __Information Power__ before the interview. Exude energy &
> confidence in your interview. Stay on this list ~ bookmark the archives
for
> next year.
>
> *What are the library services you would offer (I answered AR); other good
> things to say would be extended library hours; bibliographic help;
> information pathfinders; special programs to encourage reading; etc.
> *How would you correlate AR purchases with the curriculum?
> *What is your discipline plan for the library?
> *Would you be willing to work extended library hours? (gulp - "yes, sure!"
We
> ended up not doing that)
> *How do you feel about working as a team?
> Websites:
> www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/schoolibs/standards.htm
> www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/libraries
> (I got these from the LS 537 syllabus - you MIGHT have some problems with
> them. Just backspace until the next backslash and keep trying. If all else
> fails, go to the homepage for TEA and search.
> Our department's LIB_SCI listserv. Search the archives for LS 537 syllabus
> from Dr. Cox. That is where I got the websites and the books listed below.
> Books:
> (1) American Association of School Librarians and Association of Education
> Communications and Technology. 1998. "Information Power: Building
> partnerships for learning." Chicago: American Library Association.
> (2) Woolls, Blanche. 1999. "The school library media manager." 2nd ed.
> Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
> Check out Joyce Valenza's Power Tools, available from ALA, which has great
> tools for the everyday running of the library.=A0 Your strongest point can
be
> that you know the school, the kids, the culture ,and the faculty, all very
> important for serving these constituents.=A0 Your endorsement shows you ha=
ve
> the right inclinations, and your current coursework shows you are
continuing
> to learn.=A0 Questions you will be asked depend on how much the principal
knows
> about the library, what he/she thinks the library can or should
be-anything
> from a warehouse for books to a vibrant learning center run by an
experience,
> knowledgeable teacher connected to her patrons.=A0 The fact that you have
been
> a teacher will make you a better librarian because you can connect on that
> level--you know the teachers don't need one more thing to do, you can
> empathize with that, and you will develop ways to make their perception of
> the librarian someone they already know, which will make the transition
much
> easier.
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
--

------------------------------------------
When I interviewed here three years ago, the questions
> were pretty much general ones. I had a list of
> questions that I wanted answered, and the principal
> was so impressed that she asked for a copy so she
> would be sure to cover those areas when she did other
> interviews. I don't remember all of them, but I know I
> asked about why the position was open, how long the
> staff usually stayed before moving on, how someone new
> to the school learned about "tradition", etc. Try to
> think of all the things you would like to know and
> answer them during the interview. Remember that you,
> as a school, are being interviewed too.
>
> ***
>
> I would want to know what kind of technology
> experience a person has: proficient in what software?
> Experience troubleshooting computer problems? Any
> experience with type of circ system we use?
>
> ***
>
> In light of some of the people I see at our high
> school, a question that another parent wistfully said
> she wished was asked at interviews was, " Do you like
> teenagers?"
>
> ***
>
> What are you reading right now? Who is your favorite
> author? Have you ever done a PowerPoint presentation?
>
> ***
>
> ericir.syr.edu/lm_net scroll down and click on lm-net
> archives. Use interview questions as your search query
> and you will get some hits.
>
> ***
>
> 1. What basic rules would you have in your library?
> (they should be short and not too many) 2. How would
> you prioritize your workload? (students first, then
> teachers then all the other stuff) 3. What do you see
> your role is in our school? 4. Being new - how would
> you go about meeting the staff and getting them
> interested in working with you? (Build on people who
> will use the library regardless of who is in charge,
> go to lunch and chat, go to department/committee
> meetings., etc.) 5. How do you go about learning
> something new for your professional development?
>
> ***
>
> Ask them if they have had any training on how to
> handle confrontational situations.
>
> ***
>
> 1. What is the one thing you tend to "back burner" in
> your present job. 2. What is your favorite (and least
> favorite) thing you do each day. 3. What is something
> that has really excited you about our profession in
> recent years. 4. What is the best thing you can bring
> to our program.
>
> ***
>
> Tell us something about yourself that you'd like us to
> know. 2. Why are you interested in this position? 3.
> Give us 4 adjectives which your co-workers would use
> to describe you. (Then we would have the candidate
> elaborate on one or two of the adjectives). 4. What
> are some of the challenges facing school librarians in
> today's world? 5. What is your experience working with
> students in grades 7-12? 6. What do you think the role
> of filters in a school library should be? 7. How would
> you combine the use of traditional print resources
> with electronic information resources? 8. Name an
> electronic magazine database and tell us what you like
> or don't like about it. 9. Tell us about a situation
> in which you had to be flexible in your duties or
> schedule. How did you handle it? 10. Tell us about a
> situation in which you disagreed with your supervisor,
> and how you handled it.
>
> ***
>
> When I was interviewing, I had to write an essay about
> a collaborative lesson I would design with a teacher
> that would target both curriculum and information
> literacy skills. I was able to choose the subject and
> the topic, but I had to be able to discuss the role of
> both the teacher and the librarian.
>
> ***
>
> I would ask for some specific authors and titles of
> books that the person has read lately, especially if
> one of the duties is to help students find books to
> read.
>
> ***
>
> 1. How do you connect with your classroom teachers
> regarding upcoming assignments? 2. If material is
> challenged what procedures would you follow to defuse
> the emotion and handle the situation? 3. Role-playing
> actual library situations with the open-ended response
> might be effective. I've worked in a library where
> boyfriend and girlfriend started shouting at one
> another across the tables.
>
> ***
>
> 1. Where do you envision the media center to be five
> years from now? This type of question will determine
> if the person envisions moving the library forward
> from where it is now; to include and/, or exclude;
> have the ability to make changes for the good of the
> students. 2. How will your media center program
> influence and increase the reading achievement of the
> students it serves? The latest 'buzz' is that the
> Colorado study had shown a significant correlation
> between media center programs and reading
> comprehension due to a strong media program and a
> media specialist that promotes reading and library
> skills in a variety of ways. This will let you know if
> the person is up on the latest research. 3. What type
> of technology would you add to the media center? It
> all depends what you have now but - distance learning
> or teleconferencing, DVD players and DVD discs,
> computers that can read/write on discs, multimedia
> presentation software - imovie, dreamweaver, etc., mac
> and ibm oriented. servers, hubs, patches; backbone -
> novell, oracle, cisco, etc this will let you know how
> sauve the person is in technology; you want someone
> strong in this area because tech is always changing
> and access to information is always changing.
>
> ***
>
> Ask them what they want to accomplish in the next
> year.
>
> ***
>
> I would want to know if they had courses in
> cataloging, reference, and selection. I have found out
> that new media specialists coming out of some programs
> now do not have these courses and have never even seen
> a Dewey or Sears!
>
> ***
>
> I might want to know if the librarian reads books that
> have been ordered for the collection and what some of
> the titles are. Kids always ask me to recommend. How
> experienced are they using various databases and how
> might they go about teaching it to students? Describe
> a typical day in your library. Give an example of a
> project and ask how the librarian would go about
> collaborating with the teacher.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
--

----------------------------------------

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST, etc.) send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu   In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
4) SET LM_NET MAIL  * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv.
For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
 See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors:
    http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=