From:	Alison Birchall	Date:	Sun 04-Mar-12 07:29 pm
To:	Module 1 Organisational Theory
Subject:	Moral purpose...

I really enjoy the concept of developing a moral purpose, and emphasising it as something which the library is working towards. I like the whole idea of having something larger to focus on, particularly as a means of keeping us from getting distracted by all of the ‘little things’. A moral purpose is a way of connecting user needs with ethical and social responsibility. When developing a moral purpose the teacher librarian needs to consider “the ways in which human behaviour can be modified by the library over a long period of time” (p.41).

Having a clear moral purpose and sticking to it is emphasised by Winzenried as a key factor of library management – and, by association, being a leader. What would you say the moral purpose of a school library is? Before starting this course, mine would have been encouraging a love of reading and lifelong learning in all students (and hopefully some staff). With all that I’ve read over the past year, I’m no longer so certain… Thoughts?

Finally, this quote (taken from chapter 3 of the text) resonated really strongly with me…
“the tools librarians use change, the importance of certain tasks that librarians perform changes, and even the services librarians offer to support their schools and communities change. But some things, like the librarian’s mission and values, remain constant” (Johnson, cited p. 25).

I agree with Alison, .. having a moral purpose connects us with the vision we have for the library and our students and keeps us focussed.As a TL we need  "flexible and capable decision making" (p.24).

We are in a unique position to see the big picture of the school and the "interconnectedness of different relationships within" (p.29) the school. How true.In our K-12 school we are priveleged to see this... to see how people work and connect together and how as a library team we can bridge the gaps to help others work together more effectively for the benefit of our students, through support, service and collaboration when desired.