Dr. Buffy Edwards, Senior Lecturer and Internship Support Specialist, attended and presented at the American Association of School Librarians conference in St. Louis, MO. Edwards, Chair-elect of the Educators of School Librarians (ESLS) Division, and member of the School Library Research editorial board, presented in two sessions. Buffy was invited to present at the half-day Research Symposium preconference that brought together educators of school librarians, school library practitioners, graduate students or anyone interested in discovering more about current research related to school libraries. Dr. Edwards presented the cross-department collaboration unit that she and faculty from the University of Oklahoma Jeannie Rainbolt College of Education (JRCoE) completed.
Breaking Silos through Cross-Department Collaboration: Librarians and Preservice Teachers Partner to Develop Guided Inquiry Design Themed-Based Literacy Units was a project where master's students from the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) partnered with JRCoE undergraduate preservice students to collaboratively develop themed-based instructional units aligned with the Guided Inquiry Design framework. The title of presentation is fitting because it represents overcoming a long-standing barrier, working with colleges of education to foster understanding of the vital work of school librarians and sharing strategies about teaching research to school librarianship and preservice teacher candidates. During the presentation, Dr. Edwards discussed the project structure and model highlighting the collaboration of instructors and students, outreach and activities completed to build partnerships, and the work done to change the narrative and understanding about the powerful partnership between librarians and classroom teachers.
Leslie Maniotes, Co-Founder of Guided Inquiry Design, attended the session and shared:
“This initiative is exemplary in both vision and execution. It dismantles the silos between library and education programs, ensures that new teachers graduate understanding the librarian's essential role, and models a collaborative mindset that will ripple into classrooms and schools. Dr. Edwards's design offers a replicable model for other colleges of education seeking to systemically embed collaboration and information literacy within teacher preparation.
At a time when access to accurate information and the teaching of inquiry skills have never been more vital, this kind of leadership is precisely what our profession needs. Dr. Edwards's work honors the librarian's expertise, empowers future teachers, and builds the bridge between disciplines that too often operate in isolation.
I offer my highest commendation for this outstanding contribution to the field of school librarianship and teacher education. It is my hope that this project continues to expand, serving as a model for programs nationwide."
The transformative work in cross-department collaborations supports SLIS' goal to promote excellence and innovation in education for information professionals.
For the second presentation, Dr. Edwards joined members of the School Library Research (SLR) editorial board, presenting Research Empowering Practice, a session highlighting the history, current policies and practices, and future issues/directions of SLR. SLR is the scholarly refereed research journal for AASL, publishing and promoting research about school libraries. To foster more participation from practitioners and discuss issues and directions about school libraries, the session helped demystify the overall process from manuscript submission to publication. Attendees left with ideas to take the first steps for submitting a manuscript and to get more involved with SLR!
SLR Members presenting included Dr. Rita Soulen, East Carolina University, Cr. Maria Cahill, University of Kentucky, Dr. Mary Ann Harlan, San Jose State University, Dr. Amanda Harrison, University of Central Missouri, Dr. Sherry Crow, University of Nebraska, Kearney, Dr. Maida Finch, Salisbury University, and Dr. Caitlin Gerrity, South Utah University.
