There used to be a commercial that had the tag line, “Inquiring minds want to know.” That mindset is what we want to instill in our students. It is also one that is essential to a leader. In following the rabbit, Alice discovers a new world and a lot about herself. You never know what you will find if you go down that rabbit hole. How can you develop a vision and take your school library to new heights if you are not seeking out new possibilities? Leaders are lifelong learners, and so are librarians.
What stimulates your curiosity? Is it related to a hobby you have? Do games engage your attention? As school librarians, we are constantly helping students search for information on a subject of academic or personal interest. Do you ever continue to explore it even after the student leaves because you were still curious?
The nature of our profession requires us to be connectors. We are constantly connecting people with information, but we also connect one piece of information to another. That is how new knowledge is created. When we follow the rabbit, we find ideas that can add greater dimensions to our program.
One way to stimulate your curiosity is to read outside school librarianship. I keep an eye on what is happening in technology and what administrators are focusing on. In addition, I look frequently to what the business world is doing. Their purpose and goals are not necessarily the same as ours, but there are enough commonalities to see how their ideas can make us and our programs more effective.
A case in point is a post from Stephanie Vozza on 8 Habits of Curious People. She suggests that being single answer driven results in our being trained out of curiosity. How can we re-ignite the curiosity we had as young children? Here is Vozza’s list of habits along with my usual comments.
- They listen without judgment – This implies active listening. You need to hear people out. Sometimes they say something that sparks an idea you would never have considered. A rush to judgment shuts down your thinking on the subject.
- They ask lots of questions – If you have that inquiring curious mind, you want to know more. And the questions you ask should provoke a more detailed response and a way to continue learning. Questions that can be answered with a yes or no will not add to your knowledge or lead you anywhere.
- They seek surprise – This one surprised me, and then I realized how true it is. If you look for something different, whether it’s a scenic attraction or an exhibit of technology, you don’t want to find what you have always known. The surprise generates new thoughts and who knows where that may take you.
- They are fully present – This is about knowing when to not multi-task but to focus on what is happening in the moment. How many times are we doing something else while someone is asking us a question? Are we really listening to what is being said? Is anything being said? Why bother being with someone if you are not going to be “fully present?” Conversations with people outside the profession can bring up an idea that has relevance to what goes on in the library.
- They are willing to be wrong – This can be scary territory. I was involved in leading a library renovation project that was using moveable bookcases on tracks to make more floor space available. I planned on putting fiction on the counter height bookcases and reference along with the rest of the nonfiction on the tall bookcases. My co-librarian noted that having heavy reference books on high shelves was not a good idea. She was right, and I made the change.
- They make time for curiosity – The suggestion here is to take one day a month to consider what things might be like in three years. You probably can’t schedule a full day to do this (although if you can – do it!), but you can plan time on a Friday at the end of the day to reflect on what isn’t working as well as you like or what is going better than expected, on what the kids seem to be interested in, and then on what can be changed or enhanced to respond to these situations. You might then explore your thinking further – just because you are curious.
- They aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know” – Not knowing is the perfect launch to finding out. It’s giving rein to your curiosity. As librarians we are accustomed to saying, “I don’t know, but I will find out.” Use that in how you respond to something new you haven’t come across before.
- They don’t let past hurts affect their future – Don’t live in your previous experiences. Just because you understand them and perhaps have had some bad experiences with pursuing a new course, you shouldn’t shut the door on curiosity. Learning should never stop.
I challenge you to find one new idea outside librarianship that excites your curiosity. Follow the rabbit. Then create a plan for bringing your idea into your program. It’s what leaders do.