INCLUDE: Interview with Gina Causey from Alston Middle School

Gina, my cooperating librarian, has become a dear friend to me. When I think about getting to know her over the last few months, she has such a giving heart that includes everyone. Then when reading through the shared foundations, “Include” just fit her. She opens her library and her heart to everyone. With the covid restrictions, it has been difficult for her to really do that effectively, then with the added pressures of managing technology, relationships have been on the back burner. She always roots for the underdog and its apparent in how she treats everyone all the way down to the books she chooses for her collection. She has been allowed in the last few weeks to create a student counsel. She had students apply and choose from the list. It was a diverse group of students. She also had them collecting can goods for Thanksgiving food drive. So not only are they diverse but they are helping the less fortunate. Middle school functions a tad different than elementary so her flexible schedule allows her the freedom to push into classes for research lesson or to have teacher send students done for book check outs. There was never a time I felt like she excluding any group and she always used teachable moments as opportunities to grow the students. Like I said above, her biggest challenge is being pulled in so many different directions and not being able to establish relationship the way she used to pre-covid. She looks forward to the day when her library can be the hub it once was.

Below I found how one can grow as a librarian in each Shared Foundation.

“School librarians have a pivotal role in facilitating opportunities for learners to under and participate in activities that honor diversity and embrace inclusion. It is imperative that the school librarian be well-versed in a variety of perspectives and strategies that foster inclusion School librarians’ celebration of the diversity and commonality of humankind helps learners contextualize the ideal of inclusion.” (AASL, National School Library Standards, p. 148)