For more than three decades, I have introduced myself the same way:
"Hi, I'm a school librarian."
That hasn't changed.
What has changed is where I get to do that work.
This year begins one of the biggest professional transitions of my career.
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This is where the story begins...
This is the library I knew.
A place filled with students, conversations, book recommendations, collaboration, laughter, and curiosity.
It was never just a room filled with books.
It was a community.
Then Everything Changed
For the last four years, the library was one of the busiest places on campus—a space where students discovered new books, collaborated on projects, explored new technologies, and found a place to belong.
Then, our campus began preparing for its next chapter, growing from the Hutto Ninth Grade Center to the new 9th-12th grade Creekside High School set to open in the 27-28 school year.
This year, however, I will walk into my school with a library that has undergone demolition over the summer to make way for the new, high school worthy library.
But it isn't just the building that is changing.
My professional role has changed too.
This year, my official title changed to EdTech, Data, and Media Specialist. My responsibilities now extend beyond library services to include educational technology integration, data-informed decision making, instructional technology support, and professional learning.
On paper, that's a significant change.
In practice, it feels like an expansion of the work I've always loved.
Because no matter what my title says…
I am, and always will be, a school librarian first.
Technology, AI, and data are not replacing that mission.
They're expanding the ways I can help students learn, teachers innovate, and schools grow.
Welcome to My New Workspace
This is where the next chapter begins. Way, way, way down at the very end of this hallway under the stairs.
It's not a traditional library.
There are no cozy reading corners.
No circulation desk.
No students finding a safe space to be, socializing with friends, checking out books, creating in the MakerSpace, studying for test, or playing game.
Instead, there are compact shelving units, MakerSpace supplies in boxes waiting for their next adventure, rolling carts, and stacks of possibilities.
At first glance, this space looks more like storage than a library, but I've learned something this summer as I have tried to wrap my head around how I will be able to "library" in this space.
Libraries are not defined by their spaces. They are defined by the people they serve.
This will be my mantra going forward.
Why "Dr. G's Library Outpost"?
As I've been thinking about all of these changes over the summer, I kept trying to find the right word for where I (and the library) will be located. The cave and the closet were my main thoughts. Then I thought a bit more about how I would be serving students, teachers, and admin by going to them with my "library" used as a place I create and prepare. Finally, I hit upon the word that fits the best:
Outpost.
An outpost isn't the destination.
It's a place where a person can go before exploring new territory.
A place where challenges become opportunities.
A place where ideas are tested, refined, and shared.
A place where the mission continues, even when the landscape changes.
That's exactly what this coming school year feels like.
Dr. G's Library Outpost isn't about a room.
It's about a mindset.
It's where school librarianship, literacy, educational technology, AI, data, and innovation come together in service of students and educators.
It's a reminder that meaningful work doesn't depend on having perfect circumstances.
It depends on having a clear purpose.
On a side note: The kids (and teachers) can't seem to remember Dr. Robertson-Griffin or Dr. Nikki, and Dr. R seems to weird and doesn't roll off the tongue quite as nicely as Dr. G. In fact, several school employees and students have already adopted Dr. G last year all on their own.
What's Ahead
Throughout this next school year it is my goal to sharing dispatches from this Outpost:
- 📚 Building a culture of reading without a traditional library
- 🤖 Thoughtful uses of AI in education
- 💻 Educational technology that supports learning
- 📊 Using data to inform—not define—student success
- 🎒 Mobile library services and pop-up programming
- 💡 Honest reflections on leadership, change, and innovation
Some days will be about books.
Some will be about technology.
Some will be about data.
All of them will be about helping students and supporting educators.
And throughout it all, one philosophy will continue to guide my work:
Connect • Share • Learn • Grow
Soooo...Welcome to the Outpost!
One is the vision.
One is the reality.
The adventure is turning one into the other.
Thank you for joining me for this next chapter.
Whether you've followed my journey for years or you've just discovered this space, I'm grateful you're here.
Welcome to Dr. G's Library Outpost.
The mission continues.
📡 End of Dispatch 001
The Outpost is open.
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