Professional Learning Network

The Power of PLN

The most important element of my Professional Learning Network (PLN) is the supportive network and the knowledge that I am not alone. In my tiny part of the world, I have found a community of educators and researchers eager to share their skills and inspiration. This subject has me reflecting back to my interview question for this career: "What unique gift, skill, or hobby do you have that can be shared with our patrons and staff?" It was a great question, and it has led to the PLN map below. 

Building this PLN map, I reflected on whether these networks really supported the four growth elements of professional learning and determined that I had a rather healthy professional learning network. However, I found a gap in my PLN social media; the network flows in and out of in-person and online interactions. Most of these networks are heavily on the in-person side. Online and social media are reserved for follow-ups, meet-ups, and sharing documents. Most of my network meets at conferences across Louisiana.

Social Growth:

When I started volunteering with the Friends of the Library, I knew a total of two people in the field. Slowly learning from the retired librarians in that back warehouse for book sales, I found an odd satisfaction and curiosity of how I could make something like organizing books a career. Later, I freelanced for private and academic libraries that needed digitalization and organization. Finally arriving at my local parish library, where I started as a floater circulation clerk, floating from branch to branch in between freelance jobs. I found my people, and my professional learning network bloomed. It started with my movement into the Interlibrary System department. I was introduced to other locations in the state that used Sierra ILS, and also, the Louisiana Support Staff Association of Libraries. Then, an engineer who I had been assisting with programs in the branches moved and left a void in our innovative programs. Since I had been helping him and I personally had a passion for STEM+, I was asked to fill in until someone else could be found. Instead of a replacement, my job was adjusted to include time in the information technology department (IT). In the last five years, I have attended conferences, training, online courses, and volunteered for events to grow my network and knowledge in STEM+, IT, and ILS. The PLN map has grown beyond those areas to the point where organizations have begun to ask me to teach their staff, organize programs, coach teams, and join their boards.

Affective Growth:

The social growth led to my confidence in teaching and expanding the subjects I offered at the library. As an introvert, stepping out of my office to teach others as the lead instructor was nerve-racking. I was told my classes were great! To me, it felt like I bumbled through the material, and all energy was drained. Fortunately, I have very encouraging bosses who have the support of our director, and the staff is just as encouraging. They have all guided me towards learning more and building upon my specific skill, the ability to take a complicated subject and make it simple for a child to understand. With the room to learn what I enjoy and create lessons for it, I have been able to do pilot programs with the courage to welcome feedback so errors can be corrected and innovation can flourish. An example, two summers ago, I was asked to host a stop animation camp. I had no experience in stop animation. I learned the program and equipment prior to the camp and gave service hours to a student who needed them for a club, so they could test things I didn't have time to figure out. Camp was a new experience with a lot of fun and bumps along the way. The second summer was implementing all the changes to fix the prior summer's errors, but a well-laid plan still has unexpected elements--like the software no longer being supported the week before camp. This summer will be great! We have the lighting correct, stop animation sets, and new software. Affective growth at its best, confidence built to try new things, accept errors, and enthusiasm to try new things to fix the errors.

Cognitive Growth:

The wealth of knowledge I share with others was formed by my PLN. I would not have half the knowledge or ideas that I use in the library programs without the window into other programs and classrooms. My background is not in teaching or education. What little knowledge I began with in this career came from my children and my curiosity about the tech world. Assisting the engineer in his program was a wonderful experience because he was an amazing and patient instructor. My children, at the time, were too young to attend the programs, but I benefited from my learning in those programs because I would teach them the information. It fueled them to seek more and pushed me to try to keep up with their demanding curiosity. The engineer I spoke of introduced me to professors and others in the field before he moved. Those introductions came with a new viewpoint because I had no idea certain areas of STEM and IT existed, much less in the library. Connecting with homeschools, Montessori, private, and public primary schools brought me to see the gaps and innovations being brought to our students. The universities and colleges highlighted the greatest gaps to address so that my specialty focused on students having the opportunity to test different things like soldering led keychains, typing classes, robotic building, building with engineering principles, and proving artificial intelligence is only as good as the information given to it. The individuals who share advice and ask me for advice have moved me from just a mom tinkering with her toddlers to a certificate holder in areas like drone pilot and support staff. I moved to being a technology coach for regional schools, judge of subject fairs, BETA club mentor, and graduate student. 

Identity Growth:

A professional student has become my identity. I learn right along with my students, and it is not uncommon for me to find new things to learn because of my students. I love the expressions of my students when I celebrate failure, "Yeah! You failed! Now you will not be a failure." It takes most of them a minute to accept that I am not being sarcastic and soak in my next words, "Now you can make it better." Very few individuals need me to explain that those who fail learn a lesson of trial and error. Individuals who do not fail do not learn how to fall and get back up. When those individuals do fail later in life, they fall much harder than those who experienced the ups and downs of failures. As Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." With every program that didn't work, I found times, places, and programs that didn't work, so I could find the right time, place, and exciting knowledge idea to teach. My identity as a cog in the wheel of progress has grown into an innovator for my library system and influencer on STEM+ programs across the nation as my PLN grows.

I highly encourage you to learn more about professional learning networks with the 5 minute video "Building a professional learning network" and implementing what you learn. You really have nothing to lose by expanding your professional learning network and a whole lot to lose by becoming stagnant in this ever-changing world.

Reference: 

Thomas A. Edison Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved March 27, 2026, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thomas_a_edison_132683

Dorrian, Cara Mia (2022, January 16). Building a professional learning Network. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46JJFAzGQiQ&t=25s