School Librarians Need To Leave Imposter Syndrome Behind | Opinion

Amanda Chacon, 2024 School Librarian of the Year, wants her peers to know: "We matter."

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When I was named School Library Journal’s 2024 School Librarian of the Year, I didn’t feel victorious. I felt like there must have been a mistake.

I remember the moment clearly: Kathy Ishizuka, then the editor-in-chief, called to tell me I had won “the big shebang.” A colleague snapped a photo of me mid-conversation, not knowing what was happening, only that it was something momentous. In the photo, my eyes are wide and teary, equal parts joy and disbelief. Surely they meant to choose someone else; someone with more social media followers, someone with more clout, someone more.

I wasn’t thinking about the programs I’d created, the grants I’d written and won, or the thousands upon thousands of students and teachers I’ve served. I was thinking about the things I hadn’t done, the times I’d felt like I was treading water, the years I’d worked quietly, often invisibly, unsure if anyone truly saw the effort behind it all.

Powerful, essential work done quietly, consistently, and often without acknowledgement: this is the reality of solo librarianship.

In many schools, the librarian isn’t just the librarian. We’re also tech support, instructional coach, storyteller, book whisperer, club sponsor, hallway monitor, and, more often than we would like, the one unjamming the copy and/or laminating machine.

We serve every grade, every teacher, every student, and we do it alone.

Solo librarianship is a kind of leadership that lives in the margins, margins we’ve often sketched ourselves—early morning book checkouts, lunchtime coding clubs, and late-night lesson planning squeezed between family and exhaustion—because few people fully understand, or ask about, the breadth of our roles. It’s not always visible, and when no one names it, it’s easy to wonder if it counts.

But it does count. These moments, while quiet, shape campus culture. They build community, foster learning, and give students safe, curious spaces to grow. That seed library you posted on Instagram? Maybe it didn’t get 1,000 likes, but a few students saw it and showed up the next day to gather seeds. Connection made. That conference session on integrating STEM into library lessons? Maybe it wasn’t packed, but when others tag you in their own STEM lesson posts or email you to say thanks, your work echoes.

When you’re the only librarian on campus, there’s often no sounding board, no partner to validate your choices, no team meeting to compare notes or troubleshoot together. Even when the results are remarkable, the doubts creep in: Was that project really that innovative? Did I only win that grant because no one else applied? Am I actually making a difference or just getting by?

Over time, when you carry the weight of it all without recognition or reflection, imposter syndrome can take hold. What makes you doubt your impact isn’t a lack of effort; it’s the absence of reflection and recognition.

After the award announcement, messages poured in from colleagues, family, students, and strangers: “You deserve this!” “We see what you do and we love it.” “We’re so proud!”

Those words helped me see my work through a different lens—not as a list of unfinished tasks but as a series of lasting impacts. It reminded me that leadership doesn’t always look like a microphone or a podium or thousands of social media followers. Sometimes it’s staying late so a student can finish their project, helping a teacher reimagine research, or printing bookmarks for a kid who just learned to love reading. Sometimes it’s just showing up, day after day, with care, consistency, and heart.

If you’re a solo librarian feeling invisible or unsure, hear this: your work matters. Your leadership is real, even when it’s quiet. You deserve recognition not because you’ve done everything, but because you keep showing up.

Imposter syndrome thrives in isolation, so the first step to reclaiming value is connection. Talk about what you’re feeling. Share your wins and struggles, and then go one step further:

  • Reach out to others. See a librarian posting amazing programs on Instagram or Bluesky? Send a message. Ask to collaborate or trade ideas.
  • Build your circle. Follow fellow librarians who inspire you. Comment and cheer them on. Let them cheer you on, too.
  • Attend conferences and events. Make time for professional growth and community at gatherings like TLA, TCEA’s LibCon, region service center workshops, or even virtual summits. You’ll leave not just with ideas, but with people who “get it.”
  • Join or start professional networks. Whether it’s a district-level librarian PLC or a group chat with friends from across the state, find your people. And if they’re not already there, create the space.

Let’s normalize talking about boundaries, burnout, and breakthroughs. Let’s uplift each other’s voices, especially when no one else is clapping. Reclaiming our value starts with realizing we never lost it; we just needed to be reminded we’re not doing this alone.

We may lead solo, but we’re part of something bigger. When we speak up, link arms, and celebrate one another, we begin to shift the narrative, for ourselves and for the next generation of library leaders. 


Amanda Chacon is the school librarian at H. M. Carroll Elementary School in Houston and the 2024 School Librarian of the Year.

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