About the Role
- School librarians are the professional, certificated staff members charged with the instruction of students and daily operations of the library program at the school level. They have the primary responsibility for the functions of the school library (i.e., evaluation and selection; ordering and processing; utilization of media; and the instructional role, which includes both formal and information instruction in library, media and technology information skills as well as assistance to students and staff in locating, evaluating and using library media materials and technologies).
Qualifications
Education:
- A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with teaching certification Certification: Holds a valid certification in Library Science
Roles and Responsibilities
Leader:
- As a leader, the school librarian creates a collaborative learning environment for students that nurtures creative problem solving. The school librarian is an exceptional communicator and an enthusiastic team member. The librarian instills a love of learning while fostering an environment that is creative, innovative, and open to new ideas. They anticipate future obstacles and continually evolve to meet challenges.
The school librarian demonstrates his or her role as a visible, active leader in the school/library community by:
- Participate as an active member of decision making teams in the school
- Maintaining a cooperative relationship with administration, staff, students, parents, community and where applicable, local public libraries
- Participating in school improvement activities
- Sharing expertise by presenting at faculty meetings, in-service sessions, parent meetings, and school board meetings
- Creating an environment that is conducive to collaboration with teaching staff, active and participatory learning, and resource-based instructional practices
- Sharing with the school community and adhering to collaboratively developed and up-to-date district policies concerning issues such as materials selection, circulation, reconsideration of materials, copyright, privacy and acceptable use
- Embracing the use of instructional technology to engage students and improve learning while providing 24/7 access to digital information resources for the entire learning community
- Remaining current in professional practices and developments, information technologies, and educational research as it pertains to library programs.
- Identifying and requesting to attend professional workshop activities intended to increase the school librarian’s instructional effectiveness
- Advocating for school library programs and the school library profession
- Building and maintaining expertise in a wide range of resources and technologies.
Teacher:
As a teacher, the school librarian empowers students to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information. The library program is essential to learning and teaching and must be fully integrated into the curriculum to promote students’ achievement of learning goals and objectives. The school librarian supports students’ success by guiding them in:
- Reading for understanding, pleasure, and the exploration of diverse viewpoints and genres
- Using information for defined and self-defined purposes
- Accessing, evaluating, and communicating information regardless of format.
- Building on prior knowledge and constructing new knowledge
- Utilizing information in a variety of formats
- Collaborating with peers to enhance learning
- Self-assessing work and the work of collaborative learning groups The school librarian instructs students by:
- Using a variety of techniques and methodologies appropriate to student abilities while promoting high levels of achievement
- Incorporating the use of technology to make subject matter learning relevant and enhance student learning outcomes
- Demonstrating knowledge of and ability to use research-based principals of effective instruction
- Model Curriculum
- Engaging in diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments of student learning .
Instructional Partner:
As an instructional partner the school librarian works with teachers and other educators to build and strengthen connections between student information and research needs, curricular content, learning outcomes, and information resources. The school librarian demonstrates his or her role as an essential and equal partner in the instructional process by:
- Participating in the curriculum development process at both the school and district level to ensure that the district meets the full range of literacy skill necessary to meet content standards and develop lifelong learners
- Collaborating with teachers to design and teach engaging lessons and assessments that incorporate multiple literacies and foster critical thinking
- Assisting staff in the selection, evaluation, and use of resources, including Internet-based resources
- Participating in the implementation of collaboratively planned lessons by providing group and individual instruction, assessing student progress and evaluating activities to incorporate classroom objectives and information / digital literacy skills
- Partnering with the school community to create meaningful experiences and opportunities to promote a love of reading and lifelong learning
- Providing and/or planning professional development opportunities in the use of new technologies and school library services within the school and/or district for staff, including other school librarians
Information Specialist:
As the information specialist, the school librarian provides leadership and expertise in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of resources and technologies in all formats, as well as expertise in the ethical use of information. The school librarian ensures equitable access and responsible use of information by:
- Developing and maintaining a collection of resources appropriate to the curriculum, the learners, and the teaching styles and instructional strategies of the school community
- Exemplifying competence in classifying, cataloging, processing, storage, and circulation of materials
- Cooperating and networking with other libraries, librarians, and agencies to provide access to resources beyond the school library
- Evaluating, promoting, and using existing and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, supplement school resources, communicate with students and teachers, and provide 24/7 access to library services including a school library web page
- Providing access to information and ideas by assisting both students and teachers in the location of information resources
- Understanding copyright, fair use, and licensing of intellectual property and assisting students, staff, and administration with their understanding and observance of same
- Organizing the collection for to ensure its maximum and effective use Program Administrator As program administrator, the school librarian works collaboratively with the learning community to define the policies of the school library program, guide and direct all library activities. The library professional supports the mission, goals and objectives for the continuous improvement of the school. The school librarian maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of the school library program by:
- Using strategic planning to insure continuous improvement of the program
- Ensuring that school library program goals are aligned to district goals and long-range strategic or comprehensive plans, i.e. PA Core
- Using effective management skills to supervise personnel, resources, and facilities
- Training, preparing work for, supervising and evaluating library support staff, students and volunteers working within the school library program
- Preparing and implementing the school library budget including instructional resources, supplies, equipment and repairs in order to support both the curriculum and the goals of the library program, the school, and the district
- Developing and maintaining an adequate collection of print, non-print, and digital resources to support the curriculum, students’ needs, and to promote independent reading and literacy growth
- Establishing and/or following processes and procedures for selection, acquisition, circulation, resource sharing, etc. that insure resources are available when needed
- Maintaining an online catalog and automated circulation system that accurately reflects the collection and its usage
- Producing school library reports, budget requests, bibliographies and other documents related to the functional operations of the school library
- Creating and maintaining a school library that is inviting, safe, flexible, and conducive to learning for all users
- Participating in the hiring and training of other professionals, library assistants, students, and volunteers
- Arranging for flexible scheduling where possible, of the school libraries to provide maximum accessibility to students and staff
- Ensuring equitable physical access to the school library facility Terms of Employment: As stated in the teacher contract Evaluation: Performance of this job and its impact on student performance will be evaluated in accordance