Personnel

School Library Media Personnel

Library Media Specialist

School library media specialists are the professional, certificated staff members charged with the daily operation of the library media program at the school level. They have the primary responsibility for the professional library media center functions (i.e., evaluation and selection; ordering and processing; utilization of media; organization of the library media collection; circulation of library media materials; production of original media; and management of instructional equipment). The ideal student-centered library media program is based upon three essential elements: learning and teaching, information access, and program administration. These elements suggest the roles that the library media specialist plays in supporting student learning.

The Roles of the School Library Media Specialist

These five roles—leader, instructional partner, teacher, information specialist, and program administrator—are interconnected; one cannot be performed without the support of the others. Teaching for learning requires collaboration with classroom teachers and students to design engaging lessons and units of study (as an instructional partner), knowledge of what technologies can support learning (as an information specialist), effective program administration to ensure quality resources are available for learners, and leadership to establish the way forward.

Leader

Leadership is integral to developing a successful 21st-century School Library Media Program (SLMP). As information literacy and technology skills become central to learning, the School Library Media Specialist (SLMS) must lead the way in building 21st-century skills throughout the school environment. Doing so involves a willingness to serve as a teacher and a learner who listens to and acts upon good ideas from peers, teachers, and students. Leadership also requires increased professional commitment and thorough knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing the profession. By becoming an active member of the local and global learning community, the SLMS can build relationships with organizations and stakeholders to develop an effective SLMP and advocate for student learning.

Instructional Partner

As outlined in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, the SLMS works with members of the school community to develop the policies, practices, and curricula to guide student learning. The SLMS collaborates with classroom teachers to develop assignments that are matched to academic standards and include key critical thinking skills, technology and information literacy skills, and core social skills and cultural competencies. The SLMS guides instructional design by working with the classroom teacher to establish learning objectives and goals, and by implementing assessment strategies before, during, and after assigned units of study. In a 24–7 learning environment, communication with classroom teachers and students now takes place virtually, as well as face-to-face.

Teacher

As teacher the SLMS empowers students to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information. The SLMS supports students’ success by guiding them to:

• read for understanding, breadth, and pleasure

• use information for defined and self-defined purposes

• build on prior knowledge and construct new knowledge

• embrace the world of information and all its formats

• work with each other in successful collaborations for learning

• constructively assess their own work and the work of their peers

• become their own best critics.

The SLMS advocates for reading for pleasure and supports reading comprehension skills across all formats. By being conversant with new research about reading, the SLMS can build a collection that reflects the needs of learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and with diverse abilities and aspirations. A leading SLMS stays abreast of both national trends of popular reading material and student interests within the individual school community. He or she advocates for reading in all formats, such as graphic novels, periodicals, and online sources.

Information Specialist

American Association of School Libraries (AASL) survey respondents and Vision Summit participants both identified the crucial role that technology plays in every aspect of the SLMP. As an information specialist, the SLMS uses technology tools to supplement school resources, assist in the creation of engaging learning tasks, connect the school with the global learning community, communicate with students and classroom teachers at any time, and provide 24–7 access to library services. The SLMS introduces and models emerging technologies, as well as strategies for finding, assessing, and using information. He or she is a leader in software and hardware evaluation, establishing the processes for such evaluation to take place. Doing so requires frequent evaluation of the use of technology in the school library media center through regular data analysis.

Expertise in the ethical use of information also remains a cornerstone of the SLMS’s role as information specialist. As copyright options continue to expand for creators, the SLMS must be versed in the theoretical grounding and practical application of such laws in order to teach the ethical use of information to the learning community. This involves new understandings of fair use and forms of licensing that allow users to modify original content. Students, teachers, and other members of the educational community look to the SLMS to set guidelines for navigating fair use issues.

Program Administrator

As program administrator, the SLMS ensures that all members of the learning community have access to resources that meet a variety of needs and interests. The implementation of a successful SLMP requires the collaborative development of the program mission, strategic plan, and policies, as well as the effective management of staff, the program budget, and the physical and virtual spaces. To augment information resources available to the learning community, the SLMS works actively to form partnerships with stakeholders and sister organizations at local and global levels. The SLMS also addresses broader educational issues with other educators in the building, at the district level, and at the professional association level (see the Appendix for a list of these professional organizations).

Excerpted from Empowering Learners:~ Guidelines for School Library Programs by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, copyright © 2009 American Library Association.~ Used with permission.

Library Media Paraeducator 

Library media paraeducators are assigned to all schools. A library media paraeducator is necessary to relieve the library media specialist of many clerical tasks and assist with technology throughout the school. The paraeducator must acquire a thorough knowledge of the school library media collection and program, and should be able to assist students and teachers in their use of the library media center. The library media paraeducator may:

• Supervise the circulation system and other routines

• Perform office jobs, especially typing of reports, etc.

• Supervise “housekeeping” tasks necessary to keep the library media center neat and attractive

• Work with individuals and small groups of students in such areas as book selection, reference, computer use, and media production

• Assist students and staff with the use of computers and software

• Perform any other duties assigned by the library media specialist. See job description for more details.

Adult Volunteers

It has been customary to use adults who volunteer their services to help in the library media center. This close working relationship with parents and other adults is useful to free the library media specialist for professional duties. There should be some orientations to the jobs that adult volunteers are expected to perform. Adult volunteers may:

• Assist with the circulation of materials

• Prepare overdue notices

• Shelve books and other materials

• Mend books and other printed materials

• Check in periodicals

• Read shelves

• Assist in taking inventory

• Prepare displays

• Read to students.

Student Library Media Assistants

School library media centers often utilize the service of student assistants. The key to successful participation is a group of alert, responsible, enthusiastic student assistants who have been carefully selected by the library media specialist, who understand their duties and responsibilities, and whose service to the school is given proper recognition.

Substitutes

As a regular member of the faculty, the school library media specialist is entitled to a substitute in the case of absence. This includes high schools where there are two professional staff members. The Master Agreement Between the Board of Education of Howard County and the Howard County Education Association, Article XIX, “Working Hours and Work Load,” specifies that “Substitutes shall be provided for all classroom teachers (including media personnel and specialists) who attend professional conferences and activities, including inservice meetings held and approved teacher visitations to other schools.”

Because the library media program has many routines, which are different from those for regular classrooms, it is recommended that the library media specialist consult with the local school administration about suitable substitutes for the library media center. Information is provided to principals concerning approved substitute teachers’ areas of specialty. It is desirable to request a substitute who has a background in library media services and/or a familiarity with the particular school and library media center routine. The following information should be in a file left for the substitute:

• A daily/weekly schedule of library media center classes

• Class lists

• Lesson plans appropriate to the level of each group

• Duty schedule

• Plans for non-class time (e.g., shelving books, typing, etc.)

• List of student library media assistants and adult volunteers, and their schedule

• A copy of the library media center’s rules

• Other items as specified by the individual school (e.g., school discipline code, hall passes, etc.)

• Name and location of someone in the building who may be able to answer questions or provide assistance

• Any other notes which may be helpful.

The library media center should not be closed due to the absence of the library media specialist.

Central Office Library Media Personnel

Coordinator of Library Media

The Coordinator of Library Media reports to the Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment and provides staff leadership in the development, administration, and supervision of school library media programs. The Coordinator is responsible for budget development and administration, curriculum, purchasing, and observing teachers. The Coordinator of Library Media also provides facilitative leadership and site-based school improvement support for the Library Media program at all instructional levels. In close collaboration with the Office of Instructional Technology and Library Media staff,  the coordinator develops and implements professional learning for library media specialists and instructional technology teachers. The Coordinator for Library Media is also responsible for the operations of Media Technical Services and acts as a liaison between Howard County and local, state, and federal agencies.

Resource Teacher, Library Media

The Library Media Resource Teacher collaborates with curriculum staff, library media specialists, teachers, and administrators at all levels to provide program and instructional support and assist with professional learning activities. Primary responsibilities include assisting with the design, development, and evaluation of the Library Media curriculum at all levels. The Library Media Resource Teacher also serves as an Instructional Mentor or new school library media specialists.

Technical Assistant for Media Technical Services

The Technical Assistant for Media Technical Services is the main point of contact for LS2 products. Primary responsibilities include orders for library media budgets, including EBSCO. Additional functions include processing library materials, applying Mylar book covers to paper book jackets to cover books, circulating and processing of materials for new and existing library media centers.

Head of Cataloging and Automation Specialist

The Head of Cataloging/Library Automation Specialist will have responsibility for all aspects of cataloging library media materials and the library automation system (TLC). Primary responsibilities include performing original and copy cataloging for library materials, serves as liaison between HCPSS library media personnel and the union database vendor, coordinating processing center procedures for school-based personnel and establishes processing specifications for materials from vendors that provide HCPSS-approved processing.

Other Aligned Central Office Staff

Coordinator of Instructional Technology

The Coordinator of Instructional Technology works in close collaboration with the Coordinator of Library Media to develop and implement professional learning for library media specialists instructional technology teachers.

Instructional Technology Resource Teacher

The Instructional Technology Resource Teacher provides onsite technology support for the effective integration of instructional technology into the curriculum. The Instructional Technology Resource Teacher provides school-based inservice training for small and large groups of teachers, instructional technology teachers, library media specialists and other staff members.

Central Office Support Personnel

In addition to the Coordinators of Instructional Technology and Library Media, the Specialist for Media Technical Services, and the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher, many central office personnel provide direct services to school library media specialists. For assistance in arranging emergency computer and equipment repairs, contact Networks and Technology Support at 410-313-7004.