Meet Your Library Staff
Overview
SPS has a highly skilled team of library paraprofessionals managing our school libraries. The district's certified library media specialist, Kevin O'Dea, serves the patrons of Briggs Middle School.
Below you will find information regarding the work that our library staff do in our 18 school libraries.
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
Centennial: Chris Phillips
Douglas Gardens: Cindy Short
Elizabeth Page: Edith Hoeper
Guy Lee: Amber McCullers
Maple: Julia Britton
Mount Vernon: Tim Ranger
Ridgeview: Sabrina Chesnut
Riverbend: Deb Tiegland
Thurston: Beth Atkerson
Two Rivers-Dos Ríos: Cami Romig
Yolanda: Lisa Sebright
Walterville: Tiffany Haugen
Agnes Stewart: Patricia Cokel
Briggs: Amber Morris
Hamlin: Mayra Oropeza Gomez
Thurston: Bonnie Bergman
Springfield: Danielle Schneider
Thurston: Catherine Mann & Diane Amundson
What exactly do the library staff do?
That is a very big question.
There are many differences between elementary and secondary library staff, the largest difference is that the elementary library staff are assigned to work with students. For example, an elementary library staff member might see 20 classes of students in a given week. Some of these scheduled classes are specific to book checkout while others target specific library skills.
What do elementary students learn about during their library time?
Students learn about the parts of a book, genres, authors, illustrators, and hopefully a love of books and reading. Students learn how to:
use the library appropriately
select an appropriate book
browse for different kinds of books
use the Dewey Decimal System to find books
sign into their library account, search for books and place holds
use ebooks and audiobooks
rate books
write book reviews
use research tools (e.g., WorldBook Kids, National Geographic Kids, and Gale In Context Elementary) to find information
cite sources
use the self checkout machine
Click here to visit the K-5 Library Skill site.
What about managing all of those books?
Many of our libraries are actually larger than some independently run bookstores! When you walk into a library, you see library books. But our library staff also manage textbooks, most of which you only see in the hands of students. Textbooks, and novel sets, are stored in various locations in our schools. Managing books means circulating, inventorying, repairing, ordering, and organizing literally tens of thousands of items at each site.
How can teachers and other building staff help?
If you want to use a library book or textbook, please be sure to check it out. One of the biggest problems our libraries face is when adults take books without checking them out.
How do library staff know what they are supposed to do?
Well, we have actually developed, over time, a set of roles and responsibilities (see below) that helps guide staff with respect to what needs to happen in the library. We also have a "library manual" with all of the nitty gritty details for library staff that covers all aspects of how Destiny (our library system) is set up in SPS. When changes need to be made, the team discusses them and we move forward when we are all in agreement.
For additional information about the roles of library staff, check out the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) job descriptions.
Click here to learn how the OASL defines the role of the school library assistant.
Click here to learn how the OASL defines the role of the school teacher librarian.