Management

Component A: Instructional Capacity

A highly effective teacher librarian has the schedule flexibility and capacity to collaboratively plan instruction, co-teach, and lead professional learning.

In my ten years as Teacher Librarian at Highlands Ranch High School, there have been several iterations of library support staff. In my first two years, there was a full-time library assistant and a part-time textbook manager. After the original library assistant left to pursue other opportunities, the principal split her position in two: part-time library assistant and part-time volunteer coordinator. The volunteer coordinator position took up a lot of the library assistant's time, especially during prom and graduation season. We currently have a part-time library assistant (she quit the volunteer coordinator position) and a part-time textbook manager. This has increased the amount of time I must spend at the circulation desk, but we work out our schedules so that I can manage my duties - meeting with teachers, teaching a class, doing book talks, or carrying out my extra responsibilities - for at least half of the day. In the 2024-25 school year, those extra responsibilities included:

• Department Chair bi-weekly meetings

• PLT weekly meetings with the English department

• Co-Sponsor of Link Crew / teaching a homeroom of juniors and seniors

• Attending district-provided Librarian Professional Development

• Managing my after-school clubs (Book Club, Battle of the Books, No Place for Hate, and Crochet Club)

We also stagger our start times, so that the library is always staffed from 7:00 am - 3:30 pm (we close at 3:00 on Fridays):

• Teacher Librarian - Every day: 7:30 am - 3:00 pm

• Library Assistant - Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: 11:30 am - 3:30 pm; Tuesdays: 7:30 am - 3:30 pm

• Textbook Manager - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 7:00 am - 12:00 pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays: 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

• I am part of an English PLT that is working on helping 9th graders identify evidence in their reading and writing. We created a rubric and then graded essays collaboratively to be sure we were all on the same page. I worked with small groups from one class that needed extra help in identifying evidence.

• I created a Holocaust Museum (borrowed and revised from another teacher in the disrict) to use in World History classes as an introduction to the Holocaust. 

• I invited teachers to bring their students to the library for a lesson during Banned Books Week. This is a fun lesson to introduce students to the reasons why people challenge and/or ban books, as well as what materials other than books get challenged or banned. 

• I collaborated with the librarian at Fox Creek Elementary School to have National Honor Society  students read aloud to her students on World Read Aloud Day.

• One of my favorite collaborations is doing Book Talks, whether they are for fiction/choice reading or nonfiction units. I select several books to display on tables in the library, then teachers bring their classes in to browse. I book talk about four or five of the books, then students are given the opportunity to choose a book to read. I enjoy helping them find a book that they want and (hopefully) will read.

• I reached out to AP teachers to offer to show them how to use JStor with their students, and to collaborate with them on a lesson.

Some recent collaborations:

Leading Professional Learning

After ten years in my position, I feel like I am just now hitting my stride in leading professional development for teachers. We have a full-time PLS (Professional Learning Specialist) whose job it is to design and facilitate professional development opportunities for teachers on PD days. I have tried to plug in to these sessions as much as possible. Here are some ways I have engaged in leading professional learning over the past two years:

• At the beginning of every school year, I invite new teachers to eat lunch with me (I provide dessert), so that I can show them how I and the library staff can support them. Here is the presentation I give them. Because being a new teacher at a new school can feel like drinking water from a fire hydrant, I try to give them just an overview at this orientation, then I follow up with them periodically over the course of the semester to see how they are doing and to ask how I can support them.

• A few years ago, I was invited by our science teacher to take a  class at the University of Colorado Denver for teacher librarians and science teachers called "Teaching with Primary Sources." This class was specifically designed for librarians and science teachers to collaborate on lesson planning, and focused on how to use primary sources from the Library of Congress in science classes. I created this lesson plan as our assignment for the course, Another science teacher also took the course, so I suggested that we share what we learned on one of our PD days. Here is the presentation we gave to teachers on the lessons we created and how to use the Library of Congress primary sources in lessons.

• A social studies teacher and I presented a session on using AI for learning. Here is the slideshow I prepared for teachers. The session was such a big hit that the teacher and I both received an appreciation award at the next staff meeting!

• In an effort to get more departments other than English and social studies to incorporate nonfiction into their curriculum, I prepared a presentation on strategies for reading nonfiction, which I presented to the science department on one of our PD days.

• I was asked to present to district librarians on my use of "dynamic shelving" to increase circulation. 

Component B: Library Support Staff Management and Supervision

A highly effective teacher librarian creates a positive work climate for library support staff, volunteers, and student aides by consistently providing meaningful, strengths-based guidance and modeling effective self-advocacy and interpersonal communication skills.

Library Staff Responsibilities 

The Teacher Librarian consistently demonstrates people management and supervision best practices. Consistently models effective self-advocacy and interpersonal communication skills. Fosters a positive work climate.

I am fortunate to have an awesome library staff. We are both co-workers and friends, and support each other professionally and with personal issues. This year, the library assistant, Angie Yearous, gave up her part-time volunteer coordinator position and went down to part time. This was a big adjustment for me and the library, because even though her library assistant position was technically only part time before, she worked out of the library full time. Her volunteer coordinator position mostly took up her time in the spring ,when she was in charge of After Prom and other senior end-of-year activities. This year I had to readjust my work time away from the circulation desk to accommodate Angie's reduced schedule. This has meant more up front time for me in the mornings, and being the only person in the library on Fridays. However, our textbook manager, Jane Engle, is able to cover for me at the circulation desk when I am co-teaching, collaborating with a teacher, or when I have a Book Talk in the library. We are diligent about putting our meetings on our shared calendar, and check in every morning about our schedules. Despite the fact that I miss having Angie here all day, every day - and the loss of all she brings to the library - we have adjusted to her new schedule, and my co-teaching and collaborating has not suffered because of it.

At the beginning of each school year, Angie and I print out a calendar for the year and mark all library celebrations and holidays. Then we begin our preliminary planning for bulleting boards, displays, and programming. As the dates approach, we plan what we are going to do in more detail. Although Jane is not usually a part of the planning process, she is always involved in whatever programming we have going on in the library. For example, on "Talk Like a Pirate Day," we all dressed up like pirates and gave candy to any student who talked like a pirate. Jane is always included in these activities, as well as the copy person, who is in the back room of the library part time (but not technically part of the library staff). 

My goal as manager of the library and library staff is to make the library a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place for students and staff - and that includes the library staff. I want my co-workers to love coming to work each day, and I encourage them to take on extra responsibiities so that they feel like a part of the wider school community. For example, I encouraged Angie - who graduated from the School of Mines and is a former engineer! - to apply to be co-sponsor of both the NHS and SWE (Society of Women Engineers), which she did (and is now the co-sponsor of both!). Jane's job tends to be less "exciting," since she is mostly in the back textbook room, either cataloging books or taking inventory, so her and I have discussed ways in which she can take on bigger projects and more responsibility in the library. I try to tap into each of the library assistant's strengths when asking them to take on a task. For example, Jane is a former accountant and is comfortable with numbers and spreadsheets, so I asked her to take on the computer cart sign-out system, which requires managing five different computer carts that are checked out to various departments every day. Angie's super power is creating beautiful and eye-catching displays, and she loves doing it - often coming in on the weekends to work on them - so that is one of her main responsibilities.

Another way that I advocate for the library staff is through awards and recognition. In 2020, I nominated Angie for the Douglas County School District Apple Award, which “honors exceptional Douglas County School District educators and staff who are inspiring a love of learning in their students.” Angie was chosen among the school's classified staff to be our school's nominee. Last year, I nominated her for the Colorado Association of Libraries' Outstanding School Paraprofessional Award, which I'm proud to say she won!

Here is a chart that shows our different responsibilities and tasks:

Component C: Collection Development 

A highly effective teacher librarian builds an appealing, balanced and inclusive library collection that aligns with curriculum and school goals, reflects students' needs and interests, and is guided by input from the school community.

Additional criteria:

• Presents accurate and current information from reliable sources;

• Presents a variety of viewpoints;

• Authentically represents society's diverse cultures and lived experiences;

• Responsive to the language needs of the school community; and

• Represents a variety of formats and reading levels that meet students' diverse learning needs.

District Guidelines for Analyzing Collections

Collection Status: October, 2019 (before I began my collection overhaul)

Collection Status: May 13, 2025 (current)

Analysis of Data

Over the past ten years - and especially during the past four years after we began a mass weeding project - our library collection has been transformed. Where our nonfiction section was once filled with old, outdated, and irrelevant books, we now have a robust narrative nonfiction section that better meets the needs and interests of our students. Here are some highlights from the data above that show how our collection has changed:

1. First and foremost, while the number of items in the collection has decreased from 2019 to 2025 by more than 6,000 books, the average age of the collection has increased from 1996 to 2015 - which has moved us into the "proficient level" for library collections. Despite the fact that weeding so many books has decreased our items per student from 6.1 to 2.3, the books that are in the collection are more current, relevant, and appealing to students. Instead of having more books that were old and outdated, we have less books that students are more interested in. My next goal is to increase the items per student, so that we are proficient in that area as well, and I believe we will be able to do that next fall when I place my next big order.

2. The improvement in age is also reflected in the percentage of aged titles in our collection. In 2019, 65% of our collection was considered aged, and only 5% was from 2014 or newer. In 2025, the percentage of aged titles decreased to 25%, and newer titles increased to 41%. Some of the aged titles are classics that we want to keep in the library. 

3. We are proud to say that we have 2,485 titles that are considered diverse, or 33% of our collection (average age: 2016). And 2,170 of our titles are considered SEL, or 29% (average age: 2017). One third of our collection is considered diverse or SEL!

4. Whereas 47% of our collection in 2019 was nonfiction and only 26% fiction, we have now flipped that ratio to 68% fiction and 32% nonfiction. This reduction in nonfiction is due to the fact that students are now able to get facts and reference information online, especially with our databases. Encyclopedic-like books are no longer necessary or relevant, so we were able to weed out many fact-based books and replace them with narrative nonfiction instead. Many of our English teachers assign a nonfiction choice book to their students, and we now have more nonfiction books of interest for them to choose from, i.e. true crime or adventure.

5. Because of these improvements in our collection, I was recognized by the District Library Media Center (DLMC) with a Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Advancing the Highlands Ranch High School Library Collection (2023), and a Certificate of Recognition for Growth in Library Collection (2024-25). I was given a matching grant by the DLMC in 2023-24 for $5,000 (matched by my principal) to help bring my collection up to date, and this year the DLMC gave me another $1,000 to update my nonfiction section.

Input from Students and Staff

The Teacher Librarian seeks input from students and staff to guide collection development.

Whenever I am preparing a book order, I email the staff to ask if there are any books they would like to have in the library for use in their classes (or just to check out to read). For example, our AP Environmental teacher asked me to purchase titles that she used for a book study; the Contemporary World Issues teacher asked for titles around areas of social and racial justice. For my Environment HESTL credential, I surveyed the staff about how responsive I have been to their collection and programming needs. It made me happy to hear their positive responses and to know that I am a support for them and their classrooms. Here are the results:

Component D: Weeding

A highly effective teacher librarian develops and implements an ongoing plan to weed library materials that meet district policy criteria for removal.

The teacher librarian educates the school community about district policy on the removal of library materials and the importance of weeding to maintain an appealing, balanced, and inclusive library collection.

As I said before, I started work in 2021-22 to weed our collection of old and outdated books. This has been an ongoing process ever since, and I am proud to say that we have made great strides in improving the age of our collection. In collaboration with the DLMC, we created a Collection Alignment Plan that has guided this process. When we started this work in 2022, the average age of our print collection was 2004 (or "below satisfactory," according to the district guidelines). After we completed our mass weeding project, we had lots of empty space on our shelves. It was a little scary to weed so many books at once, because then the shelves looked so bare. But it was also cathartic, because so many of the books were old, outdated, and not circulated. We follow DCSD policies surrounding weeding and the responsible disposal of library materials. We had bins and bins of old books to dispose of. This caused alarm with some members of our staff, who questioned me about what we were doing. I was able to inform them about district policies regarding weeding, as well as best practices, and I sent an email to staff explaining the why and how of weeding. This assuaged their concerns, and many were happy that we were finally getting rid of outdated materials. Before we start any weeding process, we run a library report that shows us the date of publication and how many times the book has circulated in the last five years. Then we follow the CREW protocol (Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding), along with "15/5/MUSTIE," as a guide while weeding. This means that we look at the age of the item (15 years or older are eligible for weeding), we look at the circulation data from the last five years, and then we use MUSTIE to determine other weeding criteria. 

M = Misleading - factually inaccurate

U = Ugly - worn beyond mending or rebinding

S = Superseded - by a new edition of or a much better book on the subject

T = Trivial - of no discernible literary or scientific nature

I = Irrelevant to the needs and interests of the library’s community

E = Elsewhere - the material is easily obtainable from another library or source

We have completed our weeding plan in three phases:

1. In 2021-22, I began a massive weeding project of our fiction section. I wanted to genrefy our fiction, and weeding our old and outdated books was the first step. Although I do not have numbers from that first major weeding, our collection, as stated above, has decreased from 10,192 items in 2019 to 3,873 items in 2025. Despite this decrease in number of items, the average age of the collection has increased from 1996 to 2015, moving us from "below satisfactory" to "proficient" on the DLMC's guidelines for average age, and making the collection more contemporary and relevant. The State of the Library snapshot below shows our growth from 2021-22 through April, 2025.

2. The second phase of our weeding plan was to weed the nonfiction section. We also created a narrative nonfiction section to separate fact-based books from those nonfiction books that are told in a storytelling format. We disposed of fact-based books that were dated as far back as 1997! Now we have three nonfiction sections: Narrative Nonfiction; Biographies/Autobiographies/Memoirs; and expository, academic, or informational nonfiction. 

3. The third phase is continuous weeding, or "weeding as you go." I recently eliminated about 300 books from our shelves, based on this spreadsheet prepared for us by the DLMC. Every year, I run a library report that shows which books are outdated and how many times they have circulated in the past five years. Because of the support of the DLMC and my principal - who both provided added funding to replenish our collection - our shelves are no longer bare; instead, we are now once again overflowing, but with a much more updated and relevant collection.

Shelves AFTER Weeding

Shelves After Replenishing

Educating the Community

When we started our big weeding project in 2021-22, we received mixed responses from students and staff. One staff member in particular felt that NO books should be removed from the library, that taxpayer dollars paid for the books and, therefore, they should be kept! When we started to fill bins with old books, students and staff alike asked, "Why are you getting rid of so many books?!" This was an opportunity to educate the community about DLMC policies regarding weeding, why we weed, and the process we use to decide which books get weeded. When staff (especially the English teacher who was opposed to us disposing of any books) looked through the bins to "grab what they could," they soon realized that the books were too old and outdated to be used in classrooms anymore. Before starting a big weeding project, I  send out an email to staff explaining what we are doing and why; I am transparent about the process, and this usually assuages any concerns. 

Component E: Policies and Procedures

A highly effective teacher librarian ensures school library policies and procedures align with best practices, including selection of materials, reconsideration of challenged materials, weeding library materials, evaluating library material gifts and donations, protecting student privacy (i.e. library records and student data), and protecting students' equitable access to library resources (i.e. eliminating fines).

Selection of Library Materials

As you know, the Colorado General Assembly recently passed SB25-063, Library Resource Decision Standards for Public Schools, which requires "each school district, board of cooperative services that operates a school, district charter school, and institute charter school (local education provider) to establish written policies for the acquisition, retention, display, and use of library resources and for the  reconsideration of a library resource (policies)." I am proud to say that DCSD has always had a Library Media Policy that both the DLMC and district librarians follow, and which guides us when having to:

• select and purchase books and other materials; 

• analyze and align our collections; 

• weed and dispose of materials; 

• keep patron records confidential; and 

• address challenges or complaints about materials, among other issues.

We are fortunate to have an incredible district library staff that not only advocates for us at both the district and school levels, but keeps us educated about district policies and procedures. At the beginning of every school year, district librarians are given a binder with DCSD Board Policies and the Library Media Policy. We follow all DCSD policies for the selection and purchasing of library materials. The DLMC staff provides us with cultivated purchasing lists to help with our purchasing. Here are the district's Library Media Policy's guidelines for selection of library materials:

District objectives for selection:

• To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interest, abilities, and maturity levels of the students served.

• To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literacy appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.

• To provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues within the collection so that young citizens may develop the practice of critical analysis of all media.

• To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage.

• To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to ensure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library media center.

• To provide materials that encourage not only the enjoyment of reading but also lead to the creation of lifelong readers. 

• To provide materials for the school staff and community that represent timely educational and community issues.

Materials are considered for purchase on the basis of:

• Overall purpose

• Timeliness / permanence

• Importance of the subject matter

• Quality of the writing

• Quality of the production

• Quality of the medium selected

• Readability and popular appeal

• Authority

• The reputation of the publisher or producer

• Format and price

• Requests from students and staff

• Avoidance of stereotypes

• Two age-appropriate and positive reviews; titles should be appropriate for the students in your school.

Criteria for selecting nonfiction and reference materials:

• Accuracy / authority / organization

• Written by a qualified author or specialist

• Accurate, current information

• Avoidance of stereotypes

• Generalizations supported by facts

• A clear distinction between fact, theory, opinion

• Adequate coverage for intended audience and purpose

Other criteria for purchasing:

• Age: Especially since weeding out all of our outdated and old books, I am very careful about replacing them with titles that are older than five years. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule; for example, the copyright date for The Hunger Games is 2008, but it is still very popular, so we ordered a newer edition. Same with the classics, like Pride and Prejudice or Fahrenheit 451.

• Professional reviews: When purchasing fiction, we are required to select titles that have two positive professional reviews from publications such as School Library Journal, Booklist, or Kirkus Reviews. For nonfiction, we are required to have at least one positive professional review.

• Age-appropriate: Students in high school read at both a middle school level (or lower) and at a college level. I try to purchase books that are engaging and appropriate for all students in our building. This means buying books that are labeled as middle-grade or adult (especially for readers who are enrolled in AP or ACC English courses).

• Approved vendors: Our district mandates that we purchase our books through an approved vendor list. We primarily use Follett, because books come shelf-ready with spine labels and genre stickers, and there is no cost for shipping. Additionally, Follett provides reviews for each book so that I don't have to hunt for them, and you can curate lists according to date of publication/interest and reading levels/genre, etc. 

Challenges to Library Materials

In addition to mandating that school districts establish written policies for the selection and purchasing of library materials, SB25-063 also requires school districts and charter schools to write up a specific policy that outlines a clear process of steps on how to remove materials from the library. Again, I am fortunate that DCSD already has such a policy in place, and that parents and other community members are required to follow the process to challenge a book. I have been involved in one "official" book challenge, and twice was asked "unofficially" to remove a book from the shelf.

DCSD Library Book Challenge Procedure (taken from the Library Media Policy)

When a comunity member (teacher, parent, student, administrator) initiates a complaint about a resource held in the library, we are to follow these steps:

1. Listen to the person's complaint and try to resolve before moving to step 2.

2. Notify my Administrator and District Library Program Director that there has been a complaint about a resource in the library.

3. Do not pull the book/material from the shelves unless the administrator wants to review it. All materials remain on the shelf until a decision is made through the proper public complaint procedure.

4. Review DCSD's Public Complaints About Learning Resources document for steps to take to resolve the issue before having the complainant fill out the Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources.

5. When the complainant returns the completed form, give it to the principal so that they know exactly what the objections to the material are. Also send a copy to the District Library Program Director, so that they know what the objections are and can help in gathering data.

6. The principal and library director discuss the objections, then review the district's selection policy to see if the material is appropriate for inclusion in our school library.

7. The principal and library director can decide together to keep, move, or deselect the material.

8. Once the decision is made, the principal, school librarian, and library director meet with the complainant to discuss the decision. If the complainant does not agree with the decision and wants to further pursue the matter, then it is the principal's responsibility to take the complainant through the rest of the procedure.

Real-Life Book Challenges

Over the last few years, I have been a part of one official challenge and two unofficial challenges.

1. Official challenge: A parent at Legend High School objected to her son reading A Long Way Gone, a memoir by Ishmael Beah about his experiences as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. The book was one of 200 on a list from which students could choose. I volunteered to be a part of the committee that reviewed the parent's complaint. The parent completed the Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources; the committee met to review the request, then we had time to read the book before our next meeting. The committee discussed both the parent's and teacher's reasons, then decided to keep the book on the list and on all shelves in the district. This was an example of a parent not agreeing with the principal and library director's decision, following the written district policy to challenge the book, and the committee deciding to keep the book (number 8 above).

2. Unofficial challenge: A district parent objected to the book Push by Sapphire being on any school library's shelves. The library director gathered data on the book - copyright date, professional reviews, age-appropriateness, and circulation stats. She decided that the book did not meet the district's selection policy based on its mature themes, copyright date, and circulation stats. She asked each of the high school librarians who owned a copy to remove it voluntarily. I agreed to remove it for the following reasons: I did not purchase the book (it was on the shelf when I started my position);  in the years I had been in the library, it had never been checked out; and the copyright date was 1996. This was an example of the library director making a decision to remove the book (number 7 above).

3. Unofficial challenge: The district's Chief Learning Services Officer, who oversees the DLMC, received a complaint about the book All Boys Aren't Blue, a memoir by George M. Johnson, and asked high school principals to ask their librarians to voluntarily remove the book. All nine of the high school librarians refused, instead requesting that the parent go through the district procedure for challenging the book. The parent never did, and the book remains on our shelves (in this case, the parent bypassed the steps above).

Evaluating Library Material Gifts and Donations

When I first started in my position, I welcomed donations - until I realized that the reasons people (although well-intentioned) wanted to get rid of their books were the same reasons I wanted to weed them from our collection! Now I direct donations to the recycling bin we have outside of our school for used books. The exception is when someone has a like-new copy of a book that circulates a lot, or if our copy is old and needs to be replaced. When I do accept donations, I follow the district's guidelines for selecting library materials.

Protecting Student Privacy

At the beginning of every school year, we are required to undergo training in a variety of areas, such as child abuse reporting, harrassment and discrimination, and privacy act compliance. We follow all district policies surrounding student privacy, including:

• Privacy of User Records: We do not disclose records about which students use particular library materials or the library space (unless it's necessary information for library operation, we have written consent of the student, or are required to disclose the records by law).

• Colorado State Patron Confidentiality Law: We cannot legally reveal the name of individuals who have specific library materials checked out to them, unless requested by the DCSD School District Attorney to release student checkout records to the parents of a child. 

Protecting Students' Equitable Access

• We do not charge late fees for overdue items, and we will dismiss fines for lost books or resources if students are unable to pay.

• We work with our tech manager to provide access to long-term Chromebooks for students who cannot afford to purchase their own. We only have about 30 of these computers for year-long checkouts, so we work with the Counseling department to give them to students who need them the most. We also have 20 Chromebooks on a cart that students can check out for the day.

• AP students often have to purchase their own textbooks, novels, and graphing calculators, so we work with departments to purchase a handful of these for students to check out from the library. This year I purchased two additional AP Government textbooks at about $150 each (for a total of five) that we house in the library for students to check out. We have also collaborated with the Social Studies department to hold an AP textbook and novel sale/swap at the end of the school year.

  • Another way we advocate for equitable access to the library is through our shelving. This year, I implemented "dynamic shelving," which is anything that adds visual interest to shelves; for example, front-facing as many books as I can; stacking or grouping books according to authors, adding shelf talkers, etc. One of the things that appealed to me about dynamic shelving is that it makes the library more accessible and equitable for all students. Not everyone who comes into the library understands how to search a catalog; knows the name of authors they might like to read; speaks the same language as the library staff; or feels comfortable or confident enough to ask for help. Dynamic shelving empowers students to be able to independently and successfully browse for, and find, books that they want to read.