What Every New Media Specialist Needs to Know These 10 tips can help your career get off to a great start Illustration by Steve Wacksman It’s not easy being a media specialist, especially if you’re new to the profession or you’ve switched schools and you’re suddenly the new kid on the block. Let’s face it, many administrators and teachers don’t understand what we do. And like it or not, we’re still battling that age-old stereotype of the school librarian as a little old lady with a bun who shuffles around shushing people. Take a deep breath! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. ADEPT for Library Media Specialists - South Carolina Department of Education Following statewide implementation of South Carolina's ADEPT system in 1998, it became apparent that the performance standards for classroom teachers did not appropriately reflect what school library media specialists were expected to know and to be able to do. As a result, a statewide work group, comprised of representatives from school districts, institutions of higher education, and the State Department of Education, was formed to develop appropriate performance expectations for library media specialists. Following an extensive field review of these performance dimensions, a formal evaluation model was developed, disseminated for field review, and subsequently piloted during the 2001-02 school year. During the summer of 2002, the members of the work group met with the participants in the pilot project to review the results of the study and to develop recommendations for revising both the performance dimensions and the evaluation model. Training Materials Guidelines. Documentation.
The Library Book The Library Book So that the staff, both teaching and admin, were aware of the library’s services and procedures I created The Library Book which became a ready reference for them. It took the form of a folder with sleeves so that updates and additions were made easily. I also included a treat or two and a book voucher for our Book Fair for a personal purchase. I surveyed staff to see what it was they particularly wanted to know so that I had a prioritised list to start the process. Because all schools are different, I’ve just listed the contents here to provide a starting point for your thinking but where applicable I’ve added a brief explanation. Title Page – to ensure staff made the connection between the library and their teaching programs, I called it The Library Book: linking literacy and literature for lifelong learners. Benchmarks – in Australia, national literacy testing takes place in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 so the literacy benchmarks for the appropriate years were summarised.
3 Easy Ways to Get Teachers Into Your School Library - Librarian Lisa One of the most important jobs of a school librarian is to build relationships with teachers. It’s easiest to communicate via email- especially if teachers are spread out over a large campus. But nothing beats face-to-face meetings in the library. The more time teachers spend in the library, the more they’ll understand the value of the library (and the librarian!). Here are three easy ways you can get teachers to step foot in the library. Give out goodie bags What’s the best part about being a kid at a birthday party? Grown-up teachers are no different. I can’t take credit for this idea. You don’t have to go all out if you have little time or budget. Host an Open House You might consider hosting a library open house for teachers. If you want to make it more interesting, you could offer some raffle prizes to teachers who stop in. Speak up Ask your principal if you can have two minutes to speak at your back-to-school staff meeting.
A revised manifesto Thank you all for the kind feedback you offered for my rant a few days back. As I wrote that response, in the back of my mind I considered a few realities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. It is critical that we demonstrate and share. Back in October, I revised the little Manifesto I worked on a couple of years ago for my VOYA column. Please share, add, or pull it apart in your comments. Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians My prompt: A couple of summers back a young school librarian, fresh out of library school, asked a very honest question at one of our state retreats: We’re all doing different stuff. Well into the 21st century, it is clear that the concept of modern teacher librarian practice is not clear. What I know for sure is that if the Joyce who graduated from library school in 1976 (and again with a school specialty in 1988), heck, if the Joyce from the 2007/2008 school year, were to visit my library today, she would be stunned by the differences in my/our practice. Reading 1. 2. ● You lead.
Five Tips for New School Librarians – A Guest Post by Cathy Potter | Page in Training January 2012 marks the one year anniversary of when I started my first position as a teacher librarian. In celebration and in way of thanks for all the help I’ve been given in that year, I am hosting a series of posts this month for new teacher librarians. Today’s post is by Cathy Potter. I love getting reading recommendations from her and seeing what is happening in her library. Being a school librarian is a rewarding career. Five Tips for New School Librarians 1) Collaboration is Key! Make connections with librarians at the public library. 2) Read, Read, Read! Listen to your students! Read reviews regularly. A Few of the Kidlit Blogs I Follow:A Fuse #8 Production100 Scope NotesA Year of ReadingBrain Burps (podcast) 3) Create a web presence. 4) Reach out to parents. 5) Develop a support system. Remember to smile and share your love of books and technology. Cathy Potter is a K-5 school librarian in Maine.
The TL Toolkit for Student Success Home Think you don’t? Yes you do! Teacher-librarians can and do make a difference. Evidence-Based Practice is not complicated. Some Benefits of Evidence-Based Practice: Improving and demonstrating student achievement Becoming learning central Empowering the learner and the professional Highlighting the school library’s role in school improvement Providing accountability: funding, staffing, scheduling Planning more effectively Increasing your job satisfaction Reflecting on your practice Moving beyond advocacy By getting involved in Evidence-Based Practice you are building a portfolio of local school evidence and the tools to communicate it.
The Absolutely True Adventures of a School Librarian: This Week in the JCHS Library: August 8-12, 2016 Library Orientation Scavenger Hunt WINNERS! 9th Grade Library Orientation: This week our new Jets (9th graders) had the opportunity to get familiar with the JCHS Library and all that it has to offer. Using Google Classroom, students explored various aspects of the JCHS Library. One activity had students create original memes about our library "rules" (I hate rules so there aren't many). Googling with Spanish 1 & 3: I made a return visit to Ms. Googling with Health Science: Ms. Story Time with Ms. Last week when Ms. This week we focused on similes! Then we read, My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil And Other Funny Classroom Portraits by Hanoch Piven. Personal Shopping with Ms. Personal Shopping is one of my most favorite things to do in the JCHS Library. When Ms. The BONUS from doing this activity with Ms. MakerSpace Cha Cha Changes Continue: The JCHS Library premiered its MakerSpace last school year. JCHS Library Tech Tips of the Week: Follow all of our adventures on social media!
It’s In the Bag: Welcome Back to The Library Goodness! In May, I thought it would be fun to welcome the teachers back with a “goody bag” from the library. I have been wanting to do such a gesture of goodwill since I opened the library, but this is the first summer I’ve actually felt I had time to follow through on the goody bag idea. In May, I contacted my GALE representative who graciousy arranged for me to recieve a box of pens, assorted bookmarks, a tension-release “squeegie”, and a pad with sticky notes for bookmarking. For an easy library themed decor to the brown paper bags, I used my Demco book pockets with self-adhesive. Some homemade goodies for the bag include a wordle representing today’s 21st century librarian that I created with friends from my personal learning network on Twitter earlier this year. Last but not least in the goody bag is a sprinkling of Hersey’s milk chocolate kisses! I created 60 today and still have about 40 to go. 1. 2. 3. 4. Like this: Like Loading...
Knowledge Quest | AASL Advice to New Librarians As the school year begins, some of you may be starting as a school librarian for the first time. With my position, I am able to work with new school librarians in my district. Whether the librarians have just a few or many years as a classroom teacher, they step into this new role feeling overwhelmed with the common question, “Where do I begin?” Build Relationships: When I go out and speak to groups and advocate for classroom teachers working with their building librarians, I sometimes hear a comment or two about how they don’t feel comfortable approaching their librarians. Dive into the Content: Grab the curriculum guides for all content areas. Be Patient: When you enter your library, you may want to rearrange the space and make it “your space.” Become Familiar with the Collection: Get to know your collection by walking the shelves. Enjoy the Transition: If you are transitioning from the classroom into the library, there are times when you will wish for the small classroom again.
Impact Studies | CISSL This theme identifies the work of CISSL researchers in an ongoing series of macro and micro impact studies of school libraries and their relationship to student learning. They seek to provide both quantitative and qualitative evidence on how school libraries help students with their learning, and to understand some of the complex dynamics that shape these impacts. Impact Studies – NJASL Phase 1: Executive Summary Powerpoint presentation at NJASL 2010 Conference Impact Studies – Articles Reynolds, R. (2011a). Reynolds, R. (2011b). Reynolds, R. & Harel Caperton, I. (2011). Reynolds, R & Harel Caperton, I. (2009). Impact Studies – OELMA Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries (OELMA) Full details, including survey instruments, are available at the Ohio Educational Library Media Association website: Student Learning Through Ohio School Libraries: The Ohio Research Study Fact Sheet. Articles Todd, R. & Kuhlthau, C. (2005). Impact Studies – Delaware
The First Days of School: Setting the Climate for Year I have written before about the beginning of the school year, Beginning the School Year: It’s About Connections Not Content. I begin all classes focusing on having the students make connections between each other and with me. I want students to learn about one another in a personal way. I want to learn about my students so my instructional strategies can be more personalized and tailored to their needs and interests. As we begin this new school year, I want to share my own ideas for what I believe represent best practices for doing so. I have the following goals for beginning the school year: What should also be obvious from this list is what is not on it – namely a focus on content-driven instruction during the first days of school. These are the activities I used on the first day of school with my gifted class of 2nd to 6th grade students: Morning Check-In I believe in including classroom activities that build emotional intelligence and social emotional learning. Thumball Ice Breaker