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Role of the School Librarians
School librarianship is one of the most rewarding careers that a person can choose if you enjoy children and learning and sharing your enthusiasm about reading.
The national standard for school librarianship, Information Power; Building Partnerships for Learning (American Librarian Association, 1998), says:
“The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. …
To carry out the mission, the library media specialist performs the following separate but overlapping roles to link the information resources and sources of the library media program to the information needs and interests of the school’s students and staff:
Information specialist
Teacher
Instructional Partner
Program Administrator.”
As Information Specialist, the library media specialist provides access and assistance in finding and using information. As Teacher, the library media specialist instructs students and others in the use and communication of information and ideas. As Instructional Partner, the library media specialist works with teachers to develop instructional activities using technology and other information resources to incorporate information skills into the classroom curriculum. As Program Administrator, the library media specialist works collaboratively with members of the learning community to define the policies of the library media program and to guide and direct all the activities related to it.
Above and beyond these specific roles, the school librarian is a Leader who works within the realm of the possible to influence the principal and teachers in a school toward a “best practice” vision of a dynamic collaborative library program focused on advancing student learning.
Updated: February 2007