Talk It Up!

Last Updated on June 29, 2015 by Laura

In September, I had the opportunity to speak before a legislative committee to offer a glimpse of “A Day in the Life” of a school librarian.  I believe it is important to let people know about the work we do in our schools, so I was honored to participate in this educational opportunity.  Some of my key points:

• We are certified
  teachers.  We earned our library
  endorsement by taking approximately 2 additional years of course work.
• Many of us have
  master’s degrees.
• Several of us
  have earned National Board Certification. 
• We are often the
  technology experts in our buildings and are continually attending classes,
  webinars, and workshops (outside of school hours) to keep up on the latest
  technologies and their effective uses in education. 

•  I
  teach 460 students per week in scheduled classes in the library, 21 classes per
  week.
• We use our state’s Information Literacy and Library Media Standards as a guide in the delivery of our curriculum.
• We collaborate
  with classroom teachers to help with resources and delivery of curriculum in
  all academic areas. 

•  I manage a small
  building library budget:  ordering,
  cataloging and processing most of the books and other materials purchased for
  my library collection. 
• I host a book
  fair twice each year in order to raise money for the library and to help
  parents get quality books for their children. 
• I manage my
  school’s online library catalog, which is part of our school district’s
  shared catalog, and we actively participate in a robust Interlibrary Loan
  program.

•  
  It is essential
  that we are familiar with all curricular areas so that we can purchase
  materials that will support teaching and learning at all grade levels in the
  school, and then connect teachers and students with these resources. 

• It is important
  for us to know our students’ interests and abilities in order that we can
  connect them with books and resources that will capture their interest, enhance
  their learning and give them enjoyment by making them think, laugh, and wonder
  about the world. 

• School wide
  reading initiatives:  Principal’s Reading
  Challenge, Bikes for Books, TV Turnoff Week, Accelerated Reader Goal Setting
• Promoting and
  participating in our public library’s annual Big Read program
• Sponsoring author
  visits:  in person, through Skype and
  online webcasts
• Nationwide
  programs:  Jumpstart’s Read for the
  Record and Read Across America
• Summer Library
  Program

• Educating them on
  important issues such as online safety
• Partnering with
  our Public Library – we are a Bookmobile stop twice each month
• Letting families
  know about online resources and subscription databases
  purchased by our school district
• Assisting parents
  in finding resources, books and technology to help them extend their child’s
  learning at home

• School Libraries Work!   
• Strong School Libraries Build Strong Students
• School Library Advocacy Resources from AASL