What you may not know about school librarians

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What you may not know about school librarians
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• If you havent been in a school library since you
  left high school, you probably have no idea what
  a school librarian looks like.

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Best bargain in town!

• Librarians help learners learn
• Librarians help teachers teach
• Librarians are human bridges between technology
  and learners

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What does this mean?

• Libraries are where the rubber meets the road,
  where all the technology skills learned in
  computer labs are applied in research and
  communication efforts.
• In a wired school, the librarian is the
  information specialist Web site developer,
  database expert, upholder of intellectual
  freedom, protector of intellectual property,
  technology leader, trainer, and integrator.

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Pedagogical trends point to need for strong
libraries

• Explosion in information and communication tech
  landscapes
• Brain research, multiple intelligences
• Focus on standards, learning outcomes,
  evidence-based practice
• Student-centered learning
• Block schedules
• Movement toward inquiry based, project-based,
  resource-based learning
• Serious issues relating to academic integrity

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Teacher

• Collaborates with "members of the learning
  community
• to analyze learning and information needs,
• to locate and use resources that will meet those
  needs,
• to understand and communicate the information the
  resources provide.
• http//mciu.org/spjvweb/jvles.html

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What it takes

• Integration of info lit competencies into
  whole-school program
• Integration of info technologies and productivity
  technologies into whole-school program
• Knowledge of whole-school curriculum
• Collaboration in planning, developing curriculum
  and assessment
• Participation at team and grade meetings
• Participation on tech committees
• Knowledge of professional strategies and
  resources and planning and delivery of
  professional development
• Connections to the larger learning community

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Program Administrator

• Supports the mission of the school
• Requires ongoing administrative support
• Funding and staffing
• Provides management expertise, planning and
  evaluation
• Knowledge, vision, and leadership to steer it
• creatively and energetically in the twenty-first
  century
• Purchasing power

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Information Technology expert

• Selection of software for the content areas
  (ABC-CLIO, Beyond Books)
• Selection of cross-curricular database software
  (bigchalk, GaleNet)
• Integrator of productivity technology
  (Dreamweaver, Inspiration)

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Information Access and Delivery

• Intellectual access
• Physical access
• Flexible access
• Learning climate
• Collaboratively developed collections
• Commitment to intellectual freedom
• Modeling legal guidelines and information ethics

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Web site developers

• School library web pages are more than school
  brochures
• Linking students to real, essential content
  (databases, quality free and proprietary web
  content)
• Students wont access this content unless its
  available in handy portal
• http//mciu.org/spjvweb

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In the larger community

• Collaboration with teachers and administrators
• Parents and families
• Colleges and universities
• Professional organizations for new practices and
  ideas
• Agencies and organizations
• Consortia

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About budgets and influence

• For example
• 25,000 online databases
• 15,000 books and periodicals
• 2000 supplies
• Hardware and softwareI select, funded by central
  office
• In large districts, library administrative staffs

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Purchasing path
Librarian reads and circles ads and reviews
relating to curriculum (or requests preview)
Librarians select review journals or attends
conference
Librarian reads and circles ads and reviews
relating to curriculum
Ad or review item is ordered with library
funds
or
Librarian distributes ad or review to teacher
or department chair
Teacher or department chair may order with
department funds
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Need for information skills has never been more
critical

• Information seeking--searching vs. surfing
  http//mciu.org/spjvweb/searchtip.html
• Importance of databases and printhttp//mciu.org/
  spjvweb/catalogs.html
• Evaluation http//mciu.org/spjvweb/middleages.htm
  l
• Ethicssetting climate and policies
• http//mciu.org/spjvweb/acadintegrity.html
• Synthesis--http//mciu.org/spjvweb/thesis.html
• Effective communication
• http//mciu.org/spjvweb/jvles.html

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What else would you like to know about school
librarians?