Advocacy for librarians in the high school setting
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2. School administrators across the United States are making hard choices about whether to fund a full–time state endorsed librarian in media centers. According to the No Child Left Behind Act, only high schools are required to have an accredited librarian on site.
3. Elementary schools meet NCLB with just a library aide and middle schools need to have an endorsed teacher to administrate the library, but no actual library credentials are required. Some high schools are going to shared library resources by maintaining a part-time librarian who serves more than one building.
4. Clearly a librarian would be helpful in elementary, middle and high school levels. If politicians and school administrators remain unconvinced about the validity of an endorsed librarian on the premises then where is the proof they are worth having?
5. Let’s start by defining the roles librarians play in the high school setting. Librarians collaborate with regular teachers to develop and execute lessons in the media center. They collect materials to help teachers in core areas of study and assist through co teaching lessons, helping students one on one with finding source information from print and Internet sources, and remain before and after school to help students individually with their education needs.
6. The librarian is responsible for developing the collection. That means weeding out of date materials and selecting new ones based on reviews from trusted sources and curriculum needs. The librarian needs to know his audience and what their reading habits and interests are and search accordingly for new and established authors and new genres.
7. The librarian is responsible for teaching information literacy to students. This involves using Internet search engines; selecting credible sites; using data bases; citing sources; avoiding plagiarism; media literacy; and using MS-Office Suite programs.
8. The librarian is responsible for training staff to use new hardware, software and instructional equipment. The librarian develops and successfully executes professional development in the building and meets with small learning communities to further develop technology literacy skills for direct classroom use.
9. Not only does the librarian promote literacy across the curriculum, but he also serves on the curriculum committee to stay abreast of academic changes and new requirements so he can plan collection development and collaboration with fellow teachers accordingly. In short, he is a key advocate for change and improvement in the school.
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12. Does the job of librarian really matter to student achievement?
