The School Librarian: Being a Good Professional

In my field, school librarianship, a good professional is one who can communicate well with others, knows the library collection and works to maintain a collection that benefits its learning community, and most importantly, someone who inspires students to become life-long readers and to love reading.

In order for school librarians to be effective in their learning community, they need to be able to communicate with administration, staff, parents and students regularly. Keeping administrators in the loop regarding the needs of the library collection and providing data to back up material requests is an ongoing process. Providing circulation data and correlating student performance with library needs including the professional collection is essential. Planning collaborative lessons with teachers, demonstrating the value of the librarian should be a continuous effort. Building rapport with staff members through multiple experiences proves effective. Involving parents and students in library functions and volunteer work in the library is an excellent way to build support for the library and gain invaluable stakeholders.

As a good professional, school librarians need to find support within their school learning community. This could be a group of parents who volunteer their time in the library, who in turn, see first-hand the impact the library has on the students in the school. Through professional training for teachers, librarians can reach out to teachers by showing them how to use the technology available to them. Librarians can take these opportunities to invite teachers to engage in collaborative experiences that will promote higher student performance. School librarians need to communicate with administrators on a regular basis, not only to keep them informed about the needs of the library but to prove the impact the library has on student learning. Librarians need to collect evidence showing the positive impact the library has on its learning community.

The library needs to be the center of the school, the place everyone wants to be, and most importantly, a place where reading gets done. The atmosphere of the school library should be exciting, inviting, interesting, and comfortable. There should be plenty of space for multiple activities. From computer stations to large carpets and beanbag chairs, there should be a place for everyone to read comfortably. Librarians should be equipped with all kinds of motivational materials to excite students about reading. Hands-on materials in centers is always a fun way to make this happen. Book fairs, Accelerated Reading programs, and B.O.B. are all events that will promote reading and inspire students.

Being a school librarian comes with many responsibilities. A school librarian will be working towards these goals on a continuous basis, and this is what will make them a good professional in their field.