Draft

Teaching in the 21st century is a difficult task. Teachers are asked to add more into their curriculum every year without any programs going away. Therefore it is imperative that as librarians we present ourselves as tools for the teachers to utilize. Our expertise can benefit not only the teachers in many ways, but the students, and the entire school. The librarian has a global impact. (Principal) Teachers can sit down with the librarian and bring ideas to the table with no path to follow. The librarian can then take those ideas and broaden them. When two people sit down to plan a lesson, they begin to feed off of each others ideas. Then each idea is expanded and more material is available for each lesson. (Elementary Art teacher) Teachers don’t always know the vast number of resources available to them in the library and on the web, but the more interaction they have with collaboration, the more they learn to build their lessons. With knowledge comes the ability to collaborate even more. Students benefit from the collaboration of teachers and librarians in many ways as well. There is more time for individual instruction. (Kindergarten Teacher) In the budget crisis our educational system is currently experiencing, larger class sizes than the norm. This makes working with students difficult on any level. Having two adults in the classroom or library during the lesson makes it easier to focus attention on students who need extra support or just a little push in the right direction. The librarian also has a better view of what the entire school is in need of and can direct lessons that will impact all the students, not just the ones in a particular class. Teacher/Librarian collaboration has a positive impact for the administration of a school in a more tangible way. There is some pressure relieved from the building administration because they are not the only source in the school for teachers to turn to when they need assistance. The principal in a building can always use another source for curriculum resources for their staff.

“The school librarian collaborates with classroom teachers to develop assignments that are matched to academic standards and include key critical thinking skills” (AASL 17). Collaboration allows teachers and librarians to bring two different perspectives to a lesson which allows students to gain more from being able to interact with two teachers. When collaboration is done make sure that bad business practice is not part of the collaboration otherwise it will just be a big waste of time. (Zmuda and Harada 40). Collaboration allows teachers and librarians to come together to help students learn new concepts. One problem is that most teachers just want librarians to give them resources which the teachers then turn around and ask the students to copy from the book to their paper which does not promote any higher order thinking skills. So when there is true collaboration between the teacher and the librarian, “The Elementary Principal sees how the librarian helps students effectively evaluate sites when doing research so students will not be just copying. (Moreillon Interview, 2001)”

“Visualizing the school learning environment as a set of social networks provides the school library media specialist with a way to map interactions and think strategically about building relationships” (Schultz-Jones 25). The key to collaborating is ensuring that there is communication and that you have access to all stakeholders. Teachers and Librarians both impact student learning and this can be seen in many forms. Just as in Bloom's Taxonomy is goes from simple recall to being able to use higher order thinking skills, Collaboration can go from simple request to full engagement between the teacher and the librarian. The teacher could just come in and ask the librarian to provide resources but then the librarian would not be used for their full potential. Just as with Bloom’s Taxonomy and Collaboration the higher the level the more students will gain from the experience and be able to benefit by utilizing skills that will connect the real world to what they are learning.

When I (Chandra) was a substitute teacher at a school there was not a certified librarian there was just an aide. She was there to only help check-out books. Though I don't know the reason why the principal at that school chose not to hire a certified librarian. Zmuda and Harada state that “When trying to describe the jobs of learning specialists, principals often depend solely on prior experiences that they have had with specialists, who have inhabited the roles during the principals' tenure” (Zmuda and Harada 27). So if a principal have never seen how a certified librarian can have a true impact on student success then they will keep hiring aides to fill the position. So when the library is just thought of as a warehouse to house the resources then people don’t see how important it is to have a certified librarian in the library. The question becomes Why is it important to hire a certified librarian? School librarians do make a difference because they can be seen as another layer of learning that helps student grasp the concept and gain knowledge. This can be accomplished through collaboration. McGregor states that “The teacher librarian interested in creating a climate in which collaboration takes place must be prepared to take the lead” (McGregor 202). So as a leader it is imperative to ensure that “The principal must support the changes necessary” (McGregor 201). When the principal is a part of the process and there is a shared vision it makes it easier to create an environment that allows everyone to come together and have the same shared goal of student success. "Then the teacher will benefit from delving more into the curriculum which creates authentic learning experiences" stated by the Third Grade Teacher. Kindergarten Teacher states that "The kids feel that the library is their classroom". When this happens then students see the library a connection which allow them to gain the necessary skills that they will be able to use outside of school.

“As learning specialists, library media specialists help to forge partnerships that include all stakeholders in the educational process, including principals, teachers, and students” (Zmuda and Harada 40). By joining professional organizations I (Chandra) can stay current with the latest information and see new ways to make the library vibrant and exciting for teachers and students. When I stay current I am able to bring back new ideas and ways to use technology which will allow teachers to see ways to enhance their already great lessons. Joining different committees on the campus allows my ideas to be shared with others and for me to be able to establish bonds with my co-workers. Hosting monthly events brings in the community to the library which leads to parents being a part of the library. Each month I want to encourage parents to be volunteers and host different themed month activities to encourage the community to see the school library as a resource beyond the normal hours of the school day. By extending myself to all stakeholders it shows that collaboration is beneficial for everyone and it shows that I am on the right track to letting everyone know that we have the same goal of ensuring that students are successful.

When the librarian is included the process students see how the library can have an impact on what they are learning in the classroom. The librarian can bring out resources that enhance the learning process. When I (Chandra) was teaching 2nd grade our grade level was planning a unit on inventors. My role in the team planning was to meet with the librarian and discuss resources available for the students and the teachers. We sat and discussed what we wanted the students to gain from the assignment. We discussed what websites were kid friendly and how to cite sources. The librarian helped us to plan our visit to the library so there would not be wasted time and I relayed this information to our team. The librarian gave each class a tour of where to find the necessary books for their research. The librarian was helpful in doing a lesson on how to take notes and cite resources. This was a great introduction to the research process for the students which they will continue to use in their academic career. As a result of cooperating with the library the students met the TEKS objectives for knowing how to do research. When the TEKS objectives are met then it correlates back to the school goals. When the library program correlates with campus goals all students succeed.



Works Cited

AASL. Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Association for School Librarians, 2009

"Kindergarten Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon, 2001. Mon. 19 Sept. 2011. 

Schultz-Jones B. "Collaboration in the School Social Network." Knowledge Quest 37 (4). 20-25. Print.

Zmuda, A., and V. H. Harada. "The Learning Specialist: Clarifying the Role of Library Media Specialists." Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century. Eds. Allison Zmuda and Violet H. Harada. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 23 – 43. Print.

McGregor, J. "Collaboration and Leadership." Curriculum Connections through the Library. Eds. Barbara K. Stripling and Sandra Hughes-Hassell. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003. 199-219. Print.

"Third Grade Teacher." Interview by Judi Moreillon, 2001. Mon. 19 Sept. 2011. <[]>

"Elementary Art Instructor." Interview by Judi Moreillon, 2001. Mon 19 Sept 2011. <[]>

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