Standards are a part of everyday life! They are intended to provide guidance and transparency, as well as, make everyday life more efficient. There are standards for everything from the foods we eat, sports we play and watch, to the products we purchase, etc. Libraries and librarians are no different. The American Association of School Libraries (AASL), a branch of the American Library Association (ALA), developed a list of five standards which guides school librarian candidates for the development and management of the library environment and information services for a PreK-12th grade library setting. Those standards are Teaching for Learning, Literacy and Reading, Information and Knowledge, Advocacy and Leadership, and Program Management and Administration. In my time spent in the LIBS program at Old Dominion University, I have taken a variety of courses to help me develop the skills to engage in effective professional practices to meet and exceed those five standards. Throughout this eportfolio, I have presented evidence that clearly demonstrates my growth and accomplishments. These artifacts can be found here as well as the other specific links throughout this reflection.
In my opinion, the first standard, Teaching for Learning is the most important for a school librarian to exceed. Our job is to teach our patrons how to access materials to meet their informational needs. We can have all the best books, materials, and state of the art technology but, without our patrons, that stuff is useless. To effectively meet the needs of our patrons, we must get to know them personally and get to know their needs. Each patron is different and learns differently. Therefore, I plan a variety of lessons to meet their diverse needs. Sometimes lessons are hands-on, sometimes patrons are able to choose a partner to work with and sometimes I arrange small group learning with groups that I choose. I integrate technology in those lessons as appropriate and I ensure that patrons are practicing critical thinking and use their creativity throughout their time in the library. I understand the demographics that make up our school and I purchase materials that meet the needs of all my patrons and plan lessons accordingly. I collaborate with the teachers in my building to plan lessons that build on the material they are teaching in their classrooms as well as meet the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner. The various lessons that I have included in my eportfolio that demonstrates my commitment to this standard are displayed in Artifacts 3: Collaboration, Artifact 5: Makerspace, and Artifact 8: Teaching for Learning.
The second standard, Literacy and Reading, is my favorite of the standards and the reason that I wanted to become a school librarian. I love reading a variety of books and sharing my love of reading with my patrons. An important part of my job is to make sure that the library has a diverse collection of materials and the patrons have access to materials, print, and technology that meet their personal and academic needs. Artifact 4: Diversity and Inclusion demonstrates my commitment to providing my patrons with a culturally responsive library program. Exploring and finding new material is a constant duty of a librarian and matching materials to my patrons is always a challenge that I find exciting. Getting to know my patrons’ interests and informational needs is important in helping them develop that same love for reading that I hope they see in me. I work hard to understand the school curriculum and pull library materials to help the teachers in my building accent the materials they already have in their classrooms. Making myself available to the students and the teachers in my building is important so that they all see me and the library as an important tool in their academic journeys.
The purpose of the library itself is to provide everyone with a space that they can feel welcome. A space to explore and locate resources to gain information and knowledge about specific subjects. This is the third standard, Information and Knowledge. As simple as that may seem, this standard ensures that librarians are providing ethical and equitable access to a variety of resources for everyone. Teaching my fifth grade students about ethical information seeking behaviors is one of our big units of study. I collaborate with their teachers each November to help with the students’ state research projects. A deeper dive into the details of this lesson are found in Artifact 3: Collaboration. In the library, the students learn to locate their resources for their projects but they also learn about plagiarism. They learn the importance of citing their sources and how to give credit to the rightful owner of the information. We focus on citing sources as well as making sure our internet sources are credible. Throughout my students’ elementary years, we use a variety of tools to help them learn to navigate their way through the library. They learn how to find the print materials they need as well as learn to use a variety of technology tools to meet their needs.
I have found that the fourth standard, Advocacy and Leadership, is huge in making sure our schools and communities understand the importance of library programs. I reveal the importance of this under Artifact 7: Advocacy. We must make sure we are keeping up with what is new in the library world and work to keep our libraries up to date. Professional conferences and professional organization memberships are important to help collaborate with other fellow librarians. As a member of the American Library Association and VA Association of School Librarians, I have found an entire community of fellow librarians to share resources and network with. I am thankful for a wonderful school division that provided me with the opportunity to go to the VAASL annual conference this past November in Roanoke. This is illustrated under Artifact 2: Professional Development. The VAASL regional conferences and ODU’s Summer Library Institute are also wonderful events I have been able to attend. Opportunities like this are a wonderful way to help me grow professionally. I am also grateful for a wonderful library family in my school division that welcomed me into the library with open arms and are wonderful resources that I rely on throughout the school year. Growing professionally and keeping up with changing times in information and technology, helps me to demonstrate the importance of the library programs in our schools.
The fifth and final standard, Program Management and Administration, is an area of the profession that most people do not see or realize happens, but is so important. Developing and managing the collection in the library is a never ending job. A copy of a collection development plan I created for my library is displayed in Artifact 1: Collection Development Plan. Not only are we constantly looking for new materials but also managing the materials that we already have. Teaching our patrons to take care of the materials, checking those materials in and out continuously, and keeping up with the materials to make sure everyone has access to them is always ongoing. In our division, fundraising is the only budget we have in the library. So, my budget is up to me. I am constantly looking for and writing grants to add materials to the library but my biggest fundraiser is my book fair. Each spring I plan and run a Scholastic Book Fair that helps build home libraries in my community but it also provides me with money that I use each year to add new books to our collection. Program management and administration is not only about collection development, fundraising and taking care of the materials. It also includes the other programs that we plan throughout the year. From book clubs with groups of students to family reading nights, these are all aspects that are important in making the libraries the heart of our elementary schools. Planning numerous library programs throughout the year to promote the library, literacy, provide professional growth and encourage family connectivity. You will find examples of my programs under Artifact 6: Library Programs.
The five ALA/AASL standards all work together to help us as librarians create a library program to meet the informational needs of our patrons. Not just the students in our building but the teachers, administrators and even members of our community. The elementary years are the foundation of our students’ academic careers. Helping them learn to navigate the library will serve them well for their entire life. As a librarian, if I make it my goal to continuously meet and/or exceed these five standards to better my library program, each person that uses the library in my elementary building will hopefully see the importance of libraries in our communities to provide for all of our literacy and informational needs.