As I reflect on the standards for school librarian preparation, I am excited about how I have grown as an effective education, a collaborative partner, and an effective advocate for students and libraries (ALA/AASL/CAEP, 2019). Working towards each of the school librarian preparation standards has deepened my understanding of how to create joyful, inclusive library experiences that prepare our students as life-long learners while protecting their freedom to read and access to information. I am eager and ready to step into my role as a school librarian, welcoming all students to the community of readers, researchers, thinkers, and problem solvers. 

Standard 1: The Learner & Learning

As a school librarian, I will serve students across the span of childhood and adolescent development. I have included artifacts that showcase supporting preschoolers, upper elementary, and middle school students, showcasing the range of my understanding of how the AASL student standards apply to different learners. I found that understanding earlier and later development also helped me plan with diversity of learners in mind, as well as thinking about how students’ current skill development will relate to their future information needs. I also “understand that learners have patterns of learning and development that vary from person to person” (p. 7). I plan for multiple modes of learning throughout my instruction, especially in the Earthquakes! LibGuide and Elementary Gaming Center. Both of these projects also evidence that I realize the importance of students to “make choices in their learning” (p. 7).

I elected to seek out my School Librarianship partially due to my passionate for creating inclusive book collections and library spaces. However, I know understand the depth of skill that goes into “broadening access to diverse literature” and “incorporating diverse experiences”, such as evidenced in the environmental scanning, random sampling, and collections planning found in my Collections Analysis artifact, as well as the resources collected for the LibGuide, Paired Text, and Collaborative Unit (p. 7). I’ve also seen that this extends past the four walls of the library, through educating other professionals (Equitably Engaged Presentation) and preparing resources for teachers to use within their classrooms (Paired Text Guide). For me, learner diversity & learner differences go hand-in-hand in ensuring every student within my library is both welcome and successful. This is why each of these projects combine “high-impact instructional design” with universal design elements to accommodate the “accommodations for a variety of learners with diverse special needs” (p. 7). Understanding how I also need to reflect on barriers for these groups that exist in physical spaces, virtual library spaces, policy, and more was a new skill for me, one reflected in my Collections Analysis, virtual materials (Body Image & The Media), and Inclusive Library Spaces project.

Finally, when I think about the library as a learning environment, I am most proud of the work that I did on the proposal to create an Elementary Gaming Center. This project highlighted the ways that flexible learning spaces can be used to “encourage positive social interaction” and support different types of group engagement (p.8). I also think that the Equitably Engaged presentation — and thinking through how I could support classroom teachers to provide accessible spaces is a work that I will take with me wherever I go.

Standard 2: Planning for Instruction

As I began to plan for instruction in the library, I learned to “design developmentally and culturally responsive resource-based learning experiences that integrate inquiry, innovation, and exploration” (p.9). Doing this while creating cross-curricular connections is evidenced in the Body Image & The Media, Paired Text Teacher’s Guide, and Collaborative Unit, all of which include diverse resources that were relevant to the lives of the students engaging in them. They also connected to “themes surrounding social justice” as students learned to analyze the media, ask questions and analyze who is being represented — whether in ads, stories, or documentaries, and begin to pose and answer questions of their own. Indeed, guided inquiry, where students “generate meaningful questions” was the core feature of my Collaborative Unit. I also made sure to leverage technology, ebooks & audiobooks, video, and other tools to “provide authentic and relevant learning experiences” and “ignite the learners’ passions, imagination and desire to learn” (p.10). This can mean using a variety of instructional strategies, whether it is the introduction of games through an Elementary Gaming Center or including large group, small group, and individual work in the Collaborative Unit. Watching this unfold before me through during the Collaborative Unit practicum was exciting — and only ignited my own passion to continue bringing the inquiry process into my future school as a librarian.

Along with planning for engaging instructional activities, I also have gained an insight into what assessment may look like in the library and how important “multiple methods of assessment” are. The Collaborative Unit showcases this through pre-tests, post-tests, student work samples, and my own observations. I also planned for multiple methods of assessment when writing the Paired Text Teacher’s Guide and Body Image & The Media hyperdoc. Partially due to my background in special education prior to becoming a school librarian, I understand deeply that students need a variety of ways to showcase their learning — and that meaningful assessment is more likely to help them form long-lasting connections. As a school librarian, I hope to capture the outcomes of these meaningful learning experiences in ways that not only showcase student learning but also help the school begin to engage in inquiry in a way that transforms our school culture and excites students about coming to school in new ways.

Standard 3: Knowledge & Application of Content

As a lover of children’s literature, I thought that I already had a “rich knowledge of children’s and young adult literature”, but learned quickly the difference between personal consumption and analyzing resources for collection development or instruction (p. 11). Reading book reviews, analyzing text and illustrations, and developing a deeper understanding of children’s authors and illustrators informed my Collections Analysis / Plan, the resources I curated for the Earthquakes! LibGuide, and my Paired Text guide. All of these also highlight the importance of diverse collections for me, which are a key feature of creating reader engagement and being adequately prepared to advise readers.

Much as knowledge of literature informs readers’ advisory, collection development, and engaging with learners, this standard also intertwines with how we plan for instruction. It is through deeply understanding the inquiry process — different models of inquiry, the associated emotions, the common hurdles — that I was able to create inquiry-based learning projects that met the developmental needs of learners across Earthquakes! and the Collaborative Unit. I also supported students to “find and evaluate information, use it, and communicate it in an ethical manner” in both of these unites, as well as the Body Image & The Media and Paired Text guides. As we head into the era of “fake news”, disinformation, and doctored videos, becoming information literate — including understanding when they have a need for information — is a skill that I will teach and practice repeatedly with my future students.

Finally, technology-enabled learning is a core feature across the majority of my artifacts, whether it is teaching others about how to use technology to enable learning or using technology to engage students in collaboration via Jamboard in the Body Image & The Media hyperdoc. If we are to truly create inclusive library spaces that respect all of our learners, as we hope for with Standard 1, then we must continually “evaluate the effectiveness of digital tools, resources, and emerging technologies to design and adapt learning experiences” (p. 12). Not only does this ensure that we include more learners, but it creates opportunities for students to “practice digital citizenship” in meaningful, authentic ways. They aren’t evaluating a fake website for accuracy; they are engaging with the materials that they need to meet their information needs. This creates transferrable skills that ensure I am creating students ready for the 21st century.

Standard 4: Organization & Access

Access begins with advocating for “open, unrestricted, and equitable access” to the library, as well as being able to “evaluate school library facilities to address barriers to equitable access” — both of which were part of the Collections Analysis process and understanding deeply how my school’s library successfully promotes access, as well as changes that we could make to increase that access (p. 14). Access — physical, emotional, and digital — were important drivers behind the Elementary Gaming Center, which hoped to hook an increasing number of students into the library community, and the Inclusive Library Spaces project. We have to make the school library a welcoming place with tools to support a feeling of belonging for everyone, whether that’s environmental design, the materials on the shelves, or the supports that we offer.

As I curated resources for the Collections Analysis, the Earthquakes! LibGuide, Body Image & The Media, and the Paired Text guide, I focused on ensuring these collections “celebrate the diverse developmental, cultural, social, and linguistic needs” (p. 14). This included creating goals to increase LatinX representation in the collection, using a variety of examples of social media content, developing text guides that would encourage teachers to center marginalized stories in their units, and looking for earthquake resources that met the needs of English language learners & students with disabilities. One of the things that I am most looking forward to as a librarian is helping to create a school culture that does this, which is why it is so central to so many of my artifacts. I really loved exploring the ways that resources we create for teachers can support student learning while simultaneously increasing diversity.

Finally, it is critical that decisions around the collection, instructional strategies, policies, etc, are informed by best practice and research (p. 14). When engaging in the Collections Analysis, I turned to research about how important it is for students to see themselves in the collection. Prior to creating the proposal for an Elementary Gaming Center, I turned to research to evaluate whether games support social-emotional and academic learning — and which types of games may be best for our students. Similarly, the Equitably Engaged presentation is based on the decades of research conducted by CAST around universal design for learning. In our roles as educators, collaborators, and program administrators, we can continually turn to this research to help us make the best possible decisions for students.

Standard 5: Leadership, Advocacy, & Professional Responsibility

As a National Board Certified teacher, I’ve learned that professional learning and reflection on how to improve my own practice are core to being an effective teacher — as well as seeking opportunities to share these findings. Through the MLIS program, I’ve learned how to apply this as a school librarian, such as seeking out research to better understand what a successful Elementary Gaming Center looks like or creating presentations to turnkey my own knowledge to others (Equitably Engaged presentation). I also found that collaborating with classroom teachers and administrators is a core role for the school librarian, such as in the collaboration required for the Collaboration Unit and other instructional plans included throughout these artifacts. I have developed a wealth of knowledge about library skills and the AASL standards for students, the library, and myself, but classroom teachers are the content experts. Through collaborating, we are able to create more authentic learning experiences that bring their standards to life through inquiry and project-based learning. All of us win when this happens — as evidenced in the engagement that I saw in students as they planned and researched for their documentaries.

Being a school librarian also means being an advocate for the school library, for inquiry, and for access. Advocacy for my students is reflected in the Equitably Engaged presentation, the Inclusive Library Spaces plan, and the Elementary Gaming Center — all of which would create more access for more diverse students. I also learned through the Collaborative Unit that sometimes advocacy takes time, experience, and relationships. I will carry this lesson as I take the time to learn my school’s culture, to build relationships with teachers, and to take small steps towards bringing inquiry to life in deeper ways. Finally, especially in today’s climate, being a library also means being an advocate for students’ “right to read, the right to privacy and free inquiry”, all of which are components of ethical practice for school librarians (p. 16). This is evidenced in the Collections Analysis, the Elementary Gaming Center (which focused on student personal interests), and the Collaborative unit. This was especially true when students wanted to analyze the problems and potentially critique different components of their school experience. It would have been easy to redirect students, but it would not have been ethical. Instead, I continually stood up for their right to develop their own questions and to research these passions as they developed their projects.

Together, working across these five standards, has prepared me to serve as a school librarian in all five capacities — as an educator, instructional partner, program administrator, information specialist, and, most importantly, as a leader within my school. I have confidence in my knowledge of content, ability to support learners, and plan for instruction. But I also have a deep understanding of advocacy, leadership, and the ways these show up so that I can truly create a school library that is a hub of creativity and knowledge for all the learners in our school.

References

ALA / AASL / CAEP. (2019). ALA / AASL / CAEP school librarian preparation standards. Retrieved from: https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aasleducation/ALA_AASL_CAEP_School_Librarian_Preparation_Standards_2019_Final.pdf