Sie sind auf Seite 1von 2

Reflective Essay

The School Library Media Program at Towson University has provided me with excellent
learning opportunities and the training to be successful as a school librarian. The librarian has
many responsibilities that fall into four main roles. The conceptual map that I created shows the
interconnectedness of the four roles. The librarian is at the center, the hub, of the school and thus
is in a unique position to interact with the staff, students, parents, community, and administration
in a way which brings all of the roles together to further the educational goals of the school. The
roles, and their responsibilities, are all equally important and must be maintained to keep the
library functioning as an integral part of the learning environment.
Many of the responsibilities of a librarian overlap roles. Teaching responsibilities are seen in
the information specialist and instructional partner roles as well. As a teacher, it is the librarians
responsibility to teach 21st century skills, library curriculum, and the safe, legal, and ethical use
of information. The librarian must not only teach students, but provide professional development
to staff. They must also be available to mentor and instruct teachers on the use of web 2.0 tools
and other instructional technology in the classroom. Instruction must be differentiated to meet
the needs of both students and staff to ensure success.
As an instructional partner, the role of teacher extends to collaborating with other teachers in
the school to support content curricula and integrate technology. This support can be through coteaching, suggesting relevant resources, and curating resources for topics or projects. It is
important that the librarian reach out to teachers to survey their needs, learn their curriculum, and
offer opportunities to integrate their topics into the library lessons. The library curriculum, such

as research, reading strategies, and citing, should be evident in classroom work as a result of
library instruction.
The role of information specialist is closely linked with the role of instructional partner. The
information specialist role requires the librarian to keep current with new technologies and
databases and to assist teachers in using them for instruction. This role is one of the ways that the
library can be used as an important part of the school improvement plan. The librarian can
collaborate with teachers to improve instruction with relevant materials and resources. In
addition to non-print resources, librarians must also manage print resources by evaluating them
for quality and ordering new books and weeding frequently.
The program administration role keeps the library functioning smoothly so that the other three
roles, with their responsibilities, can be successfully fulfilled. Knowledge of the collection and
available resources is valuable in all of the roles and the librarian should be constantly learning
and growing along with the students and staff. The librarian must also create a vision and
mission and manage the schedule, budget, and reports in addition to the daily routine.
Advocating for the library within the school community as well as with other stakeholders is
important to supporting the goals of the library.
The School Library Media Program gave me the opportunity to learn the standards and
integrate them into the projects and assignments that I completed. These projects and
assignments prepared me for the many responsibilities and functions of the librarian. The classes
built on each other so that the different levels created a base of knowledge that was developed
and refined throughout the next two levels. I feel that mastering the AASL standards provided
me with the knowledge and training I needed to become a successful librarian.

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen