Transcript Roles of the School Library Media Specialist

Roles of the School Library
Media Specialist
Amy Pease
He is wise who knows the sources of
knowledge -- where it is written and where it
is to be found.
- A.A. Hodge
Introduction
I am the Media Specialist at
Hightower Trail Middle School. This
is my first year as the SLMS but I
have been at my school for 12
years. This has been an exciting
school year; I have enjoyed every
minute of it and cannot wait to
see what the future brings in my
media center.
Four Roles of a Media Specialist
as stated in
Information Power: Building
Partnerships for Learning:
 Teacher
 Instructional Partner
 Information Specialist
 Program Administrator
Teacher
• Analyzes learning and
information needs of the
stakeholders
• Locates and gathers resources
• Effectively interprets the
information the resources
provide
• Teaches students to use
information for critical thinking
and problem solving to
become lifelong learners
My Role as a Teacher
At the beginning of the school
year, I teach all students about the
features in Destiny Quest. During
this lesson, I give the students the
opportunity to set up their account
in Destiny and I show them all the
great features they are able to
utilize to locate materials in the
media center and on the web.
Instructional Partner
• Is familiar with state standards
and connects them to learning
• Works to develop collaborative
relationships with stakeholders
• Provides a positive learning
environment
• Builds partnerships for learning
with teachers
My Role as an
Instructional Partner
As a new media specialist
this year my goal has
been to collaborate with
as many teachers as
possible. I strive to help
them create lessons that
combine the media
center resources and
their curriculum standards.
Information Specialist
• Educates entire school
community and adheres to
copyright laws
• Works to develop a collection
that supports the curriculum
and school’s goals
• Introduces new technologies to
staff and students
My Role as an
Information Specialist
To help my students become
effective evaluators of
websites, I conduct a lesson
with them at the beginning of
their research units. I
continue to monitor their
progress throughout their
research to ensure that they
are able to locate and
evaluate appropriate
information for their topic.
Program Administrator
• Guides and directs all activities
related to library media
program
• Promotes the media center to
stakeholders through a variety
of formats
• Manages budget, volunteers,
equipment, and media center
facilities
My Role as a
Program Administrator
One of the ways I promote
my media center to my
stakeholders is by
distributing a newsletter. I
send it out via email to the
staff at my school and
utilize my PTSA
representatives and their
distribution list to ensure that
all parents and our Partners
in Education receive it.
Additional Roles
• Book Fair and
Technology Fund-raiser
Coordinator
• Technology Specialist
• Webmaster
References
American Association of School Librarians (1998).
Information power: Building partnerships for learning.
Chicago: American Library Association.