Effective School Librarianship

These volumes provide a series of informative interviews with school/teacher librarians practicing in different parts of the world. The 2-volume set showcases the resilience, creativity, and best practices from successful school librarians from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. The librarians interviewed come from all different schools and schools systems, from a tiny recently built school library in a rural village in Africa to an ultra-modern library in Sweden. Featuring 37 interviews with successful school librarians from across the globe, the volumes let us hear the stories from countries around the world. They tell about their creative and innovative school library projects, their unconventional reading programs, and their best practices and experiences in addressing the challenges of supporting basic literacy. A wide selection of methodologies and approaches are discussed, offering a global “voyage” through topics important in school librarianship. The 2-volume set also addresses recent advancements in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the shift toward inquiry-based learning that impacts school libraries worldwide. The books are packed with information that can be used by school librarians, teachers, school administrators and others in a variety of ways. Readers can borrow best practices from the experiences presented in the book, and the volumes can also serve as a strong voice for practicing school librarians and the profession, through expanding the opportunities for professional sharing in the international school library community.

This publication focuses on the past, present, and future impact of school librarians. The contributors are recognized leaders within the information profession with expertise in school libraries, and they chronicle international issues in professional education, scholarship, organizations, and the innovations of practitioners –information that appeals to a global audience of professional educators, practitioners, and students involved in school libraries. The book is divided into three parts with each chapter contributed by an individual who has made significant contributions to the profession. Part 1 focuses on the history of school libraries and children’s literature. Part 2 provides a perspective on the current trends and opportunities for professional development and scholarship for school librarians, and Part 3 offers views on the ways school librarians will interact with students and teachers in the future. Readers will find authoritative information about the education, professional associations, scholarship, and innovations that are occurring internationally, and they will be inspired to perpetuate the legacy of school library advocacy established by Dr. E. Blanche Woolls. The book will appeal to a global audience of professional educators, practitioners, and students involved in school libraries.

The first in the IASL-Libraries Unlimited partnership series, this book features contributions written by authors from around the world about their effective collaboration experiences. Collaboration between teachers and school librarians is a topic that is often discussed in the quest for educational excellence, but the international perspective is something that is rarely explored. This text documents the collaboration endeavors in international school libraries and—drawing upon research and direct experience—demonstrates effective collaboration experiences in a range of countries. It also features selected brief case studies as well as several original essays on the topic of collaboration between teachers and teacher librarians in curriculum planning. The result of a joint effort between Libraries Unlimited and the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), this book shows how collaboration with teachers looks in the international arena. It addresses topics such as collaborating for success with student searching, the roles of librarians and teachers in the research process, principal involvement, information literacy, inquiry-based learning, use of digital resources, models of collaboration for diversity, and evaluation of collaboration. Additionally, the current research findings presented will offer readers new insights into their profession.

Contains thirty-nine articles that discuss critical elements in the development and implementation of school library media programs, grouped in the areas of the foundations; the school context; role clarification; information literacy; collaborative program planning and teaching; program development; and accountability.

This title offers pre-service, newly practicing, and seasoned school librarians opportunities for reflection as well as inspiring strategies for enacting four core values of the profession. The school library profession has been in "crisis" for more than a decade. Educational decision-makers have not been made aware of or sold on the core values of school librarianship and its value to students, classroom teachers, administrators, and the entire school community. Budgetary priorities often do not include school librarians, resulting in a lack of funding and the elimination of many positions, which can cause many school librarians to feel vulnerable and afraid. Guideposts are needed to offer today's school librarians a chance to connect or reconnect with their passion for literacy, learning, and serving that led them to the profession. Core Values in School Librarianship: Responding with Commitment and Courage provides preservice, newly practicing, and seasoned school librarians with opportunities for thoughtful reflection alongside inspiring strategies for gathering courage and enacting four core values of the profession. It is an important and visionary book that all school librarians should read as they develop in their role as leaders in their schools.

This book offers preservice and practicing school librarians, district-level library supervisors, school librarian educators, school principals and administrators, and other stakeholders strategies and tools for positioning school librarians as instructional leaders.

Published in partnership with the International Association of School Librarianship, this work gathers together the latest and most important research on the topics of social justice and cultural competency in school libraries. Education systems today are expected to advance national goals related to fairness, equity, and social cohesion. Comprising articles written and collected in the journal of the International Association of School Librarianship and new articles written especially for this anthology, this book documents both empirical research and promising practices to help school librarians and teachers work together to promote social justice and develop learners' and educators' cultural competence. Both coeditors are experienced in working with authors from around the world and have participated in the development of effective and ethical standards and guidelines for school library practitioners. Brief real-life case studies of school librarians and teachers in action showcase efforts to improve the lives of marginalized or under-served students. School librarians inside and outside of the United States, school library educators and policymakers, and academic librarians building school librarianship collections will find this guide valuable.