In this era of measured outcomes, data-driven program analysis and shrinking school budgets, school librarians everywhere are under pressure from local school boards and state agencies to justify their position. Virtually isolated within the school community, school librarians operate programs that directly benefit students, but without the proper measurements and self-promotion this work remains largely invisible to those individuals in authority who can directly impact the library media center. Written primarily for a United Kingdom audience, the information in this volume is still relevant to American and Canadian school librarians.
Using vignettes to illustrate their points, the authors describe how the quest for a professional identity often clashes with those who deem the school librarian not worthy of the title of teacher. The book is divided in three sections: Who is the librarian, where the perceptions others have of school librarians and how we see ourselves are discussed; Your community, from perceptions to practices, where methods for generating evidence of impact are reviewed and positive responses to challenges explored; and Moving forward, which examines how to become an integral part of teaching and learning without the school community as well as the process of innovating. Of particular usefulness are several of the appendices which provide examples of evidence gathering, analysis, and planning.
Of particular interest to school librarians entering the field, veterans will also find nuggets of wisdom they can apply in their own practices. As attempts to turn what is often an art into more of a science guided by numbers and evidence, school librarians must learn to adapt. This book provides a concise overview of the challenges that await and how to meet them. – Etienne Vallée
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