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Library
Information Services |
Spring Branch Independent School District |
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Final Recommendations of the |
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Advisory Committee for the Learning Resources Specialist Certificate |
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Presented to the |
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State Board for Educator Certification |
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September 10, 1999 |
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Advisory Committee for the Learning Resources Specialist Certificate |
ast Name |
First Name | Employed | Current Position |
| Bishop | Barry | Spring Branch ISD | Director of Instructional Technology |
| Bramlett | Carol | Lubbock ISD | Coordinator for Library/Media Services |
| Dahlstrom | Ruth | Goliad ISD | Coordinator of Library/Media Services |
| Dawkins | Diantha | Midland ISD | Librarian |
| Dunne | Eileen | Abilene ISD | Coordinator of Library Services |
| Garrett | Linda | Dallas ISD | Director of Library/Media Services |
| Jefferson | Patricia | Carroll ISD | Librarian |
| Jones | Kathy | Amarillo ISD | Librarian Director |
| Richardson | Janice | Leander ISD | Librarian |
| Rosa | Magdalena | Mission CISD | Supervising Library/Media Specialist |
| Strawn | Jack | Northside ISD | Librarian |
| Whitaker | Faye | Marshall ISD | Librarian |
| White | Maureen | University of Houston-Clear Lake | Professor |
Summary of the Final Recommendations of the
Advisory Committee for the Learning Resource Certificate
Name of the Certificate
The committee recommends renaming the Learning Resources Certificate to the School Librarian Certificate.
The committee recommends eliminating the Learning Resources endorsement.
Standards for the School Librarian Certificate
Learner-Centered Teaching and Learning
Learner-Centered Library Program Leadership and Management
Learner-Centered Technology and Information Access
Learner-Centered Library Environment
Learner-Centered Connections to the Community
Learner-Centered Information Science and Librarianship
Requirements to Receive and Maintain a School Librarian Certificate
To enter a preparation program for school librarians, an individual must:
hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution; and
demonstrate an acceptable combination of a score on a nationally-normed assessment and grade point average, as determined by the preparation program.
To receive the Conditional School Librarian Certificate, an individual must:
successfully complete the assessments required; and
hold a valid Texas teacher certificate.
To receive the Standard School Librarian Certificate, an individual must:
successfully complete the assessments required;
hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education; and
successfully complete the required induction.
To renew the Standard School Librarian Certificate, an individual must:
complete 200 clock hours of continuing professional education every five years.
The Vision
Creating a foundation for lifelong learning is the vision of the school library program. Just as the school library has become an active, technology-rich learning environment with an array of information resources, the school librarian has become the pivotal link in the learning community. To fulfill this role, the effective librarian draws upon a vision for the student-centered library program that is based on three central ideas: collaboration, leadership, and technology. These ideas underlie the vision that provide the unifying themes for the librarian and the school library program developed in the national and state standards.
Developmental Process
The committee met on December 16-18, 1998, and August 19-21, 1999, to develop a new set of requirements for the school librarian certificate in Texas. The members were instructed to:
think "out of the box";
consider what was best for the profession;
establish high standards; and
focus on best practices identified by research.
The process proceeded in the following manner:
reviewed current Learning Resources Certification;
reviewed other certification models;
brainstormed to develop a list of proficiencies unique to the school librarian;
discussed and grouped proficiencies into major learner-centered concepts;
utilized concepts and proficiencies to create recommended school librarian standards for certification;
used these standards to drive all decisions related to requirements;
discussed and established the requirements for entry into and exit from the educational preparation program;
recommended hours for continuing professional education for renewal of certificate; and
discussed induction years, assessment, renewal, academic degrees required, and period of certificate validity.
Members used current research and a variety of documents that addressed state standards, national guidelines, and professional literature to validate the work of the committee. These included:
School Library Programs Standards and Guidelines for Texas (1997).
Learner-Centered Schools for Texas: A Vision of Texas Educators (1997). SBEC.
"Learner-Centered Proficiencies." (1998). Texas Association of School Library Administrators.
Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (1998), American Library Association/American Association of School Librarians.
Curriculum Folio Guidelines for the NCATE Review (2nd ed.) American Library Association/American Association of School Librarians.
Perritt, Patsy. (1998). "The Knowledge You Need: Updated Requirements for Library Media Specialists," School Library Journal. Included school library certification requirements from the 50 states.
All recommendations herein offered by the Committee were determined by consensus achieved through balancing the need for ideal certification standards with needs from within the profession. Additional information was received during the process as members, both formally and informally, gathered input from their colleagues and other professionals throughout the state.
Additional support was provided from the SBEC staff. Furthermore, they provided fresh perspectives, insightful questions, and comments that were appropriately offered. In summary, the committee was grateful for the outstanding job that they did in facilitating, and not directing, the work of the Committee.
Standards and Rationale for the Librarian Certificate
The knowledge and skills identified must be used by educator preparation programs in the development of curricula and coursework and will be used by the State Board for Educator Certification as the basis for developing the assessments required to obtain the Conditional and Standard Librarian Certificates. The standards must also serve as the foundation for the individual assessment, professional growth plan, and continuing professional education activities required
.Learner-centered teaching and learning
Teaching is an integral and essential part of the role of the school librarian. The librarian, in conjunction with the classroom teacher, plans and delivers instructional units that meet the identified curriculum goals of the state, district, and campus. The school librarian is called to deliver instruction to the entire student population and must adapt and modify teaching practices to meet diverse student learning styles and ability levels. The school librarian is also called upon to provide instruction to campus teachers and staff especially in the areas of technology, information access and retrieval and independent use of instructional technology.
Learner-centered library program leadership and management
The school librarian must be a campus leader who actively seeks to establish and expand needed services to students and staff. The librarian must work together with members of the learning community to establish policies and to determine the direction of the school library program. The librarian is also a manager of time, resources, and funds to enable all learners to successfully use the resources. A successful library program promotes the success of all students through leadership and management in the implementation of the school library program by gathering and organizing information.
Learner-centered technology and information access
The school librarian facilitates the successful use and integration of technology, telecommunications, and information systems to enrich the curriculum and enhance learning. Students must be successful in an ever changing and emerging technological rich environment. Therefore, they must become proficient in the use and evaluation of information available through these technologies. Because of the librarians’ education and training, they are in unique positions to teach the (1) awareness of information available in different formats, (2) the use of all forms of information resources, and (3) the ability to assess relevance and reliability of information available to various age groups.
Learner-centered library environment
The school librarian must be able to provide a welcoming, barrier-free library environment with diverse resources that attracts learners, provides flexible access to resources, and promotes a positive learning climate.
Learner-centered connections to the community
The library is the educational center of the school. The school is the heart of the community. Connecting library resources and programs with the community strengthens intellectual growth. Developing partnerships and promoting the library programs enhances family literacy and life-long learning.
Learner-centered information science and librarianship
The librarian must be prepared to deal with on-going changes relating to professional knowledge and skills. The librarian must master this unique set of skills in order to organize a universe of data into useful knowledge so that all students can access and learn.
The knowledge and skill statements for each standard are provided in Attachment A.
Requirements for Receiving the School Librarian Certificate
Name of the Certificate
The committee recommends the certificate for librarians be called the School Librarian Certificate
Rationale
The new name is a clear, concise title that describes who we are and what we do. This clears the confusion of what our jobs are. Principals, teachers, students, and community members are deeply divided as to the old title of "School Library Media Specialist". Thus, our job descriptions took a wide variety of turns and responsibilities that were not really a librarian's job. The new title sends a clear message of who we are in our profession.
Minimum Requirements for Admission to a School Librarian Preparation Program
Prior to admission to a preparation program leading to the School Librarian Certificate and individual must:
hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning; and
Rationale:
The successful school librarian must possess a broad base of knowledge in order to assist the student learner.
demonstrate an acceptable combination of a score on a nationally-normed assessment and grade point average, as determined by the preparation program.
Rationale:
To demonstrate the ability to perform successfully in an educator preparation program.
Preparation Program Requirements
(1) There must be structured field-based training focused on actual library experiences with diverse types of students, grade levels, and campuses.
Rationale:
This will provide a broad range of experiences to expose students to varying teaching strategies within the library program. Because this is an all-level certificate, the preparation must provide opportunities to observe differing program levels and diverse student learners.
(2) Preparation programs may adopt requirements for admission in addition to those recommended. Also, each preparation program must develop and implement specific criteria and procedures that allow admitted individuals to substitute experience and/or professional training directly related to the standards identified for part of the preparation requirements.
Rationale:
This will permit each educator preparation program to exercise flexibility in dealing with the non-traditional applicant/student.
Requirements for the Issuance of the Conditional School Librarian Certificate and the Induction Period
To be eligible to receive a Conditional School Librarian Certificate, the individual must:
successfully complete the assessments required; and
hold a valid Texas teachers’ certificate.
Rationale:
The school librarian is a teacher and a professional peer of the campus teacher. The school librarian is responsible for designing curriculum for collaborative teaching and identifying appropriate resources. The school librarian also provides direct student instruction and participates in team teaching activities. This can only be attained with specific training experience in the classroom setting.
The induction period must occur during employment as a librarian in a Texas public or private school. The committee recommends that an individual seeking to enter the induction period more than five years after the date of issuance of the Conditional Librarian Certificate must be approved by the educator program that recommended him or her for the certificate. To ensure that the individual possess the knowledge and skills identified in the standards, the preparation program may require the individual to satisfy certain requirements prior to entering and/or during the induction period.
Rationale:
This requirement will ensure that the individual can move from theory to practice in the school environment by applying the learner-centered knowledge and skills.
Requirements for the Issuance of the Standard School Librarian Certificate
To be eligible to receive the Standard School Librarian Certificate, the individual must:
successfully complete the assessments required; and
hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education; and
successfully complete the induction period required.
Rationale:
To master the competencies listed in these standards
To provide the philosophical basis for the school library program;
To prepare the librarian to deal with the changing profession;
To reflect the leadership and administrative responsibilities inherent within a position; and
To practice effective principles of life-long learning.
Requirements to Renew the Standard School Librarian Certificate.
(1) Each individual who holds the Standard School Librarian Certificate issued must complete 200 hours of continuing professional education every five years.
Rationale:
Because of the changes that are imminent in the future, school librarians must remain current in all aspects of the library. The 200-clock hour requirement every five years is a reasonable expectation to be made of all librarians who obtain the Standard School Librarian Certificate.
An illustration of all the requirements in this section is provided in Attachment B.
Attachment A
Learner-centered teaching and learning
The school librarian is an educational leader who promotes the integration of curriculum, resources, and teaching strategies to ensure the success of all students as the effective creators and users of ideas and information, enabling them to become life-long learners. At the campus level, the librarian understands, values, and is able to:
Participate as an educational leader, an equal partner, and as a change agent in the curriculum development process at both the building and the district levels.
Participate in curriculum design and integrated planning of a shared campus vision that focuses on reading, teaching and learning.
Model and promote collaborative planning, cooperative teaching and direct instruction as determined by learners’ needs and state curriculum standards.
Direct and encourage students in the ethical use of resources to locate, gather, select, synthesize and evaluate relevant information.
Plan collaboratively with faculty to provide activities and opportunities for students to assume responsibilities for planning, and undertaking, independent learning
Adapt teaching strategies to accommodate the diverse learning styles of the student population.
Provide and promote ongoing staff development for the learning community, particularly in the areas of integration of information technology, information literacy and literature appreciation.
Provide and promote ongoing learning opportunities for students, particularly in the areas of integration of information technology and information literacy.
Promote the joy of reading by encouraging students to explore and appreciate the value of literature in an educated society and support campus based reading initiatives.
Promote awareness of learning differences, multiculturalism, gender sensitivity, and ethnic appreciation in the campus community.
Eliminate barriers to time, program, resources and facilities through flexible, open access to resources.
Learner-centered library program leadership and management
The school librarian is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by acquiring, organizing and managing information for use in a creative and exemplary library program. At the campus level, the librarian is a leader and manager who understands, values, and is able to:
Advocate the positive impact of an exemplary library media program as a vision of excellence for all learners.
Synthesize pertinent information from a variety of sources for use in creative and effective decision making, leading toward an exemplary library program.
Design policies and procedures that comply with local, state, and federal laws and policies while supporting sound decisions relating to school and library instruction and programs.
Establish partnerships within the learning community to support district and campus goals through exemplary library programs.
Demonstrate effective leadership strategies while working within campus and district administrative structures to promote achievement of library program goals.
Employ effective interpersonal communication skills.
Implement effective strategies and techniques to systematically perform library management operations such as budgeting, purchasing, scheduling, management and maintenance of facilities and resources, supervision of adults and children, reporting, grant writing, circulation and inventory.
Develop a partnership with faculty to ensure that the evaluation and selection process provides curriculum-related resources and leisure reading;
Design and implement acceptable use policies for current and emerging technologies;
Utilize effective planning, time management and organization of work to maximize attainment of district and campus goals through exemplary library programs.
Monitor, assess, and employ existing and emerging technologies for management applications.
Learner-centered technology and information access
The school librarian is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by facilitating the use and integration of technology, telecommunications, and information systems to enrich the curriculum and enhance learning. At the campus level, the librarian understands, values, and is able to:
Provide a balanced, carefully selected, and systematically organized diverse collection of library resources that is sufficient to meet students’ needs and is continuously monitored for currency and relevance in each subject area.
Model and promote the highest standard of conduct, ethical principles and integrity in the use of the Internet and other print and electronic resources.
Employ existing and emerging technologies to access, evaluate and disseminate information for possible application to instructional programs.
Promote interlibrary loan policy to facilitate information access beyond the campus.
Model the information problem-solving processes in the instruction of reference and research techniques.
Seek and participate in state and national technology initiatives.
Learner-centered library environment
The school librarian is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by establishing a climate in the library that enables and encourages all members of the learning community to explore and meet their information needs. At the campus level, the librarian understands, values, and is able to:
Understand the principles of exemplary library design as defined by state and federal guidelines for a simultaneous use facility by individuals, small groups and classes.
Develop a barrier-free library environment that is a flexible, functional facility of sufficient size, proportionate to the student population, designed to be attractive and inviting, with room for growth as defined by state guidelines.
Provide a safe, secure environment that is age-appropriate.
Maximize available space to permit displays of student-, faculty- and community-produced materials and collections.
Promote access to resources and information during and beyond the instructional day and school year.
Learner-centered connections to the community
The school librarian is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interest and needs, and fostering the use of community resources. At the campus level, the librarian understands, values, and is able to:
Promote awareness of learning differences, multiculturalism, gender sensitivity, and ethnic appreciation in the community.
Exhibit effective communication through oral, written, electronic, auditory, and nonverbal expression.
Develop and implement advocacy strategies for effective internal and external communications.
Establish partnership with other types of libraries, businesses, learning institutions, global communities, and other groups to strengthen programs and support campus goals.
Develop programs that encourage family literacy through parent participation.
Advocate access to resources and information during and beyond the instructional day and school year.
Develop and implement a comprehensive program of community relations that utilize strategies to effectively involve and inform multiple constituencies, including the media.
Learner-centered information science and librarianship
The school librarian is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by possessing and utilizing a unique knowledge that draws from both education and library information science to provide experiences that help learners locate, evaluate, and use information to solve problems, while becoming life-long readers and learners. At the campus level, the librarian understands, values, and is able to:
Exhibit comprehension of the role of libraries in a democratic society and the interrelationships of all types of libraries and information agencies;
Exhibit an understanding of the role of the school library media program as a central element in the intellectual life of the school;
Demonstrate an understanding of the theory, principles and skills related to the professional functions of selection, acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval, use, and evaluation of information.
Implement recognized standardized procedures for classifying, cataloging, and processing various resources that will facilitate computerization and resource sharing.
Select appropriate systems for circulation and access including automated systems;
Evaluate existing and emerging technology in support of the library program.
Listen effectively and use probing and clarifying questions to determine the patrons’ information needs;
Utilize the form, structure and content of information sources and have an understanding of the bibliographic and retrieval techniques necessary for their organization and use.
Utilize knowledge of literature and information resources in order to assist students in the selection of materials.
Demonstrate a strong commitment to the principles of intellectual freedom and access to information with due regard for privacy and proprietary rights.
Design and utilize statistical reports to support an exemplary library program.
Provide guidance in the development of independent readers using a variety of reading materials, programs and promotions.
Engage in continuous self-evaluation and self-directed learning for professional growth
Maintain an active interest in and contribute to appropriate local, state, regional, and national professional associations and publications;
Demonstrate professional integrity through ethical behavior;
Develop a supportive network of information professionals.
Attachment B
Certification Pathway for Librarian Certificate
