Librarianevolution

I was asked by a participant in my June ALA session, 2.0 to P21, to forward my job description. The request came from Tom Ferenc, Principal at Green Mountain Union High School in Vermont (LOVE that he was at #ALA11!). His library is scheduled for a renovation, and he wants to capitalize on that opportunity (almost wrote disruption. I am a huge fan of disruption, but it tends to have a pejorative connotation) to implement programmatic innovation.

So I dug up my job description. Wow. It didn't reflect a lot of what I do, and it overemphasized a lot of very basic expectations (classroom management is part of any educator's job regardless of classroom size, but does it belong in a job description?) I wrote it in 2005, but jeez!

@work in the NCHS library, 2005

Here's is what I wrote in 2005:

Position Summary: Supervising the media center facility, its staff and its patrons. Managing the collection and teaching information literacy in his/her designated areas.

Essential Job Functions (listing most important first):

1. Collaborating with classroom teachers to develop resource based learning units that will teach information literacy skills within the context of curriculum content instruction in the following disciplines: Mathematics, Science, Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology Education, Physical Education and Health. This will require developing an understanding of the district curriculum in each of the designated disciplines and participate in the curriculum review process.
2. Promoting reading for pleasure among the entire student population, giving special attention to the following fiction genres in Young Adult and Adult literature: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure and Mystery.
3. Building and maintaining a strong rapport with NCHS students to maintain discipline and order in the media center.
4. Keeping abreast of current trends in the profession by regularly reading professional literature.
5. Selecting materials in the following non-fiction areas: Mathematics, Science, Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology Education, Physical Education as well as the following fiction genres: Health Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure and Mystery.
6. Shelf listing/cataloging in the following non-fiction areas: Mathematics, Science, Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology Education, Physical Education and in the following fiction genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure and Mystery
7. Weeding the following non-fiction areas of the collection: Mathematics, Science, Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, Technology, Physical Education, Health and in the following fiction genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure and Mystery
8. Creating imaginative displays of student work and special celebrations (i.e. women’s history month)

Essential Job Requirements:

CERTIFICATION:

062- Library Media Specialist (Connecticut)

092 - Intermediate Administrator Certification

other teacher certification

EDUCATION:

Master’s Degree (Master of Library Science preferred)

EXPERIENCE:

Minimum 5 years of classroom instruction

Minimum 1 year in library service (or internship/student teaching)

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Lesson planning and instruction

Curriculum development

Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office™ products including Word, Excel, Power Point and Publisher

PREFERRED SKILLS:

Shelf listing, cataloging

Familiarity with science fiction, adventure, mystery and fantasy literature in both Young Adult and adult markets

Math and/or Science background

@work in the NCHS library, 2011

So I revised the document to better reflect what I do, and this is what I came up with:

Position Summary: Envision and implement innovative teaching and learning across disciplines through the library program 

Essential Job Functions:

1. Participate in district and building level administrative conversations and professional development.
2. Collaborate with the teaching and learning community to develop inquiry-based instruction and assessment that embeds P21* and L4L* skills into the core NCPS curricular program. This requires a comprehensive understanding of the district curriculum in each of the designated disciplines and participating in the curriculum review process, where possible. 
3. Implement varied and innovative strategies to promote reading for pleasure for all members of the learning community. 
4. Engage learners, and demonstrate impact of instruction. 
   
5. Publish digital version all to face-to-face instruction online – must be accessible by entire learning community, including parents, and outside districts. 
6. Manage program advocacy & promotion via participatory media and face-to-face interaction. 
7. Interact with internal and external Professional Learning Communities regularly to keep abreast of current trends in educational innovation. 
8. Document and publish impact of personal professional growth on student learning 
9. Manage library collection – collect, organize, preserve, and disseminate resources.
10. Manage department budget and evaluate staff.

Essential Job Requirements:

CERTIFICATION:

• 062- Library Media Specialist (Connecticut)

• 092 - Intermediate Administrator Certification

• other teacher certification

EDUCATION:

• Master’s Degree (Master of Library Science preferred)

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 5 years of classroom instruction

• Minimum 1 year in library service (or student teaching)

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Lesson planning and instruction

• Curriculum development

• Self-directed learning

VALUED APTITUDES:

• Curiosity

• Resourcefulness

• Resilience

*P21 Partnership for 21st Century Learning

*L4L Learning for Life

Now that I have done some independent brainstorming, I will refer to Joyce Valenza's revised Manifesto for the 21st Century School Librarian to see what I am NOT doing and add that in. 

In the meantime, the document is posted and editable. Please add your own two (or twenty) cents!

More to come on this...