Module 2: Being a Librarian

In this module, you will explore more about what school librarians do through reading, interviewing a school librarian, and reflection. You will also start to consider culturally responsive teaching in more depth and how it might impact your practice as a school librarian.

Module Objectives

  • Explore the multiple facets of the job of school librarian.
  • Interview a school librarian.
  • Consider culturally responsive teaching and its role in the school library.

Think

  • Part I – Building Awareness and Knowledge (pp. 11-70). In Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
  • Chapter 1: Meet Your New Standards (pp. 3-26). In American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago, IL: American Librarian Association.
  • Module 1B: Introduction from Hughes-Hassell, S., Rawson, C. H., & Hirsh, K. (2019). Project READY: Reimagining equity and access to diverse youth [online curriculum]. https://ready.web.unc.edu/

Choose one or more of the following:

Create

Interview a school librarian. You may meet in person, over the phone, videoconference, or conduct the interview via email. Ask the following questions, plus any additional questions you wish to add. Write an anonymous summary of your interview and then reflect on what you learned. What surprised you? What questions do you have now?

  • Why did you decide to become a school librarian?
  • How long have you been in the profession? How have things changed since you started?
  • What is the most important aspect of your job?
  • What is the most difficulty aspect of your job?
  • How does the library fit into the greater mission of the school community?
  • When each of the following groups think about the library, how do you think they view the space and services? How would you like them to? Fellow educators, administrators, learners, parents
  • How is the library curriculum developed? Are you given a curriculum? Work with educators? Develop your own?
  • How do you tie library standards and skills into the school curriculum more broadly?
  • How do you stay up to date on trends in the profession?
  • Can you point me to the school’s policies and procedures around internet filtering, student privacy, collection development, circulation, and materials challenges? Do you have anything share about any of these policies?

Share

Share your anonymous summary and reflection from your school library interview in the Librarian Interview discussion forum.

Respond to two of the following discussion prompts in the Module 2 discussion forum:

  • How does Hammond define “culturally responsive teaching” and what does she say (at various places in the text) that culturally responsive teaching is NOT?
  • What are some of the ways that Hammond identifies student cultural individuation or separation form a “mainstream” normative culture? In what ways are your learners culturally distinguishable from this mainstream norm?
  • What did you learn from the book’s discussion of neuroscience and learning, and how will it impact your job as a school librarian? Be specific.
  • Can you identify an instance in your teaching where you feel your cultural frame of reference interfered with your instruction? Conversely, can you identify an instance in which you exhibited cultural responsiveness and positively impacted your teaching?

Respond to at least three of your classmates from either discussion thread.

Grow

Continue your Project READY journal.