EDCI 598 Section 801 Module 7 Librarians as Leaders

Module 7: Librarians as Leaders

School librarians have the unique opportunity to work with every learner and every educator in their school community. This puts them in a position to serve as leaders in the community.

Module Objectives

• Describe a professional development session you could provide to your school community.
• Reflect on the skills and resources you need to be a leader in your school community.

Think

• Chapter 14: Evaluating School Libraries in American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago, IL: American Librarian Association.
• Module 11: Confronting Colorblindness and Neutrality and Module 12: Equity Versus Equality, Diversity versus Inclusion 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:

• Whitehead, T. (2015, Feb 15). Librarians as PD leaders. Mighty Little Librarian. http://www.mightylittlelibrarian.com/?p=1274
• (2013, Nov 25). Librarians as leaders [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rf-CJZRS5k
• Dando, P. (2016, Jun 20). Librarians as instructional leaders | Take the lead. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/librarians-as-instructional-leaders-take-the-lead
• Miller, A. (2017, Aug 10). But my principal won’t let me! Leadership, advocacy, & some rebel yell from the library. Knowledge Quest. https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/principal-wont-let-leadership-advocacy-rebel-yell-library/
• Saunders, L. (2011). Librarians as teacher leaders: Definitions, Challenges, and Opportunities. ACRL 15^th National Conference, “A Declaration of Interdependence.” https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/18233
• Dooney, S. M. (2021). Establishing school library leadership as a first-year school librarian. Knowledge Quest, 50(2), 38+. https://link-gale-com.proxybz.lib.montana.edu/apps/doc/A684613343/AONE?u=mtlib_1_1123&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=acd5a29f

Create

Create an outline for a professional development session for your staff that educates them on a topic related to library resources and services. You do not need to fully flesh out the PD or present it. Be prepared to discuss the need that your PD will fulfill for your staff and why you choose that topic.

Share

Share your PD idea in the Professional Development discussion forum in Module 7. Be sure to explain why you choose that topic.

Respond to the following discussion prompts in the Module 7 discussion forum:

• Describe three ways you would be comfortable being a leader in your school. What skills or resources would you need to be successful?
• Consider access and equity in the context of your school library. Are access and equity synonymous? What might equity look like in library services?

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

Grow

Continue your Project READY journal.