Today’s Standards Reflect the Standards of the Past 100 Years
Fast forward to 2018. Instruction is central to the school librarian’s role. We’ve evolved from the media center of the 1970’s to the Learning Commons of today where students take charge of their own learning as they inquire and explore a wide variety of formats to meet their information needs. Thanks to a century of standards, our role as school librarian has shifted from support to instructional partner. Our school libraries are our classrooms. As instructors and curriculum designers, we daily strive to teach and guide students to articulate questions, curate information, and engage with others to create and communicate knowledge. The AASL National School Library Standards are packaged in a way that defines what is essential for students to learn and be able to do because of the instruction provided by the school librarian. They are the answer to “What does a school librarian do all day?”
Recommended First Steps
Get to know the AASL National School Library Standards. Explore the AASL Standards Web Portal (http://standards.aasl.org) for school librarians, administrators, parents/guardians, and educators. Begin with the school librarian section. The videos and documents for reading and using the standards are a good place to start – and free! It will take several visits to fully absorb all that is there. Avoid becoming overwhelmed and register for an AASL standards webinar. Schedule and registration is free at eCollab (http://www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab/upcoming).
When you feel confident that you have a grasp of the standards explore the other sections. If your budget allows, purchase the book. MSLA is offering a conference discount of $99 to purchase the book for conference attendees (truly a bargain!). The standards app, available from iTunes, provides easy and useful access to the standards at a reasonable price. Consider joining a community of like-minded school librarians at the twitter feed #aaslstandards to stay up to date with the latest implementation ideas and workshops.
Prepare A Plan to Share the Standards with Your Stakeholders:
There is an implementation plan in the Web portal. (http://standards.aasl.org/implementation/). Use it to guide how you will communicate the AASL National School Library Standards to your school community in a way that is easy to understand. Your message should emphasize your teaching role – and what you communicate about the standards should support that. Select a shared foundation such as “Inquire.” Develop a chart that shows what that foundation already looks like in your school library. Creating a chart or graphic to share with your administrators will enable them to easily see connections between the school library standards and the school curriculum. Use videos from the Web portal or collect and share student comments and anecdotes that tell your own school library story.
Spread the Word to Your Community:
Let parents and teachers know about the new National School Library Standards. Download and post on your Web site the Guide for Parents and Guardians
(http://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AASL_Parents_OnePager_2017.jpg.) It is an excellent summary as to how the school librarian and school library standards contribute to a child’s growth as a student as he or she inquires and shares knowledge. Likewise, distribute copies of the Guide for Educators and Classroom Teachers (http://standards.aasl.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AASL_Educator_OnePager_2017.pdf) to make teachers aware of the new standards. Follow up with individual meetings with teachers, PLC’s, grade alike or department meetings and distribute the six Shared Foundation Infographics (http://standards.aasl.org/project/foundations/). This is an excellent starting place to initiate a dialog with teaching colleagues as to how our library standards intersect with classroom curriculum, leading to collaboration and implementation.
Begin exploring the new standards and share what you learn by contributing to #asslstandards. The standards are very comprehensive so don’t try and go it alone. Brainstorm ideas for implementing the standards with school library colleagues or start a study group (and earn PDP’s!) Reach out. Organize an unconference, start a twitter chat, give a workshop at a conference. This is a new beginning for our professional community through which we can create and enhance our professional contributions to enable our students to learn and grow. I encourage all MSLA members to collaboratively embrace this opportunity.
The challenge of the 1918 school library standards was to find information. Today our challenge is to teach students to inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage. The new AASL National Standards point the way.