Librarians

Meeting the needs of the students calls for changes on the part of the librarian. Librarians are trained to help students become 21st century learners by not only finding information effectively and efficiently, but also being able to apply that knowledge in different learning environments. In fact, Abram (2003) declares that librarians must “…predict content that students and other users want before they know that it exists or even that they need it” (p. 6). They must have knowledge of different types of resources, technology, and developments in the field of literacy information. They are obligated to help students locate and organize information. As Carey (1998) put it, librarians in the schools should be teaching children to think rather than memorize and repeat, and students’ thinking skills should transfer to the real world so that they become independent, productive members of adult society. Collections must be modernized and assessed on a regular basis in order to best serve the students, and librarians must also commit to learning and using these services in order to sustain the library for the next generation of users.

Because today’s 21st century students are inundated with an ever-changing backdrop of information and technology, librarians must be able to not only meet their needs, but also propel them into a world of inquiry and learning. Today’s student must exemplify critical thinking and problem solving skills in order to research successfully. Librarians must keep up with the pace of ever-changing technology and teach students how to search efficiently for effective results. They must utilize available technology, but provide depth and breadth, not just surface-level services.

Abram (2003) asserts that libraria...

... middle of paper ...

...vises the instructional librarian to “evaluate home library holdings against these lists, looking for existing coverage as well as gaps in coverage” (p. 221). Because budget is of grave concern to any instructional librarian, any inventory matching the “collection” list should be documented so that funds are not spent acquiring duplicate media. Any items needed by teachers and/or students but not currently available should be part of the ordering process, if budget allows.

So, how does the student benefit from the instructional librarian’s quest to become a curriculum “know-it-all?” Todd (2002) finds that “improvements are shown in student learning outcomes, particularly state test scores, when it can be demonstrated that the school library has a carefully articulated instructional focus that fosters the development of … new understandings and insights” (p. 3).