Teacher-librarian

A teacher-librarian or school librarian or school library media specialist (SLMS) is a certified librarian who also has training in teaching. According to the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), the official title for a certified librarian who works in a school in the United States is school librarian. In Australia, the term is teacher librarian. The teacher librarian performs four main leadership roles: teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator. School librarians may read to children, assist them in selecting books, assist with schoolwork and also guiding them on which books to use for their projects especially the secondary school ones. Some school librarians see classes on a "flexible schedule". A flexible schedule means that rather than having students come to the library for instruction at a fixed time every week, the classroom teacher schedules library time when the expertise of the school librarian, library and information skills, or materials are needed as part of a learning experience. In the instructional partner role, school librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to create independent learners by fostering students' research, information literacy, technology, communication, and critical thinking skills. School librarians play a major role in infusing Information Literacy concepts and skills into secondary school curricula as well as enhances implementation of Information Literacy knowledge practices and dispositions into the secondary school education system. As information specialists, school librarians develop a resource base for the school by using the curriculum and student interests to identify and obtain library materials. They also organize and maintain the library collection in order to promote independent reading and lifelong learning. Materials in the library collection can be located using an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).