Abstract: The School Librarian As Literacy Leader

I am scheduled to speak at the 6th Rizal Library International Conference on Friday, October 23, 2014. I will be sharing the paper I wrote about school librarians and literacy.

This is the new abstract of the paper.

The School Librarian as Literacy Leader

Abstract

The 21st Century presents plenty of opportunities for the school librarian to assume leadership roles. One of these roles is that of a literacy leader. As a literacy leader, the school librarian can influence members of the learning community, particularly its young readers, develop a lifelong love of books and reading. By planning and implementing a variety of literacy programs appropriate for them, the school librarian contributes to the literacy skills development of young learners. The school librarian further supports the learning goals and objectives of the school in this manner.

This paper fleshes out the scope of literacy leadership functions that a school librarian is capable of doing. The school librarian as a literacy leader creates and communicates a vision of literacy to teachers, the school leadership and parents, and follows through with the techniques and strategies for it to become a reality. School library standards, academic papers and research based articles are used to amplify this leadership role thus, making the school librarian a valuable member of the learning community.

Five school librarians are interviewed to provide examples and models of literacy programs implemented in their respective libraries. These school librarians are involved in planning and implementing literacy programs in their school libraries. Networking and collaborating with students, teachers, staff, school leaders and parents make a big difference in fulfilling literacy leadership roles. Assessment and evaluation, tracking of students’ literacy growth, and budgeting are identified as challenges and areas for improvement. In conclusion, a school librarian is a literacy leader when he or she lives out a genuine love for reading and believes that lifelong learning is not a set of skills to be mastered but a philosophy to be actualized.