School District Librarian

Two years ago, the Berryessa School District hired a credentialed librarian. This was a great addition to the services we offer our students. Libraries are an important part of school curriculum and the learning process. We have wonderful media techs who staff each of our school libraries.

The district librarian works out of the District Office and supports and enriches the academic programs at all of our schools. Our librarian is a trained professional who helps the district implement library standards recently adopted by the State Board of Education.

The national recommendation is for there to be a credentialed librarian at each school. The State of California requires that any school district that provides library services has at least one credentialed librarian. While we cannot staff to the national recommendations, we are lucky to have our librarian on board.

While following the law on library operations is important, equally important are the skills that a credentialed librarian brings to a school district.

• Curricular support: Librarians bring an understanding of curriculum and instruction and how to integrate the library resources to support and expand learning for all students.
  


• Broad knowledge of supplementary materials to support the standards: Librarians are trained to provide assistance to teachers and students in the evaluation, selection, production and use of instructional materials.
  


• Understanding of how to better utilize the libraries: There are new models for library service in schools that are studied in library curriculum and our librarian provides an understanding of how to utilize these models to better our schools.
  


• Training on the integration of technology into the library to support curriculum.
  


• Professional development: Librarians are trained to support staff in becoming more knowledgeable and current on uses of library media services.
  


• Information literacy: An entire field of school library study is helping teach students to discern quality of information they are bombarded with online and elsewhere. As students move to high school, they need to be trained to think critically about information. A librarian can help develop that kind of curriculum.

Having a district librarian brings a trained professional to the table with the training and experience to support learning for students and bring our schools to the next level.