Oakes Public/School Library Mission Statement"To provide access to information for area students and residents."
Goals of the Oakes Public/School Library
  • Serve as a leader in the library and information opportunities.
  • Develop access to information.
  • Promote and advocate library awareness.
  • Provide library and information services area-wide and to all patrons within the community
Media Center Staff


LMS Job Description:
  • A highly qualified candidate will hold appropriate state certification as a school librarian and have completed a teacher preparation program and/or educational degree

Reports To: Building Principal
Supervises: Paraprofessional(s) who comprise the school library staff, and, if applicable, volunteers and student assistants and
Job Goals:
  • To ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information
  • To empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information
  • To instill a love of learning in all students and ensure equitable access to information
  • To collaborate with classroom teachers and specialists to design and implement lessons and units of instruction, and assess student learning and instructional effectiveness
  • To provide the leadership and expertise necessary to ensure that the school library program (SLP) is aligned with the mission, goals, and objectives of the school and the school district, and is an integral component of the learning/instructional program

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Leader - As a leader the school librarian creates an environment where collaboration and creative problem solving thrive. The school librarian is an excellent communicator who instills enthusiasm in others by making them feel that they are important members of a team. Strong leaders foster an environment of creativity, innovation, and openness to new ideas, welcoming and encouraging input from others to create consensus. They anticipate future obstacles and continually retool to meet challenges. The school librarian demonstrates his or her role as a visible and active leader within the school community, an advocate for the SLP, and a professional member of the school library community by:
    • serving on decision making teams in the school
    • taking an active role in school improvement and accreditation activities
    • benchmarking the SLP to school, state, and national program standards
    • sharing expertise by presenting at faculty meetings, parent meetings, and school board meetings
    • creating an environment that is conducive to active and participatory learning, resource-based instructional practices, and collaboration with teaching staff
    • sharing with the learning community collaboratively developed and up-to-date district policies concerning such issues as materials selection, circulation, reconsideration of materials, copyright, privacy, and acceptable use
    • encouraging the use of instructional technology to engage students and to improve learning, providing 24/7 access to digital information resources for the entire learning community
    • collecting and analyzing data to improve instruction and to demonstrate correlations between the SLP and student achievement
    • maintaining active memberships in professional associations
    • remaining current in professional practices and developments, information technologies, and educational research applicable to school library programs
    • advocating for school library programs and the guiding principles of the school library profession; the school librarian is an active, accessible, and informed proponent of the school library profession by:
      • advocating, communicating, and promoting opportunities to improve the profession
      • maintaining frequent and timely communication to stakeholders through the school and library website, parent newsletter, e-mail, and other formats, such as local cable access television, video/audio streaming, and on-demand video/podcasts
      • using local, state, national, and international school library data and research to engage support
      • writing articles and submitting regular reports providing evidence of what the library and school librarian do to prepare learners to be successful in the twenty-first century
      • maintaining an effective public relations program
      • demonstrating a commitment to maintaining intellectual freedom
      • promoting the ethical use of information
  • Instructional Partner - As an instructional partner the school librarian works with teachers and other educators to build and strengthen connections between student information and research needs, curricular content, learning outcomes, and information resources. The school librarian demonstrates his or her role as an essential and equal partner in the instructional process by:
    • participating in the curriculum development process at both the building and district level to ensure that the curricula include the full range of literacy skills (information, media, visual, digital, and technological literacy) necessary to meet content standards and to develop lifelong learners
    • collaborating with teachers and students to design and teach engaging inquiry and learning experiences and assessments that incorporate multiple literacies and foster critical thinking
    • participating in the implementation of collaboratively planned learning experiences by providing group and individual instruction, assessing student progress, and evaluating activities
    • joining with teachers and others to plan and implement meaningful experiences that will promote a love of reading and lifelong learning
    • providing and planning professional development opportunities within the school and district for and with all staff
  • Information Specialist - As information specialist, the school librarian provides leadership and expertise in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of information resources and technologies in all formats, as well as expertise in the ethical use of information. The school librarian ensures equitable access and responsible use of information by:
    • in accordance with district policy, developing and maintaining a collection of resources appropriate to the curriculum, the learners, and the teaching styles and instructional strategies used within the school community
    • cooperating and networking with other libraries, librarians, and agencies to provide access to resources outside the school
    • modeling effective strategies for developing multiple literacies
    • evaluating, promoting, and using existing and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, supplement school resources, connect the school with the global learning community, communicate with students and teachers, and provide 24/7 access to library services
    • providing guidance in software and hardware evaluation, and developing processes for such evaluation
    • understanding copyright, fair use, and licensing of intellectual property, and assisting users with their understanding and observance of the same
    • organizing the collection for maximum and effective use
  • Teacher - As a teacher, the school librarian empowers students to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information. The school librarian supports students’ success by guiding them in:
    • reading for understanding, for exposure to diversity of viewpoints and genres, and for pleasure
    • using information for defined and self-defined purposes
    • building on prior knowledge and constructing new knowledge
    • embracing the world of information and all its formats
    • working with peers in successful collaboration for learning
    • constructively assessing their own learning and the work of their peers
    • becoming their own best critics
  • Program Administrator - As program administrator, the school librarian works collaboratively with members of the learning community to define the policies of the school library program, and to guide and direct all activities related to it. The school librarian maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of the school library program by:
    • using strategic planning for the continuous improvement of the program
    • ensuring that school library program goals and objectives are aligned with school and district long-range strategic plans
    • using effective management principles, including the supervision of personnel, resources, and facilities, in developing and implementing program goals and objectives

Terms of Employment: Teacher work year plus extended-year days
Evaluation: Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with district policies.
(Adapted from the AASL Sample Job Description, 2010)


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Library Aide Job Description:

  • The library assistant reports to the librarian and supports them in their functions. This position requires clerical and technological knowledge and skills. The assistant should have prior basic library training. Otherwise, the library should provide it. Some of the duties of the job include routine functions, shelving, lending, returning and processing library material.
  • The fundamental qualities and skills expected from the school library staff can be defined as follows:
    • the ability to communicate positively and open-mindedly with children and adults
    • the ability to understand the needs of users
    • the ability to cooperate with individuals and groups inside and outside the school community
    • knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity
    • knowledge of learning methodology and educational theory
    • knowledge of information skills and of how to use information
    • knowledge of the materials which compose the library collection and how to access it
    • knowledge of child literature, media and culture
    • knowledge and skills in the field of information technology
  • Responsibilities are as follows:
    • Daily
      • Scan book shelves at the end of each class visit and at least twice daily when no classes utilize the library.
      • Straighten periodical holders, alphabetizing all periodicals and replacing back issues with new issues; file back issues immediately.
      • Sort mail.
      • Circulation duties as they arise - with no delay.
    • Twice weekly
      • Dust tops and fronts of bookshelves.
      • Sanitize main counter and windowsills.
      • Sanitize laptop computers (inside and outside).
      • Make sure all laptops are plugged in properly with corresponding cords.
    • Weekly
      • Repair all books in need of repair
    • Bi Weekly
      • Clean out newspaper drawers, recycling all newspapers more than 1 week old.

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Circulation Policy

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