In an ideal world, I would hire a library media specialist who is a master
teacher and has now completed a master's in library science. In an ideal
world that masters would include a high quality internship experience. The
school librarian candidate would also have additional experience in other
types of libraries, be highly organized but flexible, be tech-savvy while
enthusiastic about reading, be able to instruct children and adults in
formal and informal settings, be pro-active but not aggressive, or; just
generally know how to play well with others and all those qualities we look
for when hiring.
The ideal world does exist in my state, where I am a state-level
coordinator, but the day to day reality modifies that slightly.
I can think of a number of excellent librarians who began their school
library careers with what we designate as "conditional" certification. They
may have been certified teachers who had taken some library science graduate
courses or they may have been an MLS who needed education courses. The
school district knew that progress had to be made towards certification and
support systems should be in place to ensure that requirements were met in a
timely manner.
Frankly, there are times I might recommend a specific "conditional" person
over some certified candidates although, as has been noted, it's not the
easy way to do it. A "conditional" school librarian may find it difficult to
jump into the "extra" activities of a school while finishing a degree; the
time constraints may put on hold the school leadership aspect of a more
experienced LMS. On the other hand, the conditional LMS has a built in
network of fellow classmates and I've seen some great impact in a school
library program because the "conditional" person was able to use the
guidance of a professor for a course project to analyze a collection, write
a policy manual, or start a new activity. These not-yet-fully-certified
librarians may have had a sharper learning curve in addition to juggling a
job while finishing courses and taking tests, but ultimately students and
staff benefited from the continued recognition by administration that it
was a "certified" position rather than permanently staffing it with a
paraprofessional.
Sylvia
Sylvia K. Norton
School Library/Technology Planning Coordinator
State E-Rate Coordinator
Maine Department of Education/Maine State Library
sylvia.k.norton@maine.gov
207-287-5620
Disclaimer: I started my first professional school library position in a
"conditional" state. It was not ideal and in hindsight I'd change some
actions (and in-actions). My personal opinion is that it was easier to find
good teaching mentors in a small school building than it is to find good
librarian mentors.
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