It Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

Abstract

A survey of stakeholders—superintendents, principals, and board members—explored their perceptions regarding the work of degreed librarians. Results showed that there is an understanding of school librarians’ contributions to student success in learning. When asked what the school librarian does, however, the responses focused on facilities management and read-for-pleasure suggestions. There is ample evidence that the work of the school librarian in the school community increases both standardized test scores and reading scores for an entire school where the librarian is a degreed teacher. Many of the respondents affirm that they are aware of these findings. The decision to retain a school librarian is often framed as a struggle between retaining a classroom teacher and retaining the librarian. Respondents said they understand the benefit of having a school librarian. However, the cognitive bias involved in thinking about the contributions of a school librarian does not secure the position of the school librarian. Prospect theory dictates that the decision to retain needs to be reframed in order to preserve access to school librarians’ contributions to the school community.

Which Formal and Informal Structures Constrain and Enable Collaboration Between School Librarians and Teachers?

“…Research indicates that school leaders and teachers have limited knowledge of librarians' competences and tasks (Centerwall, 2022;Gross, 2022). Their knowledge may be based on their own experience, and not on what the librarian actually does, which might affect which resources are allocated to the library.…”

“…Many of my informants expressed how their leader also left professional decisions to the librarian. Much research claims that headteachers and teachers have little knowledge of the library's tasks and the librarian's competence (Centerwall, 2022;Eri & Pihl, 2017;Gross, 2022). This makes it easier to reduce budgets and make decisions without negotiations, as some the informants experienced.…”

“…Successful school libraries have been perceived as instruments for improved learning outcomes (e.g. Gross, 2022;Schultz-Jones & Oberg, 2022). However, research indicates that school libraries are underutilized (Loh, 2021) and do not have a central role in schools' infrastructure for learning (see e.g.…”