School Librarians:

Not Just "Story Ladies"

In the current economic slump, school library programs are more apt to be regarded as expendable "extras." However, the research clearly shows that strong school library programs bolster achievement as librarians help teachers improve curriculum delivery and help students reach standards. Today’s librarian is not just a low-level functionary shelving books and shushing students, but a Chief Information Officer managing increasingly complex computer-based resources.

The challenging and changing role of the school library is the subject of the Fall 2003 issue of NW Education, "Nexus of Knowledge: The School Library in the 21st Century."

It shines a spotlight on librarians who are using their skills and imagination not only to create lifelong readers, but to make the classroom a much richer learning environment. We meet Tiki Levinson who helps teachers in Bristol Bay, Alaska, blend literature into a science lesson or research into a math unit. Kelly Kuntz of Beaverton, Oregon, compares the role of the library program to an octopus with tentacles that work their way into every classroom. Marianne Hunter of Lacey, Washington, sees herself as an information manager and literacy teacher.

Also in this issue, Dr. Mike Eisenberg, head of the University of Washington’s Information School, outlines strategies for teacher-librarians and discusses their role as the "search engines" of the wired world. "Without someone helping on the information side, imparting knowledge has got to be harder," notes Eisenberg. "Schools without libraries or librarians cut off their arms, cut off their brains."

"Nexus of Knowledge" can be accessed online at www.nwrel.org/nwedu/09-01/index.asp.