Researchers will share three papers exploring selected School Library topics. This interactive SIG session includes presentation of papers followed by open dialogue and Q&A regarding issues raised by the papers, implications for practice, and future areas for research. The 2021 session will include the following presentations:
Preparing School Library Candidates to be Culturally Responsive School Librarians - The 2019 ALA/AASL CAEP School Librarian Preparation Standards emphasize preparing school librarian candidates that “articulate and model cultural competence and respect for inclusiveness, supporting individual and group perspectives” (ALA/AASL, 2019). This research study explores cultural understanding, experiences, and ways of knowing the world from internationally-based school library programs that LIS educators can implement to develop culturally competent learning experiences in the school librarian candidate preparation curriculum.
Evidence-Based Practice and School Librarians: Analyses of Practitioners’ Data Collection - School librarian preparation programs are expected to prepare candidates to collect, assess, and apply data. This paper reports the findings of a multi-state study of school librarians’ evidence-collecting practices. Preliminary findings indicate that school librarians collect a wide array of evidence, but the likelihood of collecting specific types of data is influenced by multiple factors including the level of the school, and the librarian’s length of tenure, areas of certification, and placement in multiple schools.
Librarians: Bridges to College Readiness - What relationship exists between the presence of a high school librarian and freshmen college students’ academic success? To answer this question, this study examined five years of a large comprehensive university’s first-year students’ data: demographics, first semester GPA, graduating high school demographics, and presence of the high school librarian. The findings are revealing