As I come to the end of what I call my second round of library school, I have been reflecting on how the perceived roll of the librarian is different in the school as compared to all other types of libraries. I use the word perceived because I don’t see the role of the librarian as being different.

It seems that classroom teachers that move into a school library keep that teacher hat on and look at this new position in that same way. Don’t get me wrong, teachers make great librarians. However, in the library I think the librarian hat should be worn with all the teacher experience there to hold it up.

What really made me come to this conclusion were the class presentations. In many of them it was hard for me to see where the library fit into everything. I know what needs to be worked on for library assessment, differentiation in instruction, and reading strategies. In the school library, especially in the higher grades, it is a very difficult task to address all of these concerns for each class without strong collaboration with classroom teachers. As we move forward in our careers we will need to focus on developing methods in the library for meeting all of these challenges. I look forward to reading all of your published works in School Library Journal!

I do believe most of you are pursuing the Masters Degree. That makes you a librarian. It is okay to be a librarian in a school. Sell it. What we have to offer is on such a higher level that it requires a Masters Degree just to have the title. Sell it. Do the profession a favor and strut your stuff as a librarian.

And remember, that all librarians are teachers; not just school librarians. We may not always have a class in front of us, but we teach every single day from preschool to the elderly. I could not imagine being anything else.

Workshops

I have a new found respect for everyone who presents at a conference. It takes so much work to collaborate, coordinate and print!

Copyright Compliance and Physical Layout of the School Library

In the article “How Physical Design Can Influence Copyright Compliance” Meghan Harper offers advice to school librarians on setting up the library’s space to help with copyright compliance. I had never considered the space when I thought about copyright issues, so this article really stood out. Harper points out that if the copiers and printers are located in inconvenient locations where supplies are not easily accessible copying there is less likely to be infringement because it is not easy to do. If students have copying restrictions, or are charged for copies, there is less likely to be excessive copying for copyrighted materials. Harper recommends that copiers and printers be located near the librarian so that copyright guidance can be offered as needed.

The author also provides useful tips for the school librarian in monitoring copyright compliance without coming across as the copyright police. Some of the tips offered are posting links to copyright laws, be a role model for compliance, cite sources in your own handouts, and put copyright law tidbits in the monthly newsletter.

One piece of advice that I have come across in several sources is that the librarian should keep a log of compliance infringements that have been witnessed and what action was taken. This log helps identify problems that can be addressed in the newsletter or future workshops. It also provides evidence that the librarian tired to get compliance from the teacher.

Harper, Meghan. "How Physical Design Can Influence Copyright Compliance." Knowledge Quest 35.3 (2007): 30-32.