Stepping Up Supervision of Library Media Specialists

Ann Dutton Ewbank

In administrative preparation programs, there is usually little instruction about how to effectively supervise library media centers and media specialists. Often information about overseeing library media centers focuses on potential problems, such as challenges dealing with censorship, or the planning and design of library facilities (Hartzell, 2002). Consequently, principals often do not understand how to effectively mentor, supervise, and evaluate library media specialists. School districts differ vastly on procedures for evaluation, with many using a standard teacher evaluation instrument that is unsuitable for the multiple roles of the media specialist.

Effective supervision and evaluation of media specialists is a vital component of transformational school library media programs, and the absence of critical supervision and evaluation can result in ineffective media specialists. As a result, decision makers may see the position as expendable, suggesting that the certified school library media specialist be eliminated and replaced by a paraprofessional clerk. For a library media center to have maximum influence in a school, administrators must acquire a deep understanding of the certified library media specialist position. 

According to Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (American Association of School Librarians/Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1998), media specialists hold four primary roles as educators:

• Teacher: Library media specialists are certified teachers who collaborate with students to help them access, evaluate, and use information effectively. They have knowledge of pedagogy and the latest research on teaching and learning. 

• Instructional partner/leader: Library media specialists collaborate with classroom teachers and other professionals to link learning outcomes and curricular content with resources and information. They can jointly create and deliver lesson plans and assessments and serve as leaders in staff development and other schoolwide instructional programs. 

• Information specialist: Library media specialists help provide students, teachers, and staff with personal, academic, and professional information. They curate information in print and electronic formats that aligns with the school’s curriculum and teach users how to effectively evaluate information for accuracy, authority, relevance, and bias. 

• Program administrator: Library media specialists manage a schoolwide program that is apparent in every classroom and every part of the curriculum. 

Both administrators and library media specialists should understand the roles and responsibilities required for this position. To improve supervision and evaluation of these specialists, administrators should try the following:

• Formulate goals with the media specialist. Hold regular meetings and encourage weekly or monthly reporting of the media center's effect within the school.

• Examine the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Library Media (PDF). This document provides an excellent overview of what media specialists should know and be able to do. 

• Review the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) guidelines and standards. AASL advocates for a certified media specialist in every school who implements 21st century learning standards. 

• Research evaluation instruments designed for media specialists. Use these instruments as a supplement to your district's evaluation procedures, or consider advocating for a customized instrument for media specialists. A particularly well-crafted instrument is available from the Durango School District in Colorado.

Effective, thoughtful supervision and evaluation will provide a return on investment for both the media specialist and the school, positioning the library media center as the transformational heart of the school.

References

American Association of School Librarians/Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (1998). Information power: Building partnerships for learning. Chicago: ALA Editions.

Hartzell, G. (2002). What's it take? Informing principals about the value of school libraries. Knowledge Quest, 31(1), 27–43.

Ann Dutton Ewbank is the education liaison librarian at Arizona State University’s Fletcher Library.