Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional Developers

(Paperback)

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Presenting examples of school librarians leading professional learning in numerous contexts and for diverse learning goals with remarkable success, this book will inspire other practitioners to initiate and refine professional learning in their schools and districts. School administrators are recognizing that school librarians are ideal to lead professional development because they service the entire school network, from the students and faculty to families and the community. As a national downturn in educational funding is diminishing districts' ability to optimally staff libraries, investing energy in professional development is a sound strategy to bring information literacy skills to every studentespecially in buildings with part-time librarians, or districts with only a single librarian of record. Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional Developers stands apart from other works as the first book that directly addresses the potential role of the school librarian as a staff developer. Within the chapters, the authors relate their professional development journeys, collectively representing experience within K12 public and private institutions, district and regional units, and universities across the United States and Canada. The work provides various approaches to professional development with a range of processes and techniques that have been proven effective in different contexts and in achieving diverse learning goals. Practitioners at the building and district levels as well as school principals, state and district personnel, and library educators will find this book insightful and instructive.

Reviews

One of the most important books to appear in the literature this year. . . . [I]t provides real people doing real projects that make a difference. Read it; think about it; and, then reach out to others in the school to form a strong team bent on school improvement. Essential. * Teacher Librarian *
A rich smorgasbord of ideas, this book would be invaluable for an individual librarian looking to become a professional development leader, and for district librarians to use in planning and implementing meaningful district-wide professional development. . . . Highly recommended. * Library Media Connection *

Author Bio

Debbie Abilock, cofounder of NoodleTools, Inc., speaks internationally and consults in schools based on over 25 years as a school administrator, curriculum coordinator, librarian, and ICT director. Kristin Fontichiaro is clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan's School of Information, Ann Arbor. Violet H. Harada is professor in the Library and Information Science Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.