AASL Standards Framework for Learners - Interview 2

 

 Interview with Librarian on the AASL Collaborate Standard

I interviewed a librarian at an elementary school in the Fort Mill School District regarding how she incorporates the collaborative competency from the AASL Standards Framework.  The elementary school is one of eleven elementary schools in the district and has an enrollment of 782 students.  The student demographics are 68% white, 10% Hispanic, and 10% Pacific Islander or Asian.  15% of the student population is from low-income families (Great! Schools.org, 2025). The library operates on a fixed/flexible schedule, with the library rotating on and off with the guidance lessons. I was most interested in learning more about how the librarian incorporates the collaboration piece into her library programming.

The librarian attends planning meetings with the grade-level teachers.  She interjects with ideas and resources that she can help with lessons in the library.  I appreciate how she enters these meetings without an agenda, listens, and observes.  At the beginning of the school year, the librarian requests long-range plans from each grade level, which helps her analyze how she can support the teachers in the library.  She assists grade-level teachers by taking the research piece off of their classroom agendas and incorporating it into the library planning.  For example, the 4th grade was conducting a biography research project, and the librarian pulled non-fiction resources and allowed students to search topics on the computers.  Students became excited and engaged in selecting a biography topic to research and present. In addition, the librarian pushes into the classroom to co-teach lessons, like poetry. The collaboration with teachers helps the librarian build relationships throughout the school.

The librarian collaborates with the many resources that the library space has to offer.  In addition, she pulls bins of materials to deliver to classrooms.  The librarian presents professional development topics to teachers, such as features with SC Discus.  She surveys the needs of students at the middle school level and conducts presentations with the elementary teachers on ways to better prepare students for the middle school curriculum.  Through examining the long-range plans, the librarian arranges for presenters to come into the library space for presentations that match the curriculum, for example, the local mayor for a civic duty lesson.  She also attends the new employee orientation so that she can talk with new teachers about the vision for the library and how she can best help them.

Problems arise with collaboration because teachers are so exhausted and overwhelmed with their day-to-day stressors.  Often, collaboration is seen as an extra additive to the teacher’s responsibilities, even though it is not meant to be extra.  The librarian is also overwhelmed with the need to constantly explain and display all that a librarian does for the school.

The school that I will be a librarian in for the next school year operates on a fixed schedule.  Collaboration will be more difficult on a fixed schedule, but it is doable in small increments.  The librarian reassured me to take “baby steps” and focus on collaborating with one teacher or one grade level.  She advised me to not take too much on at once.  The key to collaboration is getting the school on board with the mission of the library, which is a process and will take time.

Reference

Great! Schools.org. (2025). Tega Cay Elementary School. https://www.greatschools.org/south-carolina/fort-mill/4149-Tega-Cay-Elementary-School/?searchWhatType=autosuggest&searchLocationType=undefined&searchWhatKeywordValue=tega+cay