[CASL-L] question

[Cathy Andronik]

Elaine, what grade level are we talking about?  My understanding and experience is that high schools need to be staffed by a certified LMS if the school wants accreditation.  Elementary and middle schools are a different story.  I worked for 6 years (though 15 years ago) in a district where I, the certified LMS, visited three elementary schools and a middle school in the course of a week; otherwise the elementary libraries were "staffed" by parent volunteers, the middle school library by an occasional paraprofessional when she wasn't helping the nurse or answering phones in the main office.  In the district where I currently work in one of the high schools, there are paraprofessionals (most with minimal training, one or two with teaching certificates in a different subject) at the elementary and middle school level libraries.  And the alternative high school in town does not have a certified LMS--not sure what's going on there.  My recommendation for job
 security is to send lots of data and articles about the value of a certified librarian at all grade levels to your district powers-that-be.  By the way, why would they fill the library position with a teacher certified in another subject?  Money is usually the reason for eliminating library positions, and there's no monetary savings in replacing the librarian with a teacher; library media specialists are certified and generally in the same union as our fellow classroom teachers, guidance counselors, etc.

Cathy Andronik
Teacher librarian
Brien McMahon HS
Norwalk
--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 6/11/15, Elaine Lettiere <lettieree at prestonschools.org> wrote:

 Subject: [CASL-L] question
 To: "CASL listserv" <casl-l at mylist.net>
 Date: Thursday, June 11, 2015, 12:42 PM
 
 Hi All.
 Does anyone know the "rules" for
 staffing a school library?  Do you have to put a certified
 LMS in a position or can you just fill it with a certified
 teacher?
 Just wondering.  And getting my ducks in a
 row.
 
 -- 
 Elaine
 LettiereSchool LibrarianPreston
 Veterans Memorial School&Preston Plains Middle
 SchoolPreston,
 CT
 
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