By Jennifer Sniadecki
When I was a student in middle school, our class traveled once a week to the school library, browsed the library shelves full of fascinating titles, and checked out a few books to take home.
I remember sitting on bean bag chairs or the rug while the librarian read to us. She then took our library ID cards, wrote the due date on the borrower’s cards, and smiled as we scooped up our stacks to walk back to class.
The role of the school librarian has changed dramatically in the many years since then, and school leaders, teachers, and students need modern library services more than ever.
Librarians do more than read on the rug with elementary students, check out books to middle schoolers, or gather books for reshelving in high schools. The modern school librarian is an advocate for joyful reading and meaningful learning opportunities in 2025.
The school librarian is a manager.
While people observe the daily tasks of the librarian – reading aloud, scanning barcodes to check out books, and reshelving items – what they don’t see are the hours of work it takes to manage the space, materials, and procedures of the school library.
Libraries are orderly and run smoothly due to the expertise of the librarian, who curates collections, runs reports, and supports the school curriculum. They maintain technology and troubleshoot issues. They write policies that adhere to the district’s goals.
School librarians are often given budgets and must decide how and when to use funds to enhance learning opportunities. Librarians weed old, outdated, and no-longer-accurate materials to keep information up to date for visiting patrons. Remember those old borrower’s cards? You don’t find those much anymore. Now librarians learn and train others to use library management systems (LMS) to keep track of school collections and operations.
The school librarian is a teacher.
In many districts, school librarians are certified teachers, so they teach reading classes, host intervention groups, and even travel to classrooms to co-teach a lesson in science or social studies.
Yes, you’ll see the librarian checking out books at the circulation counter, but you’ll also see a small group of students at a round table, engaged in a vocabulary lesson or practicing word study strategies. The librarian may host classes to teach research skills: choosing a topic, gathering information, writing a thesis statement, and presenting projects.
Librarians hold professional development sessions on numerous topics, including character development in stories, how to read an infographic, and even how to choose an appropriate book for personal reading.
Teacher-librarians teach media literacy skills (crucial in the internet age), including how to avoid plagiarism and fake news, and help students become informed citizens. School librarians refer students to companies and agencies as promising job applicants. Students learn to complete job applications, record videos for interviews, and obtain certifications necessary in the job market.
The school librarian is an advocate.
As we develop informed citizens, we must provide outlets for their knowledge and skills outside of the school building. School librarians are advocates for their students as they assume citizenship roles in communities, learning about literacy concerns, such as book bans and the “reading wars” in our country. Librarians also bring reading and writing opportunities to children by hosting book fairs, where students find the joy of choosing and keeping their own books and starting their own home libraries.
Readers are encouraged to start in-school book clubs to discuss stories and satisfying topics. Librarians are lucky because they are able to meet authors and illustrators of favorite books and bring author visits into the school and classrooms. Whether it’s a virtual event or an in-person pep rally, librarians are responsible for bringing reading joy to the masses.
The school librarian is a lifelong learner.
Librarians are lifelong learners and readers themselves, making sure to keep abreast of local, state, and national news and developments. Librarians learn to communicate with all ages of people and promote dialogue about what matters in their lives. Librarians love stories and encourage student writing to keep stories alive and relevant far into the future. Librarians are leaders who promote literacy and learning every day, inside the workplace and out in the world.
As you can see, the grey-haired, glasses-on-the-nose, shushing old lady librarian is a stereotype of the past. School librarians are important reading leaders who are project managers, teachers, literacy advocates, and lifelong learners in 2025. Visit a school library today, and while you’re there, thank the librarian. Have a great school year!
Jennifer Sniadecki is a middle school librarian and literacy leader from South Bend, IN. An avid reader and writer, she loves sharing her learning with others. She believes that a good read aloud can change one’s perspective about the school learning experience. Visit her work at www.readingteacherwrites.com and check out her other posts here at MiddleWeb.
