because of that grounding in literacy, when
we look at that teacher librarian role, their
role— they're the champions of the humani-
ties and the fine arts, but they also champion
that literacy component with their STEM
[Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math partner. That technology piece is
shared equally.
Another school district administrator in
Southern California shared a similar perspec-
tive of the role of their teacher librarians in
conjunction with the school library program:
“I always think of the library as the hub
of the school. That's where things happen.
If you want to promote a reading program,
if you want to promote ELA, if you want to
promote learning on that kind of scale, it's
got to happen at the library.”
Unfortunately, these views are limited
to a very small number of administrators,
as few teacher librarians are employed in
California’s public schools. Though multiple
large-scale studies (Gretes, 2013; Kachel,
2013; Kaplan, 2010; School Libraries Im-
pact Studies, 2013; School Libraries Work,
2016) demonstrate how strong school library
programs, led by certificated teacher librar-
ians, positively impact student achievement
in ELA, including one focused exclusively on
California’s school library programs (Ach-
terman, 2008), only 859 teacher librarians
were reported statewide for the 2014-2015
academic year. This averages to one teacher
librarian per 7,187 of California’s students
and less than one teacher librarian per school
district (CDE, 2015b; California State Au-
ditor, 2016). There are several possible rea-
sons to explain this phenomenon. Accord-
ing to several studies and surveys conducted
since 1989, school leaders know very little
about the components of effective school
library programs that include the presence
of a certificated school librarian (Levitov,
2013). This may be due to the failure to ef-
fectively disseminate school library research,
the absence of instruction on school library
programs in administrative preparation pro-
grams, or an inaccurate perception of the role
of the teacher librarian based upon previous
experience. This lack of knowledge was evi-
dent during my interviews with administra-
tors working in districts that did not employ
teacher librarians. I found that I was fre-
22
Leadership
quently asked, “So what exactly is a teacher
librarian and what are they supposed to do?”
The Role of the Teacher Librarian
Holders of the California Teacher Librar-
ian Services Credential and Special Class
Authorization are authorized by Califor-
nia Code of Regulations Title 5, Sections
§80053 and §80053.1 to:
• Instruct students in accessing, evaluat-
ing, using and integrating information and
resources in the library program.
• Plan and coordinate school library programs
with the instructional programs of a school dis-
trict through collaboration with teachers.
• Select materials for school and district
libraries.
• Develop programs for and deliver staff
development for school library services.
• Coordinate or supervise library pro-
grams at the school, district, or county level.
• Plan and conduct a course of instruction
for those pupils who assist in the operation
of school libraries.
• Supervise classified personnel assigned
school library duties.
• Develop procedures for and manage-
ment of the school and district libraries.
• Provide departmentalized instruction
in information literacy, digital literacy,
and digital citizenship (Thomson Reuters,
2016a, para. b; 2016b, para. c).
To obtain the Teacher Librarian Services
Credential, individuals must hold a bach-
elor’s degree, a valid California teaching cre-
dential, and complete one of the following: a)
a Teacher Librarian Services Credential pro-
gram accredited by the California Commis-
sion on Teaching Credentialing, b) a compa-
rable out-of-state professional preparation
program consisting of at least 30 graduate
semester units, or c) National Board Certifi-
cation in Library Media (CTC, 2014).
California’s teacher librarian prepara-
tion programs are governed by the CTC’s
(2015) Teacher Librarian Services Cre-
dential and Special Class Authorization in
Information and Digital Literacy Program
Standards (CTC TL Standards), which
include a strong emphasis on teaching for
learning. Standards 2 and 11 specifically
state that candidates must be able to (a) use
a wide variety of instructional strategies
and assessment tools to develop and deliver
standards-based learning experiences both
independently and in collaboration with
educational partners; (b) design develop-
mentally appropriate instruction based on
the Model School Library Standards for
California Public Schools, other academic
content area standards, their knowledge
of learning theory, and diverse students’
interests and needs; and (c) clearly link as-
sessment to student achievement, assess
student learning, and develop interventions
to maximize student learning outcomes.
Additionally, candidates are expected to
provide instructional leadership by advocat-
ing for effective school library programs that
focus on student learning and achievement;
modeling and communicating information
literacy and the ethical, legal, and safe use of
information and technology; providing pro-
fessional development; and demonstrating
a commitment to continuous professional
growth. Candidates must also demonstrate
knowledge of the ethical and legal codes of
the profession and various research strate-
gies; demonstrate proficiency in the use of
current and emerging technologies, a wide
variety of digital and print resources, and a
variety of learning formats and venues; and
be able to design and deliver curriculum in
digital literacy and digital citizenship.
In 2010 the California State Board of Ed-
ucation adopted the Model School Library
Standards for California Public Schools,
which provides guidance for the library
services that should be delivered to stu-
dents as specified in California Education
Code 18100 and 18101 (California Educa-
tion Code, n.d.). This document includes
two sections, “School Library Standards
for Students” and “School Library Program
Standards,” both of which serve to direct
teacher librarians in their daily practice. The
“School Library Standards for Students”
focus primarily upon instructing students to
access, evaluate, and use information across
all curricular subjects at each grade level.
The “School Library Program Standards”
provide specific guidelines and quantita-
tive program standards, indicating that the
teacher librarian is expected to schedule
collaborative planning and teaching “with
at least two grade levels or departments or