NYC School Library System Homepage: Are You New to the School Librarian Profession?
What must you do now?
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Join NYCSLIST Listserv.
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Join the TEAMS Group for NYCSLIST. Code: fkqvwz8
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Are you on a secondary campus serving more than one high school? Join the Campus Librarian Network.
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Submit your information in the Librarian Directory.
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Is your library automated with Destiny? (contact Leanne Ellis, Library Automation Administrator for more information).
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If you are on Destiny, fill out the Destiny Administrator Data Security Agreement.
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Review the NYC Public Schools Collection Development Policy for Classroom Collections and School Libraries.
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Review your school library's cataloging specifications with each library jobber. It is important to note, there is more than one fish in the sea. Just because your school ordered from one company doesn't mean you need to stay with that company. Know your Library Vendor options and contact each company for information.
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Join MyLibraryNYC.
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Learn about the Citywide Digital Library through Sora and sign your school up for a Sora Advantage account.
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School librarians use the Empire State Information Fluency Continuum (ESIFC) to guide instruction. Review it today!
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Learn which NOVELny Databases are available. All teachers and students have free access!
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Connect with your NYC Public Schools Library Services Coordinator.
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Review the NYC School Librarian Guidebook and visit the Professional Learning Opportunities page.
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Did you just receive your NYSED School Librarian Certification? If so, have you submitted the change of license from another content area?
- License Change Application FormSubmit this form to change your license from another content area. Tenured teachers changing licenses to school librarianship have a reduced probation.
Books on the Basics in Sora
Managing the Successful School Library: Strategic Planning and Reflective Practice by Lesley S.J. Farmer
From the School Library Journal:
School librarians who are balancing the demands of curriculum and teaching, collection development, and technology may not see themselves as managers or leaders, but according to Farmer, they are. The author emphasizes how, beyond vision and mission statements, librarians need to take the time to analyze what it means to manage a successful school library in order to strengthen their programs. [...] Whether readers have just begun their careers or have years of experience, they will benefit from this thorough dissection of each aspect of managing a school library. An excellent addition.—Laura Fields Eason, Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School, Bowling Green, KY
Great Displays for Your Library Step by Step by Susan P. Phillips
Need ideas for school library displays? This book is an effective tool for designing and creating unique visual statements for library spaces. It offers practical advice on utilizing everyday materials to create lively but economical presentations on a variety of topics including authors, world cultures, traditions, natural habitats, and book genres, including 46 featured displays and 77 additional display ideas.
The Power of Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church
Visible Thinking is a research-based approach to instruction developed at Harvard's Project Zero that prompts and promotes students' thinking to improve student engagement, learning, and development as thinkers. The Power of Making Thinking Visible expands on the principles and routines introduced in the bestselling Making Thinking Visible to provide practical insights on using thinking routines to engage students, the most effective techniques for using thinking routines in the classroom, as well as actionable strategies that can be applied across grade and content areas.
Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis
A solid introduction to reading instruction including research-based principles to guide practice that will help grow literacy at all reading and grade levels, Strategies That Work offers lessons, activities, and ways to integrate comprehension instruction across contents.
Mindful School Libraries: Creating and Sustaining Nurturing Spaces and Programs by Wendy Stephens
From breathing exercises to meditation, mindfulness exercises can be a coping mechanism for at-risk students and librarians can create an environment away from the classroom in which students can explore their abilities to regulate and control their social and emotional responses, skills that underpin information retrieval and analysis. Providing practical suggestions for working in concert with classroom teachers, school counseling staff, and community partners, this guide will inform librarians' practice by increasing awareness of how to create a nurturing space for students in the school library.
Wisdom from the Field
"Dynamic and inclusive school library programs not only provide access to resources but also actively contribute to personal growth, academic success, inquiry, and collaborative spirit of the school community."
"A library has a librarian, otherwise it is just a bunch of books in a basket or room."
#ALibrarianInEverySchool
"Rome wasn't built in a day, neither is a school library"
"Teaching skills without an end product in sight is not effective"
"People will constantly tell you how easy your job is without any real knowledge of what is involved. You can educate people but you never have to defend yourself. They could have become librarians too! Also..."No" is a full sentence."
"All Library Coordinators and the Director in the Office of Library Services have walked in your shoes. They have all worked as school librarians in NYC. Reach out, connect, and learn from them."
"Don't assume classroom teachers understand the role of the school librarian. Build relationships, connect with teachers, and help them see the value add of a robust school library program."
"School libraries are more than the books on the shelves. School libraries are programs that bring inquiry to life, provide safe spaces, and offer supports and services to all students."
"Every child should know how to connect, wonder, investigate, construct, explore, and reflect."