SNL IN HISD
  • Site Overview
    • SNL Speaks Out (BLOG)
    • Table of Contents
    • Houston ISD School Board >
      • Libs Surrounding Districts
      • Cost of Staffing HISD Library
      • District I
      • District II
      • District III
      • District IV
      • District V
      • District VI
      • District VII
      • District VIII
      • District IX
      • 17 Children are At Risk/Literacy Deserts
    • What Strong School Librarians Do >
      • 2019 Strong HISD Libraries
      • Impact on Students of School Libraries
      • How They Do It >
        • Certified School Librarians
        • Teaching Expertise Matters
        • Research into School Library Impact
        • Book Deserts
        • Equity of Access Intro
        • Honoring Diversity
        • Intellectual Freedom
        • Critical Thinking
        • Windows Mirrors Sliding Glass Doors
        • Future Ready
        • Closed Library
  • Allies and Supporters
    • 2020 Racial Justice Resources >
      • BLM & Teaching Tolerance
      • A Primer-Racial Justice >
        • Anti-Racism Resources
        • Allyship
        • Black History
        • Voting & Civil Discourse
      • Parenting Resources
      • Diversity in Education >
        • LatinX Resources
        • Gender Issues
        • Indigenous Peoples
      • Young Children - Books & Media
      • Elementary Books & Resources >
        • General ELEM Fiction & Nonfiction
        • ELEM Podcasts Videos & PD
      • Middle School Books & Resources >
        • MS NONFICTION
        • MS MEDIA Resources
      • High School Books & Media >
        • HS NONFICTION
        • HS MEDIA Resources
        • UPPER HS Books
      • Curriculum Supporting Racial Justice >
        • Curriculum by Age Level
    • General Resources for Allies
    • Advocacy Tools for Allies >
      • Information for Parents and Students >
        • Parent Info - Pre 2017
      • Information for Teachers >
        • Teacher Info - Pre 2017
      • Information for Principals and Administrators >
        • Admin Info - Pre 2017
      • Information for Policymakers >
        • Policy Info - Pre2017
    • OpEds and Legislative News - Other Places
    • Equity, Literacy & Critical Thinking >
      • Equity of Access in Detail >
        • Equity - Pre 2017
      • Diverse Choices
      • Reading Matters = Literacy >
        • Reading Matters - Pre 2017
        • Bonus Reading Info
      • Readiness K-20
      • Information Literacy
      • Critical Thinking >
        • Critical Thinking Pre 2017
    • Digital Literacy >
      • Digital Literacy Pre 2017
  • Resources for Librarians
    • 2022 Right to Read
    • Librarian Advocacy in Action >
      • Telling your Story - Basic Advocacy
      • Ecosystem
      • Legislators are Just People
      • Measuring Library Impact
      • Infographics
    • Librarians as Leaders >
      • Librarians Leaders Pre 2017
      • Equity Led by Librarians
      • Libns for Readiness K-20
      • Nurturing Environment
      • Strengthening Your Skills - Personal PD
      • LIB Assn Tools >
        • School Library Standards
        • Future Ready Libraries
      • Curriculum
      • The Research - School Libraries >
        • Research Pre2017
      • S.L.I.D.E. Kachel/Lance
      • Genl Articles LIB Pre2017
    • Literacies >
      • Reading Matters >
        • Reading-Librarians Pre2017
      • Digital Literacy >
        • Digital Lit for Librarians Pre 2017
  • Contacts
  • Intellectual Freedom


​SNL Houston   

Speaks  

Out  

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What is Better about a Certified School Librarian? With Pictures!

8/16/2021

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by Dorcas Hand
Certified School Librarians in Texas are certified teachers with at least two years full-time classroom teaching experience PLUS coursework in library science PLUS a Masters Degree.
https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/programs/school-librarian-certificate/requirements-notices 

​In Houston ISD, personnel with all this additional training are paid the same as any classroom teacher making the expertise held by the campus librarian a bargain!​
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​Many community members (you who are reading this) have no idea that HISD currently (late July 2021) has only 55 certified librarians ready to start 2021 in its 280+ schools. Recognizing that hiring is still in process for the coming year, I include this overview of library staffing for the last school year. HISD Library Services is working hard to convince principals and district administrators of the impact strong school libraries with certified staff could have on student achievement, but the numbers are not improving YET. ​
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The Table of Contents offers you an overview of the full document. Green means the staff-person is skilled in this area. Yellow means use caution: the staff-person is not likely skilled but may have some knowledge in this area. Red means the staff-person has no training at all except in the clerical aspects of the job. A school that chooses to staff the library with a non-professional, clerical assistant is denying their students the breadth of what ​strong library services should offer students and teachers; having no library at all is only slightly worse for students. A school that chooses to staff the library with a certified teacher offers students some elements of strong library service, but much is missing. Only trained and certified school librarians know the full array of expectations and can be held to accomplish them every day, all year long with every student and teacher. This page offers you an overview of that breadth of skills.
Really, it is a bargain anyway to have one person who 
  • Teaches and supports all students in need of resources at their ability and interest levels
  • Supports literacy skills and enthusiasm across the school, in classrooms and beyond
  • Writes curriculum in collaboration with classroom teachers to increase the impact of standard content units across the school
  • Organizes information resources in many formats for easiest access by students and teachers
  • Is skilled with technology applications and digital content resources, matching the right tools to the content, student age and ability spectrum
  • Teaches information literacy and critical thinking skills to the campus community
​Manages all these jobs at once, working with every teacher and student in the school, as well as the administrative team.
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​In 2019, I compiled an illustration booklet to show what a school gets by staffing the library with a certified school librarian, a certified teacher of any subject, or a non-professional.

Click here to view the full VISUAL GUIDELINE TO STAFFING CHOICES IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES.
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HISD has just hired a new Superintendent. We at Students Need Libraries in HISD welcome Millard House. He comes from Clarksville-Montgomery County School Systems in Tennessee, where every school has a certified librarian. Consequently, we have high expectations that he will work to offer students across HISD the EQUITY of a school library that is fully funded, holds a diverse collection of materials appropriate to the student population, and is staffed full-time by a certified librarian. HISD Library Services stands at the ready to support him in making this change.

​YOU who read this blog post hold the responsibility as members of the Houston ISD community to speak out for equity for all our students. HISD Literacy rates are much lower than they should be, and inconsistent across the district in part because students have not had reliable access to school libraries that support the students’ own reading interests with awareness of their skill levels and abilities. Together, we can change what has been into what can be.
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Mr. House: Welcome to HISD

8/16/2021

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Mr. House,

Welcome to HISD.  We represent a grassroots group of community members, parents, and other advocates who want to see a dynamic library in every school. We have a website (Students Need Libraries in HISD) that provides information about HISD libraries in particular and school libraries in general.  As a new Superintendent, here’s what you need to about HISD libraries:
(1)   Numbers: As of mid-July, there are only 55 certified librarians in a school district of over 280 schools. Too many schools have no library at all, but most schools have clerks or teachers assigned to manage the library. Although these individuals have been trained to circulate books, most of those assigned to the library cannot provide the instructional services (book selection, teaching research skills, etc.) required. The perception among those who might apply is that a library position in HISD is insecure. We have lost many good librarians to other school districts as a result. Five out of the ten librarians who were selected as Librarian of the Year in the past decade have left the district to work as a librarian in outlying districts. Here is the link to library staffing data in recent years: http://www.studentsneedlibrariesinhisd.org/library-staffing-overview.html

​(2) Site-based Management: Principals have the final determination as to whether the library is open or closed and whether to hire a librarian, a teacher or a clerk to staff the library. In general, many principals are not aware of the benefits of a strong library program and do not realize the librarian’s impact on student achievement for all students. When principals attend the district’s budgeting sessions, they are likely to be told they cannot afford a librarian.

(3) Board Policy: Reading the board policies, the district clearly has a commitment to providing library services to all students. The problem is that these policies are not being enforced or considered when staffing libraries or making decisions that affect students’ access to libraries.

(4)  Department of Library Services: This department is the district’s expert on staff in the management of existing libraries and the design of new libraries. For many years, HISD Library Services was part of the School Support team which was a good fit for this department as libraries provide ongoing academic support to both students and teachers. For the past ten years, Library Services has been under the Curriculum department which has not been a good fit. Currently, the department is under the purview of Elementary Curriculum, ignoring the fact that libraries serve schools PreK-12.  Under Curriculum department management, there have been numerous cutbacks in staffing and budget.
​

(5) Equity: Ultimately, the strongest argument for the restoration of the library program in HISD is equity. There are some communities in HISD which have never failed to staff their libraries. There are too many communities - whole feeder patterns - where the books on the library shelves have disappeared or the collections have been allowed to stagnate locked in time. A return to centralized budgeting for all libraries would benefit student success.

Conclusion
: School libraries and certified librarians offer a strong toolkit to support improved literacy scores across the district. Investment in libraries is a long-term effort with benefits for all HISD students in test scores and graduation rates. The ESSER funds already requested by Library Services offer a huge opportunity to rebuild the campus library collections and develop plans to support increased staffing over a few years.

We look forward to seeing what your new leadership will bring to HISD. We know that your libraries in Clarksville-Montgomery were all fully staffed with certified librarians. We urge you to take this opportunity to recommit to the idea that all HISD schools have access to library programs as well. You have our support in this effort. 

Sincerely,

Dorcas Hand
Debbie Hall
Library Advocate/ volunteer
Houston, Texas
http://www.studentsneedlibrariesinhisd.org/
Eliminating school libraries and librarians deprive students of diverse and equitable opportunities to learn the essential college and career skills necessary to be successful.
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Comparing Campus Libraries to Classroom Libraries

8/1/2021

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by Dorcas Hand
Administrators at all levels need to understand why librarians matter, and why school libraries should be staffed by certified school librarians and funded adequately to keep a current, well-rounded collection of interest to all students on the campus without regard to age, reading level or intellectual ability. Teachers and clerks need to be trained to run a library. It is a time-consuming process to bring a non-librarian to a very basic level of service.
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Campus Libraries

Fully Staffed and Funded (Certified Librarian)
  • Certified librarians work with classroom teachers to provide rotating classroom collections in support of current projects, reading levels and/or enthusiasms, or other teacher requests.
  • Teach students to look beyond what they have in their classroom and/or home for stronger resources.
  • Offer a broad, well rounded and current collection for all campus levels and abilities selected by a knowledgeable expert.
  • Organize resources for easy access by all users.
  • Provide knowledgeable professional access to resources from other libraries (other schools in the district, local public library system, local university libraries) - even for students not college bound.
  • Make strong readers’ advisory services available to all students and teachers .
Understaffed Campus Library Space –
​Non-Professional Staff

Understaffed Libraries are a common reason for teachers or districts to begin in some desperation their own classroom libraries. But with limited resources (money, space, time), these small collections often overlap and are only shareable to other classes accidentally. Non-professional staff have
  •  No training in readers advisory or collection development.
  • Minimal awareness of organizational methods.
  • No ability to add appropriate new materials.
  • Lack of any training or certification means no awareness of curriculum or of normal student developmental levels, much less appropriate books to recommend.
  • No authority to supervise students without a teacher or administrator present.
  • A need for frequent campus administrative supervision and guidance to offer even basic potential benefits of library access.
Understaffed Campus Library Space-
​Certified Teacher 
  • Certified Reading/Language Arts Teachers may be able to provide skilled readers advisory but do not necessarily have broader collection development skills to support all disciplines.
  • Certified Technologists are likely to be largely unaware of readers advisory content or skills; they will be more focused on tech tools but possibly not the strong search skills and critical thinking skills students need to learn.
  • Certified science, social studies, etc teachers less aware of classic novels and/or picture books for general readers advisory.
  • All these will need campus administrative guidance for success.


​
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Hand, Dorcas et al. A Visual Guideline to Staffing Choices in School Libraries. 2019.

 
 
 
See below for more reference articles about School Libraries with Certified School Librarians.

Classroom Libraries

Any Classroom Library
is a limiting expectation: students come to expect everything provided for them rather than learning the opportunity to search a wider collection in the campus or public library. The scope of a classroom library is limited to recreational reading, support for an academic subject, or targeted reading support depending on the specific classroom goals.
 
District Mandated
  • Funding generally supports a specific program like Scholastic Guided Reading.
  • Puts the same books in every classroom at a given level across the district.
  • No oversight that books are used appropriately OR too much focus on loss-avoidance so the books not used at all.
  • Generally organized by reading level.
  • Example: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/five-major-functions-classroom-library/
Teacher Originated
  • Teacher collects personal favorites for the age-group, usually with limited personal funds.
  • Or selects a variety to support specific classroom curriculum and age/grade.
  • The classroom collection is usually focused on current teaching assignment; and often left with the grade if assignment changes by level or discipline (science, Social studies, …); may or may not be used by the new teacher in that room.
  • Not always organized in any way. Sometimes sorted in bins by series or level.
  • No catalog list for sharing across the campus when needed, or even for students to find a specific title.
  • Example: Scholastic Classroom Book Orders with free books for the teacher based on sales [Only viable where students have money to order]
  • Wolpert-Gawron, Heather. "The Importance of a Classroom Library." Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 16 Apr. 2009. 
ARTICLES about School Libraries with Certified School Librarians
  • Falkenberg, Nanette, et al., compilers. Report on the Baltimore Library Project: Years 1-3. Baltimore MD, Jan. 2017. HJWeinberg Foundation.
  • Short Analysis: Kachel, Debra E., and Keith Curry Lance. "Latest Study: A full-time school librarian makes a critical difference in boosting student achievement." School Library Journal, 11 Mar. 2013 (based on preliminary results). ​
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    Author

    This blog is primarily authored by Debbie Hall and Dorcas Hand, but guest authors are welcome. If you have an idea to share, please contact our email below. Debbie is a retired HISD librarian and Library Services Specialist. Dorcas is a retired school librarian who remains active in AASL/ALA. Both support increased equity in school library access and support for all HISD students and campuses.

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  • Site Overview
    • SNL Speaks Out (BLOG)
    • Table of Contents
    • Houston ISD School Board >
      • Libs Surrounding Districts
      • Cost of Staffing HISD Library
      • District I
      • District II
      • District III
      • District IV
      • District V
      • District VI
      • District VII
      • District VIII
      • District IX
      • 17 Children are At Risk/Literacy Deserts
    • What Strong School Librarians Do >
      • 2019 Strong HISD Libraries
      • Impact on Students of School Libraries
      • How They Do It >
        • Certified School Librarians
        • Teaching Expertise Matters
        • Research into School Library Impact
        • Book Deserts
        • Equity of Access Intro
        • Honoring Diversity
        • Intellectual Freedom
        • Critical Thinking
        • Windows Mirrors Sliding Glass Doors
        • Future Ready
        • Closed Library
  • Allies and Supporters
    • 2020 Racial Justice Resources >
      • BLM & Teaching Tolerance
      • A Primer-Racial Justice >
        • Anti-Racism Resources
        • Allyship
        • Black History
        • Voting & Civil Discourse
      • Parenting Resources
      • Diversity in Education >
        • LatinX Resources
        • Gender Issues
        • Indigenous Peoples
      • Young Children - Books & Media
      • Elementary Books & Resources >
        • General ELEM Fiction & Nonfiction
        • ELEM Podcasts Videos & PD
      • Middle School Books & Resources >
        • MS NONFICTION
        • MS MEDIA Resources
      • High School Books & Media >
        • HS NONFICTION
        • HS MEDIA Resources
        • UPPER HS Books
      • Curriculum Supporting Racial Justice >
        • Curriculum by Age Level
    • General Resources for Allies
    • Advocacy Tools for Allies >
      • Information for Parents and Students >
        • Parent Info - Pre 2017
      • Information for Teachers >
        • Teacher Info - Pre 2017
      • Information for Principals and Administrators >
        • Admin Info - Pre 2017
      • Information for Policymakers >
        • Policy Info - Pre2017
    • OpEds and Legislative News - Other Places
    • Equity, Literacy & Critical Thinking >
      • Equity of Access in Detail >
        • Equity - Pre 2017
      • Diverse Choices
      • Reading Matters = Literacy >
        • Reading Matters - Pre 2017
        • Bonus Reading Info
      • Readiness K-20
      • Information Literacy
      • Critical Thinking >
        • Critical Thinking Pre 2017
    • Digital Literacy >
      • Digital Literacy Pre 2017
  • Resources for Librarians
    • 2022 Right to Read
    • Librarian Advocacy in Action >
      • Telling your Story - Basic Advocacy
      • Ecosystem
      • Legislators are Just People
      • Measuring Library Impact
      • Infographics
    • Librarians as Leaders >
      • Librarians Leaders Pre 2017
      • Equity Led by Librarians
      • Libns for Readiness K-20
      • Nurturing Environment
      • Strengthening Your Skills - Personal PD
      • LIB Assn Tools >
        • School Library Standards
        • Future Ready Libraries
      • Curriculum
      • The Research - School Libraries >
        • Research Pre2017
      • S.L.I.D.E. Kachel/Lance
      • Genl Articles LIB Pre2017
    • Literacies >
      • Reading Matters >
        • Reading-Librarians Pre2017
      • Digital Literacy >
        • Digital Lit for Librarians Pre 2017
  • Contacts
  • Intellectual Freedom