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Christine K. Lopez

Professor Muhlbauer

GLMS 616

14 April 2024

Levels of Librarianship Comparison

Elementary and secondary school libraries both play important roles in supporting students’

academic success because they provide students with access to a wide range of resources in a

multitude of ways. They also help support the curriculum of students and help students develop

critical thinking and information literacy skills. While we know that this will obviously look

different at different levels within a child’s school career, the one constant is that school libraries, on

all levels, are essential for fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning. They equip students with

critical thinking skills, research abilities, and cultivate a lifelong habit of seeking knowledge. This

paper will highlight the similarities and differences between these two levels of librarianship by

analyzing different scheduling models, opportunities for collaboration, differences in collection

development, and how library standards and the ESIFC are implemented on each level. By

examining these key aspects, insight is gained into the unique challenges and opportunities that

librarians face at different educational levels and how they can best support student success.

One of the strongest differences between elementary and secondary school libraries lies in

programming and scheduling. For some school libraries, the librarian works on a fixed schedule

which means that they are part of the rotation schedule for teachers’ preparation times and are given

classes that they see at the same time every week. Other school libraries work on a flexible schedule

where they may not have any set classes to see during the week but the schedule allows students to

visit the library at their time of need. Other librarians work on a blend of the two or a semi-fixed/flex
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schedule where some classes will be seen frequently but other periods are scheduled as needed

(Paciotti). When speaking about the dynamics of both types of scheduling, librarians acknowledge

that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with both fixed and flexible scheduling.

Many elementary librarians work on a fixed schedule and are part of the rotation with other

specials or clusters. One benefit of such a schedule is that there is job security built in when you are

the teacher librarian who gives other teachers their contracted preparation time (Gattuso, Fixed

Scheduling). Another advantage is that you have total control over your curriculum. Katie LaFever

and Dan Gattuso, both elementary librarians, spoke to the fact that you get to drive and create your

library curriculum under a fixed schedule (Fixed Scheduling). As a librarian working in an

elementary school, you can look at the standards along with the fluency curriculum and map out the

year, creating lessons that students will be exposed to consistently. You can plan projects, author

studies and makerspace weeks within the curriculum you set and create (LaFever, Fixed Scheduling).

Serena Waldron, another elementary librarian interviewed, explained that it gives you the opportunity

to establish routines and expectations (Fixed Scheduling). It also allows you to grow with your

students because you are teaching them throughout their 7-year elementary school career (LaRever,

Fixed Scheduling).

However, fixed scheduling does have its challenges with the biggest challenge being

collaboration with other teachers. Collaboration is far more informal with a fixed schedule because

there is little to no time to truly collaborate with teachers in the building (Gattuso, Fixed Scheduling).

These short conversations in passing are not true collaborative opportunities and teachers often have

to be lured into the library to connect with the librarian. Additionally, contractual barriers can make

it hard to change having a fixed schedule because you are covering a teacher who is contracted to

have preparation time daily. Furthermore, many elementary students find it hard to connect library
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skills outside of the library when they are not collaborating and working with classroom teachers

(Wolski, Flexible Scheduling). In order to create college-ready students, it's important that skills are

not taught in isolation and that they are able to make cross-curricular connections. From a

back-office perspective, fixed scheduling often leaves the librarian without sufficient time for library

administrative tasks because classes are constantly in rotation (Paciotti).

Flexible scheduling is most often seen in secondary libraries and allows librarians ample time

for collaboration and administrative tasks (Paciotti). According to Lisa Wolski, a high school

librarian, collaboration is key to a flexible schedule. Students can clearly see the connections

between skills learned in the library and the classroom because skills are not taught in isolation

(Flexible Scheduling). The caveat to this freedom is that the librarian must be able to fill their

flexible schedule with collaborative lessons or they will be seen as unneeded within the school

building. That means that librarians must be strong communicators and leaders, must be able to put

themselves out there to create connections with departments and teachers, and must be able to

establish themselves as vital parts of the school community (Wolski, Collaboration). Classroom

teachers can make or break flexible schedules because if they are not supportive, collaboration will

not occur. When collaboration does occur but only occurs with a handful of classrooms, then the

program is not equitable for all students (Paciotti). In her interview, Megan Moelbert, a middle

school librarian, explained that you must be able to grow relationships with teachers and then

collaboration will be constant. Having lessons at the ready for research skills, notetaking, and citing

sources can give you a foot in the door when it comes to building relationships and creating

opportunities for true collaboration (Collaboration).

Wolski expressed that a blend of flexible and fixed scheduling is ideal because it can pull

from the benefits of both programs. She felt that early childhood grades benefited greatly from fixed
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programming because they must have structure and time to develop library skills. After grade 2, the

library program should be flexible to allow for collaboration with teachers in grades 3 and on.

Teachers would be able to schedule time with the librarian to work collaboratively on projects and

research and can sign up on an as-needed basis (Wolski, Flexible Scheduling). Students in

intermediate grades should be able to participate in student-driven inquiry with teacher collaboration,

utilizing the expertise and assistance of two teachers throughout the unit of study (Toure 30).

Teachers should be actively involved in collaborative projects with school librarians so that students

are more engaged in solving inquiry-based problems through the application of content learned both

in class and in the library.

Another important aspect of librarianship, regardless of level, is collection development.

School libraries across grade levels are vital because they provide students with access to a wide

range of resources, including books, digital materials, and information databases. The ways in which

librarians go about building their school’s library collection are quite similar in elementary and

secondary settings. On the elementary level, Dan Gattuso explains in his interview that students,

families, and staff have access to the library collection and therefore, a Google form is used to create

a digital wishlist of titles that stakeholders want to see added to the collection. Some purchases are

based on request while others are based on curriculum shifts. Gattuso also uses his automation

system to run analyses of his collection for any discrepancies and areas of his collection that could be

improved. This allows him to update his collection, find missing titles in a series, view circulation

and age statistics of a section of the collection, or even run diversity audits. Like many librarians, he

also consults social media and listservs to keep abreast of current popular titles that are being

discussed among educators and librarians. He also keeps an eye on his offerings of digital content

through Overdrive and Sora. He makes sure that his students have access to ebooks, audiobooks, and
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read-along texts, all important aspects of an elementary school library collection. When it comes to

weeding, Gattuso asks the students themselves about titles, and their opinions are key in driving his

weeding habits (Collection Development).

On the secondary level, many librarians expressed that they too have collections that are

often driven by changes in the curriculum and patron wants and needs. Librarians Alicia Abdul, Lisa

DiBello Wolski, and Lynne Knaze all teach at the high school level and explain that their collections

change depending on the year. Like Gatusso, Knaze asks for teacher and student input when

purchasing content for the library (Collection Development). Whether it is digital or print, she orders

multiple copies of texts that are often on hold or expands database offerings if interest is expressed.

A large number of students in Abdul’s high school are English Language Learners and this ENL

population prompted her to purchase more easy readers and picture books. Her purchases also

revolve around patron requests and cater to her community and their needs (Collection

Development). Similarly, Wolski builds her collection based on what her students want and need.

All her nonfiction books focus on the curriculum and any texts that are not used or wanted anymore

are weeded. Many of her students prefer digital texts and purchases were made based on feedback

received (Collection Development).

As stated previously, in order to provide materials that inspire children to think, investigate,

and interpret along their own pathways of inquiry, school librarians need to collaborate with teachers

to help guide students in their inquiry. Teachers benefit from the unique skills that school librarians

possess regarding research and inquiry. Librarians have the expertise in the inquiry process and can

teach critical information literacy skills while supporting this student-led learning through the

utilization of the ESIFC and the AASL National School Library Standards. “School librarians

empower students to navigate and evaluate the complex world of information in order to select the
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most reliable and relevant ideas to answer their questions and to fuel their own learning and

creativity.” (Stripling 16). According to Barbara Stripling, the most important tool a librarian can use

to realize the goal of student empowerment and learning is inquiry and this tool can transform

students into independent learners and critical thinkers.

In order to have students engage in inquiry, librarians in both elementary and secondary

settings use the ESIFC and the AASL continuum of standards. The beauty of the ESIFC is that it

creates information fluency standards for grades K-12 that help meet the goals addressed within the

AASL National School library standards. The AASL National School Library Standards are not a

curriculum but help provide guidelines when developing a curriculum for your school library. The

ESIFC, on the other hand, emphasizes the value of inquiry learning and provides librarians with the

scaffolds required to meet the needs of all learners within the inquiry process, regardless of level. It

allows librarians the freedom to create a curriculum that meets the needs of the students in their

specific school. Stripling points out that “the school librarian’s role is to teach the unique skills

required by inquiry in a comprehensive continuum from Pre-K to twelfth grade” (17). The ESIFC

allows the librarian to do just that and create instructional plans for teaching inquiry that are

appropriate for the learners in their school population. In addition to outlining the fundamental

phases of inquiry—connect, wonder, investigate, create, express, and reflect—the ESIFC identifies

information literacy standards that support children in becoming thinkers and active participants in

their own learning. The continuum contains sample graphic organizers and diagrams that may be

used to gauge students' progress, as well as grade-specific benchmarks for the development of

information skills. As Alicia Abdul pointed out in her interview, even though her students are in high

school, she modified her collection to reflect the needs of her ENL population and ordered books that

are on a much lower reading level than high school (Collection Development). In a situation like
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this, Abdul could use the ESIFC to meet her students on their level and engage in inquiry using

graphic organizers and handouts on a lower level within the ESIFC. Once that skill is mastered, she

can move across the continuum and provide students with a deeper understanding of the inquiry

process, moving students to higher levels of mastery at their own pace. Similarly, a student who is

gifted in an earlier grade can work on graphic organizers that are above their current grade level.

Overall, the ESIFC is an excellent tool for librarians to use that is grade-specific but not limited to

those parameters. It allows librarians to engage in inquiry with students and thereby helps them

implement the AASL Standards along with other grade-level standards that students find in their

classrooms.

In conclusion, elementary and secondary school libraries both play vital roles in supporting

students' academic growth and achievement. In elementary schools, fixed schedules ensure that

every class has dedicated library time. On the other hand, secondary school libraries often operate on

flexible schedules to accommodate students' diverse academic needs. Collection development in both

settings changes to cater to the wants and needs of its patrons, whether those resources are digital or

physical. Librarians in elementary and secondary schools are not only curators of physical and

digital collections but also educators who teach students how to navigate and evaluate online

information. By fostering critical thinking skills and promoting a love for learning, school libraries

continue to be essential spaces for academic development and growth. Both elementary and

secondary librarianships have their own unique challenges and opportunities, but they all strive to

create libraries that best support student success.

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Works Cited

Abdul, Alicia. "Collection Development - Alicia Abdul." Interview by Maria Muhlbauer. GLMS

Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

DiBello Wolski, Lisa. "Collaboration - Lisa Wolski." Interview by Sarah Moorfoot. GLMS

Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

---. "Collection Development - Lisa Wolski." Interview by Sarah Moorfoot. GLMS Librarian

Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

---. "Flexible Scheduling - Lisa Wolski." Interview by Sarah Moorfoot. GLMS Librarian

Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

Gattuso, Dan. "Collection Development - Dan Gattuso." Interview by Maria Muhlbauer. GLMS

Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.
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---. "Fixed Scheduling - Dan Gattuso." Interview by Maria Muhlbauer. GLMS Librarian

Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

Knaze, Lynne. "Collection Development - Lynne Knaze." GLMS Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024. Interview.

LaFever, Katie. "Fixed Scheduling - Katie LaFever." Interview by Maria Muhlbauer. GLMS

Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

Moelbert, Megan. "Collaboration - Megan Moelbert." Interview by Lindsay Armbruster. GLMS

Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.

Paciotti, Barbara. "The Different Faces of School Librarians." Looking Backward - No Sweat

Library Lessons & Management That Works, Barbara Paciotti, 21 Jan. 2019,

lookingbackward.edublogs.org/2019/01/21/faces-school-librarian/#. Accessed 14 Apr.

2024.

Stripling, Barbara K. "Advocating for The 'Why' of School Libraries: Empowering Students

through Inquiry." Knowledge Quest, vol. 48, no. 4, 2020, pp. 14-20. ProQuest Central,
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pluma.sjfc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/advocating-why-s

chool-libraries-empowering/docview/2370426584/se-2?accountid=27700.

Toure, Chiquita R. "My Transition from an Elementary to a High School Library: Building a

Better School Library Model." Knowledge Quest, vol. 47, no. 2, 2018, pp. 28-33.

ProQuest Central,

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mentary-high-school-library/docview/2131793731/se-2?accountid=27700.

Waldron, Serena. "Fixed Scheduling - Serena Waldron." Interview by Andra Puris. GLMS

Librarian Interviews,

drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1f5Dyoj9GWmbSJArxscds_CoY7Xt_6A-9. Accessed

14 Apr. 2024.