The School Library Team: Principal, Librarian, and Teacher

Abstract

The school library is a tool for promoting civil, social, and economic progress, with a focus on sustainable development and community engagement. As a tool for educational reform, it requires collaboration within and beyond the school – it is the shared responsibility of teachers, school leaders, school library professionals, and community members. The work of school library professionals contributes to improvement in student well-being (moral purpose) and improvement in student achievement (educational purpose). Ideally, school library professionals have dual qualifications in education and librarianship because of their core instructional roles: literacy and reading promotion; media and information literacy; inquiry-based learning; technology integration; professional development for teachers; and appreciation of knowledge and culture. Research shows that a school library team – principal, librarian and teachers – is essential for a successful school library program.