Browsing by Subject "School librarians"
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Item The role of high school librarians as sexual health information providers : perceptions from two social systems(2011-08) Richey, Jennifer Elaine Moore; Immroth, Barbara Froling; Lukenbill, William B.; Harmon, Glynn; Zhang, Yan; Dodd, BarbaraEducating adolescents about sexual health in schools has been a controversial issue for the past 40-plus years. Multiple studies conducted by academic scholars, government agencies, and private organizations have concluded that adolescents receiving sexual education in schools typically make healthier decisions than adolescents not receiving a formal sexual health education, and adolescents participating in comprehensive programs make healthier choices than adolescents participating in abstinence programs. Texas school districts are not required to teach sexual education, but if they choose to do so, adolescents receive abstinence education. Texas adolescents also consistently report making more unhealthy sexual decisions than adolescents in other states. According to the social constructivist epistemology, learning occurs through social interactions with people, symbols, and tools. Interactions with various people, institutions, and information formats construct adolescents’ knowledge about sexual health. High school librarians who teach information literacy skills, who provide sexual health information resources in their collections, and who promote intellectual freedom improve adolescents’ knowledge about sexual health. The more informed adolescents are, the more likely they are to practice healthier sexual behaviors. Myriad factors encourage and discourage high school librarians from playing the role of sexual health information provider. This study explores the role high school librarians play as sexual health information providers within the framework of Role Theory. According to Role Theory, individuals exhibit predictable behaviors within a specific context based on socially constructed expectations. Multiple factors, both internal and external, may inhibit individuals from playing roles. District level library coordinators and high school principals share their perspectives about high school librarians playing this role and the factors influencing librarians’ willingness to do so. Data was collected through three rounds using the Delphi technique. Library coordinators and principals disagree about the role librarians play. Together participants identified fifteen motivators and five barriers to information provision.Item The hidden roles of the school librarian(2017-04-14) Novotny, Rebecca Maria; Polnick, Barbara; Lesesne, Teri; Perry, Karin; Lunenburg, FrederickPurpose The purpose of this mixed methods study was to define the roles of school librarians as perceived by librarians and principals in regard to the ALA/AASL Standards for the Initial Preparation of School Librarians (2010). This study was designed to explore the perceptions of librarians and principals on the role of the librarian in the school and library. The views of librarians and principals were explored on how the library enhances student achievement. Method A mixed methods approach was used to learn the perceptions of the librarians and principals on the role of the librarian. The study was conducted in a school district in Texas. All of the principals and librarians in the district were invited to participate. The survey was sent to 57 librarians and 23 principals. The data was collected using a survey that was administered through the online tool SurveyMonkey. The survey consisted of twenty-one questions that were a combination of Likert scale and open-ended questions. Findings The librarians rated their library programs as good, but with room for improvement under the standards. When the librarians were asked to define their roles in their own words, they defined themselves as librarians, teachers, leaders, and managers. When asked how they believed that their principals view the role of the librarian, many thought that they were viewed as clerks and support staff. Some of the librarians stated that their principals saw them as teachers and literacy leaders. The librarians felt that their library programs enhance student achievement, but that more support would allow them to enhance student learning even more. The principals rated their library programs and librarians as excellent under the standards. When asked to define the role of the librarian in their own words, the principals called them literacy advocates, cheerleaders, team players. When the principals were asked to define the role of the librarian in the school, they stated teacher, leader, and literacy advocate. The principals felt that the library enhanced student achievement, and the librarians support student learning by encouraging reading as well as teaching skills that reinforce what is learned in the classroom.