How Can School Librarians Help Teachers?

When it comes to teaching, there’s no question there’s a lot to think about and a whole lot to juggle.  There’s planning dynamic lessons. Heck, let’s be honest–sometimes just planning lessons period is tough enough. Then there’s finding and creating the resources you need.  And that’s all before you even have kids in front of you!

It’s a lot.

But there’s a very underutilized resource right in your building!  No, not your instructional coach, although of course I’m biased and would say that that person is very helpful.   I’m not talking about your team of teachers, either.  Nor am I talking about paraprofessionals.

I’m talking about your school librarian.  Hopefully, you are lucky enough to have one. 

There are soooo many ways school librarians can help teachers.  They are a goldmine of a resource! 

First, let’s take care of a big misconception that might be out there.  A certified librarian is not just someone who checks out and reshelves books.  

The school librarian is a highly trained professional who has completed a rigorous degree program.  They have access to resources you never even dreamed of right at their fingertips.  Many of them have also had classroom teaching experience, so they absolutely get it.  

And they are always eager to help you! (Check out this Cult of Pedagogy podcast, where several librarians talk about the myriad things they can do for teachers).

“More than 50 years of research across more than 60 studies show that students with access to well-resourced school libraries with certified librarians consistently perform better academically and score higher on standardized assessments.” 

Center for American Progress (online), 4/18/24

What can school librarians do?  Here’s just a small list:

1. Find read alouds (and possibly even read to kids) to focus on specific skills or content.
2. Gather materials (books, articles, and media) for powerful text sets.
3. Find books tailored to your students’ interests, especially helpful if you’ve also conducted an interest inventory with your students (grab mine here!).  Most school librarians can also borrow materials from other schools in the district if you need more of something or your school doesn’t have something in their own collection.
4. Promote interest and joy in reading.  They might organize reading programs, book clubs, author visits, and just “talk up” books in general.
5. Help kids find books that interest them. They can give fantastic “book commercials.”
6. Collaborate with you to plan those engaging, dynamic lessons.
7. Help you augment your curriculum content with additional (or more relevant and/or more inclusive) resources.
8. Help plan lessons with purposeful tech integration.
9. Teach students!  Many will work with classes to teach how to research.  Librarians are well-versed in digital literacy and all things research, and can help teach those complex skills like evaluating sources and ethical use of online information.
10.  Librarians can even co-teach with you; especially helpful with lessons involving a lot of technology and/or projects.
11. Teach teachers!  Because they are so highly skilled, they are happy to provide teachers with mini PD on just about any educational tech and teaching research skills.
12. Librarians are the people who ensure school collections are up to date and include culturally relevant and diverse books.  They ensure that all students in your school can see themselves in books, making the library a place where everyone feels included.

Most importantly, though, school librarians are the biggest champions of the importance of reading.  They know how important it is for kids, and will do everything in their power to help all students become book lovers.  They want books in kids’ hands more than anything else.

Not only are school librarians instrumental to teachers, research tells us the tremendous impact of school librarians on student achievement, too.

A recent article published by Americanprogress.org reported that “More than 50 years of research across more than 60 studies show that students with access to well-resourced school libraries with certified librarians consistently perform better academically and score higher on standardized assessments.”  Astounding, isn’t it? 50 years of research! What’s even more incredible?  They went on to say that “These findings persist even when controlling for socioeconomic status.”

This all aligns with NAEP scores, too.  That’s the test that’s always cited when talking about US reading scores not being up to par.  An article in the well-respected journal Kappan online reported that “4th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scores documented that losses of librarians are associated with declines or inferior gains in reading scores, while gains of librarians are associated with improved scores.”

A compelling point to think about when we read about NAEP data, for sure.  A point worth bringing to any school board who doesn’t understand the importance of a certified librarian and a well-stocked, up to date library.  If they want higher test scores, it would behoove them to pay attention to the 50 years of research that shows the impact school librarians have, rather than spend millions of dollars on a product they can only hope will work.  

Ok, I’ll step down from my soapbox now.  

Politics aside, at the classroom level, not only can school librarians provide tremendous support for teachers, they are also instrumental in helping students reach higher levels of achievement and foster a love of reading.  I cannot think of a more important job than that!

How might you partner with your school librarian in the near future?  I’d love to know!  Share it in the comments below!

Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle, a 25-year veteran educator, currently an at-your-service virtual literacy coach and K-5 school coach.  I continue to teach and learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers just like you as I can!  Click here to learn how I can support you!