Middle School Library Media Specialist

General Summary: Supports and aligns the School’s mission through developing and administering a school library media program in the MS. Serves the roles of teacher, instructional partner, and information specialist. In fulfilling these roles, the Library Media Specialist (LMS) works collaboratively with school administration and faculty to develop a library program that supports the curriculum; provides instructional leadership for the teaching of literacy skills; develops and maintains a media center collection rich in both print and non?print materials, and manages the media center as a flexible, multi?task learning environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops a MS library program that addresses learning and innovation, media and technology literacy, and life and career development.
• Empowers all members of the community to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, curators, and ethical users of information.
• Collaborates and co-teaches with classroom teachers and specialists as a partner in the instructional process, and ensures that information literacy skills are embedded systematically throughout the MS curriculum.
• Creates and maintains an inviting, fun, safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment that fosters intellectual inquiry, and is an essential part of the MS learning community.
• Establishes and maintains standards of student behavior needed to achieve an optimal learning environment.
• Develops and maintains an updated, culturally diverse collection of print and non-print resources appropriate to the curriculum, learners, teaching styles, and instructional strategies to reflect students’ interests.
• Provides leadership and expertise in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of information resources and technologies in al formats to support teaching and learning.
• Teaches students to follow an inquiry process, evaluate, and collect information from multiple sources to construct understanding by thinking critically.
• Models and develops a commitment to respect justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in collection development and within the learning community.
• Fosters exploration, discovery, creation, and innovation.
• Empowers students and staff to be effective users of ideas and information, critical thinkers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
• Encourages reading in traditional and innovative ways such as social media, digital media, and print, while instilling a love of learning in all students and ensures equitable access to information and resources 24/7.
• Models and promotes the ethical use of digital citizenship: copyright, fair use, and licensing of intellectual property.
• Serves as an advocate and a resource for the School’s library programs and services by utilizing a variety of communication and technology tools, in alignment with the School’s mission and strategic plan.
• Manages the MS library budget, as well as the physical and virtual spaces of the MS library.
• Attends and participates in professional meetings, including collaborative teams, MS meetings, and professional development.
• Participates in professional growth and development activities that result in enhanced knowledge of best practices in school library programs.
• Maintains frequent and timely communication with the community stakeholders.
• Completes other tasks as deemed appropriate by the MS Administration.