School librarian as a profession
I'm going to jump in this subject with both feet. Some of you will applaud what I'm going to say and others will shake your heads (or even your fists). That's OK. But I need to make this point, not make everyone happy. In NC, the role of school librarian is a licensed field. School library jobs should be filled with people who have that license.
The professional standard for a school librarian in NC is a masters degree in library science - not a masters in English, math, or curriculum - but a masters degree in library science. This is the requirement by North Carolina's Department of Education. Here's a good description from UNC, and this is clearly stated on DPI's website.
So with all this said, what actually is the point of contention? If DPI is clear, licensure is clear, what's the problem? Schools and districts can choose to ignore this criteria. Really! When I was a math teacher, I HAD to have licensure in math, so I was truly surprised when I became a librarian and found that many schools put someone without a SLMC license into that role and call them a librarian. I'm not talking about people working on licensure, but people with different (or no) licensure and no requirement or intentions to get licensed as an SLMC. And there's friction in the education and library world because this is allowed. Those of us who have SLMC licensure and desire that all school libraries should have a licensed librarian in it are called out as discriminatory. Some are truly infuriated that the standard exists and don't intend to meet it. I didn't experience this when I taught math. A license in math was the standard that was upheld. So I am truly perplexed at this enigma.
What I want to know is why does this happen in school libraries? We don't see this in counseling, administration, or other areas requiring a master without the requirement that the correct license be obtained. How should we be advocating differently to make sure that every library has a licensed professional in it? Where do we start? What should be in our action plan?
The professional standard for a school librarian in NC is a masters degree in library science - not a masters in English, math, or curriculum - but a masters degree in library science. This is the requirement by North Carolina's Department of Education. Here's a good description from UNC, and this is clearly stated on DPI's website.
So with all this said, what actually is the point of contention? If DPI is clear, licensure is clear, what's the problem? Schools and districts can choose to ignore this criteria. Really! When I was a math teacher, I HAD to have licensure in math, so I was truly surprised when I became a librarian and found that many schools put someone without a SLMC license into that role and call them a librarian. I'm not talking about people working on licensure, but people with different (or no) licensure and no requirement or intentions to get licensed as an SLMC. And there's friction in the education and library world because this is allowed. Those of us who have SLMC licensure and desire that all school libraries should have a licensed librarian in it are called out as discriminatory. Some are truly infuriated that the standard exists and don't intend to meet it. I didn't experience this when I taught math. A license in math was the standard that was upheld. So I am truly perplexed at this enigma.
What I want to know is why does this happen in school libraries? We don't see this in counseling, administration, or other areas requiring a master without the requirement that the correct license be obtained. How should we be advocating differently to make sure that every library has a licensed professional in it? Where do we start? What should be in our action plan?
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