Library Home Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6
Section 3: The Library Learning Environment
3.1 Establishing a School Library Learning Environment (School Library Guide p. 19)
The school library should be exciting and welcoming, and identifiably different from classrooms. A multimedia interactive learning environment motivates pupils to explore resources for curriculum-related work and their personal interests and stimulates creativity.
- AASL: Resource Guide for Underserved Student Populations
- MDE: Classroom Management Infographic
- YALSA: Transforming Library Services for and with Teens
3.2 Understanding the Librarian’s Role in Reading and CCRS (School Library Guide p. 20)
Reading within the content area is at the center of the College-and Career-Readiness Standards Initiative. Significant numbers of the standards also address the building of informational skills to ready students for 21st-century learning.
3.3 Creating a Reading Environment (School Library Guide p. 22)
The library should be the heart of the school where frequent and flexible access is encouraged. It should be aesthetically pleasing and have a barrier-free learning environment that encourages reading enjoyment and excitement. A vibrant program will encourage students to visit the library, become lifelong library users, and love books and read.
- RIF: Read-Aloud Guide
- YALSA: Teen Literacies Tool Kit
- YALSA: Teen Services Competencies for Library Staff
3.4 Using Data in the School Library (School Library Guide p. 22)
Reading or text levels help guide students in choosing books that are right for them by not being too easy or too hard. Adding reading or text levels to library records allows teachers and students to find resources connected to classroom learning.
3.5 Understanding Collaboration (School Library Guide p. 24)
Collaboration with the learning community is an essential element that enhances student achievement and the school curriculum. The librarian and the grade and subject area teachers must work together to create a quality learning environment.
- MDE: Collaborative Lesson Plan (fillable PDF form)
- MDE: Early Childhood Classroom Library Center Guide
3.6 Planning for Instruction (School Library Guide p. 27)
Librarians of the 21st century are educators in every sense of the word. Whether instruction is a collaborative effort with other teachers or on an as-needed basis, librarians – like their classroom counterparts – must be prepared to develop instructional plans that meet the needs of the learning community they serve. These lesson plans must be framed according to current best practices in teaching and learning. They should include the use of technology in teaching as a necessary element in meeting the 21st-century digital learner's needs.
- MDE: Learning Standards for Libraries
- MDE: Library Learning Centers
- MDE: MS CCR Learning Standards Crosswalk
- MDE: Pacing Guide Example
- MDE: Pathfinder Template
- MDE: Teacher Request Form
- MDE: Tools for Formative Assessment
- MDE: Unpacking Standards Worksheet
Lesson Plans
- PreK-1 Lesson Plans
- Updated 2-3 Lesson Plans (includes Computer Science standards connection)
- Updated 4-5 Lesson Plans (includes Computer Science standards connection)
- 6-8 Lesson Plans
- 9-12 Lesson Plans
3.7 Promotion Flexible, Open Access (School Library Guide p. 28)
For the school library to be the core of the educational setting, the librarian, with the administrator's assistance, must be allowed to schedule the library for its most effective use.
Open access to a quality school library program is essential for students to develop the vital skills necessary to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information and ideas in various formats. Inquiry skills are taught and learned within the context of the curriculum. They may occur in the classroom, the library, or at home with 24/7 accessibility to a wide range of resources, technologies, and services.
3.8 Encouraging Advocacy (School Library Guide p. 30)
Leadership and advocacy require stepping out of comfortable behind-the-scene roles and becoming a proactive leader. The professional librarian needs to provide leadership and advocacy in information literacy, technology initiatives, policy creation, instructional design, and professional development.
Advocacy Tools:
- AASL: Advocacy Toolkit
- AASL: Advocacy Resources - Position Statements
- First Book: Empowering Girls through Books and Sports for Middle and High School Girls
- First Book: Tools to Support the Learning and Development of Students Experiencing Childhood and Adolescent Trauma
- First Book: Using Books to Support Students through Grief, Loss, and Healing
- MDE: Library Advocacy Committee Meeting Agenda
Public Relations Tools:
3.9 Library Promotional Events (School Library Guide p. 31)
The American Library Association and its division sponsor nationally recognized events that promote the school library program's value. State and local events also promote the value of the school library program.
Library Events:
National Reading Programs:
State Reading Programs:
3.10 Collaborating with Public Libraries (School Library Guide p. 32)
The public library can be a great resource for school librarians and their students. It is important to know the public library staff, especially the person responsible for providing service to children and teens.
Mississippi Library Commission Resources:
3.11 MAGNOLIA Database (School Library Guide p. 32)
Mississippi Alliance for Gaining New Opportunities through Library Information Access provides Mississippi residents access to electronic databases through their local public, school, community college, or university libraries.