Nebraska Administrative Code
Topic - EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
Title 92 - NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Chapter 24 - CERTIFICATE ENDORSEMENTS
Section 92-24-006.36 - Library Media Specialist

Universal Citation: 92 NE Admin Rules and Regs ch 24 ยง 006-36

Current through March 20, 2024

(formerly Educational Library Media Specialist)

006.36A Grade Levels: K-12.

006.36B Endorsement Type: Field.

006.36C Persons with this endorsement may supervise the development and organization of a library media program and teach or direct the use of the library media resources and services in kindergarten through grade 12.

006.36D Certificate Endorsement Requirements: This endorsement shall require the applicant to hold a teaching certificate or concurrently earn a subject or field endorsement, and acquire a minimum of 30 semester hours in library media courses, including administration, technology, organization of resources, information access, children and young adult literature, selection, and curriculum and instruction.

006.36E Endorsement Program Requirements: Nebraska teacher education institutions offering this endorsement program must have on file, within the institution, a plan which identifies the courses and the course completion requirements which the institution utilizes to grant credit toward completion of this endorsement.

THE FOLLOWING ARE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR INCLUSION AS PART OF THE INSTITUTION'S PLAN UNDER THIS ENDORSEMENT.

Through the courses identified in its plan, the institution should prepare prospective library media specialists to:

A. Demonstrate a commitment to personal professional growth, including being able to:
1. Exhibit comprehension of the role of libraries in a democratic society and the interrelationships of all types of libraries and information agencies;

2. Exhibit an understanding of the role of the school library media program as a central element in the intellectual life of the school;

3. Advocate and promote opportunities to improve the profession both independently and collectively;

4. Engage in continuous self-evaluation and self-directed learning for personal professional growth;

5. Demonstrate a knowledge of appropriate local, state, regional, and national professional associations, guidelines, and publications;

6. Demonstrate a knowledge of legal regulations regarding intellectual property rights and educational fair use guidelines of the copyright law;

7. Demonstrate a knowledge of means for promoting intellectual freedom;

8. Demonstrate a knowledge of professional ethics;

9. Exhibit comprehension of the importance of cooperation and networking among libraries and other information agencies;

10. Identify legislation and policy at the local, state, and national levels that affect the development of the school library media programs and take appropriate action; and,

11. Use systematic practices for researching existing and emerging applications of technology as they impact the library media program.

B. Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with elementary, middle level, and secondary students, faculty, staff, administrators, school boards, parents, and other members of the community, including being able to:
1. Create a positive teaching and learning climate in the school library media center;

2. Listen and respond to information requests in a manner that encourages further patron inquiry;

3. Practice effective interpersonal relationships within as well as outside the school community and communicate regularly to further school goals and relate library media program needs and accomplishments;

4. Exhibit communication skills necessary for collaborative planning of curriculum and lessons with teachers, i.e., the ability to demonstrate an understanding of curriculum objectives, to listen effectively, to use probing and clarifying questions, and to negotiate responsibility for activities;

5. Develop and implement an effective public relations program that communicates the vital contribution of the school library media program to learning; and,

6. Use technology to communicate information and ideas.

C. Apply basic principles of evaluating and selecting resources to build and maintain a collection that includes access to internal and external resources to support the educational mission of the district, including being able to:
1. Create and implement selection and collection development policies and procedures that reflect the district's mission;

2. Develop criteria for evaluating resources at all grade levels;

3. Use collection management principles and procedures for needs assessment, evaluating, selecting, and discarding resources;

4. Evaluate internal and external resources; and,

5. Apply systematic techniques in maintaining resources to support personal development, curriculum, multi-cultural, and life-long learning needs of students, faculty, staff, and administration.

D. Develop a library media program that provides access to information and ideas, including being able to:
1. Develop and monitor services and policies that ensure equitable and unrestricted access to information and ideas in all formats and for all ability levels;

2. Develop and monitor a formal process for addressing expressed concerns about library media resources;

3. Communicate concepts pertinent to information access; and,

4. Develop and monitor policies and procedures to protect confidentiality and privacy of library media center users.

E. Use resources to support the information needs of elementary, middle level, and secondary students, and the instructional development needs of faculty, including being able to:
1. Develop a partnership with faculty to ensure that the evaluation and selection process provides curriculum-related resources appropriate to learner characteristics such as abilities, interests, needs, and learning styles;

2. Ensure that the evaluation and selection process provides curriculum-related resources that reflect instructional strategies, and learning and teaching styles; and,

3. Recognize the characteristics unique to each information format and select items according to their specific contribution to learning objectives or personal, developmental needs.

F. Assist elementary, middle level, and secondary students and faculty to design and produce resources using current technology, including being able to:
1. Analyze criteria to determine the appropriateness of producing local resources as opposed to selecting commercially produced resources;

2. Apply basic principles of instructional design in developing, producing, and implementing technological resources for a specified learning objective; and,

3. Apply evaluative criteria for locally produced media for inclusion in the collection.

G. Implement policies and procedures for the acquisition, cataloging, processing, circulating, and maintaining resources to ensure access, including being able to:
1. Coordinate the acquisition process for resources, technology, equipment, and supplies;

2. Implement standard recognized procedures for classifying, cataloguing, and processing resources which will facilitate computerization and resource sharing;

3. Organize and maintain current bibliographic records;

4. Select appropriate systems for circulation and access;

5. Implement and evaluate circulation policies and procedures based on needs of users; and,

6. Implement procedures for ongoing inventory and maintenance of resources.

H. Work with elementary, middle level, and secondary students, faculty, staff, administrators, and members of the community to develop, implement, and evaluate library media programs to meet educational goals, including the management of personnel, resources, services, and facilities, including being able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of how to establish library media program goals within district policies;

2. Develop annual and long-range plans to meet the goals of a library media program and disseminate those plans to individuals and groups;

3. Interpret and support school and district policies and regulations;

4. Apply effective management principles to the administration of the school library media program;

5. Design, establish and communicate policies and procedures for the implementation of an effective library media program;

6. Prepare, justify and administer the library media program budget based on instructional program needs;

7. Participate in planning, scheduling (including flexible scheduling), and using library media facilities to support the instructional program;

8. Supervise, assign, instruct, and assist in the evaluation of support staff, volunteers, and student assistants;

9. Collaborate with others to provide increased access to information through resource sharing;

10. Evaluate the instructional effects of the library media program;

11. Apply appropriate research findings to improve teaching and learning through the library media program;

12. Conduct action research to assist in the development and implementation of an effective library media program;

13. Monitor, assess, and employ existing and emerging technologies for management and instructional applications;

14. Demonstrate a knowledge of how technology is used to connect information sources among users both locally and globally;

15. Utilize and facilitate the efforts of a library media advisory committee; and,

16. Participate in school-wide instruction leadership efforts, including being able to train library media staff and faculty in library media programs, processes and procedures, including technology, resources, equipment, and services.

I. Serve as a learning facilitator within schools and as a leader of faculty, administration, and elementary, middle level, and secondary students in the development of effective strategies for teaching and learning, including being able to:
1. Cooperatively plan with other faculty to ensure that information literacy skills are taught and practiced as curriculum integrated learning experiences, including retrieving, analyzing, interpreting, organizing, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating information and ideas;

2. Demonstrate an understanding of how to participate, as an educational leader, an equal partner, and a change agent in the curriculum development process at both the building and district levels;

3. Work with other faculty to identify appropriate instructional strategies and creative uses of resources;

4. Collaboratively plan with other faculty to provide activities and opportunities for students to assume responsibilities for planning, undertaking, and assuming independent learning;

5. Anticipate the need for specific information and resources in response to information needs identified in the curriculum development process;

6. Share with other faculty the role of teacher, motivator, coach, and guide for students in the development of reading, listening, and viewing competencies, including critical thinking skills, for lifelong learning;

7. Motivate and guide students in appreciating literature;

8. Collaboratively plan with other faculty in designing, evaluating, and modifying teaching and learning activities, and in evaluating student mastery of these activities;

9. Assist students and faculty in developing independence in retrieving, analyzing, interpreting, organizing, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating information and ideas;

10. Design production activities, including adapting resources for new purposes, to assist in the development of skills for analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and communicating information; and,

11. Plan and implement staff development activities to increase competence in locating, using, and producing resources for teaching and professional growth.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Nebraska may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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