Librarian/Media Specialist

International School of Denver is an independent school that teaches the curricula and fulfills the highest educational standards of the United States, China, France and Spain by offering early immersion bilingual international education, accredited by participating governments, in order to prepare its students to thrive in a diverse and competitive global society. The middle school is accredited as a prestigious International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. Staff and Faculty members are the cornerstone of our school. In addition to driving the school’s operations, they must also be living examples of the school’s values.

The librarian/media specialist will ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. He/she will empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information; will instill a love of learning in all students and ensure equitable access to information; will collaborate with classroom teachers and specialists to design and implement lessons and units of instruction, and assess student learning and instructional effectiveness; will provide the leadership and expertise necessary to ensure that the school library program (SLP) is aligned with the mission, goals, and objectives of the school and is an integral component of the learning/instructional program; and will recreate the library environment to be a welcoming and inviting learning hub for the school.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Leader

As a leader the school librarian creates an environment where collaboration and creative problem solving thrive. The school librarian is an excellent communicator who instills enthusiasm in others by making them feel that they are important members of a team. Strong leaders foster an environment of creativity, innovation, and openness to new ideas, welcoming and encouraging input from others to create consensus. They anticipate future obstacles and continually retool to meet challenges. The school librarian demonstrates his or her role as a visible and active leader within the school community and an advocate for the SLP by:

• serving on decision making teams in the school
• taking an active role in school improvement and accreditation activities
• benchmarking the SLP to school, state, and national program standards
• sharing expertise by presenting at faculty meetings, parent meetings, and school board meetings
• creating an environment that is conducive to active and participatory learning, resource-based instructional practices, and collaboration with teaching staff
• sharing with the learning community collaboratively developed and up-to-date district policies concerning such issues as materials selection, circulation, reconsideration of materials, copyright, privacy, and acceptable use
• encouraging the use of instructional technology to engage students and to improve learning, providing 24/7 access to digital information resources for the entire learning community
• collecting and analyzing data to improve instruction and to demonstrate correlations between the SLP and student achievement
• maintaining active memberships in professional associations
• remaining current in professional practices and developments, information technologies, and educational research applicable to school library programs
• advocating for school library programs and the guiding principles of the school library profession; the school librarian is an active, accessible, and informed proponent of the school library profession by:
  • advocating, communicating, and promoting opportunities to improve the profession
  • maintaining frequent and timely communication to stakeholders through the school and library website, parent newsletter, e-mail, and other formats, such as local cable access television, video/audio streaming, and on-demand video/podcasts
  • using local, state, national, and international school library data and research to engage support
  • writing articles and submitting regular reports providing evidence of what the library and school librarian do to prepare learners to be successful in the twenty-first century
  • maintaining an effective public relations program
  • demonstrating a commitment to maintaining intellectual freedom
  • promoting the ethical use of information
• insuring that all language programs, including English, have enough catalogued resources by developing a strategic plan of development
• developing ISDenver’s SLP philosophy statements and Usage agreements

Instructional Partner

As an instructional partner the school librarian works with teachers and other educators to build and strengthen connections between student information and research needs, curricular content, learning outcomes, and information resources. The school librarian demonstrates his or her role as an essential and equal partner in the instructional process by:

• participating in the curriculum development process at both the program and divisional levels to ensure that the curricula include the full range of literacy skills (information, media, visual, digital, and technological literacy) necessary to meet content standards and to develop lifelong learners
• collaborating with teachers and students to design and teach engaging inquiry and learning experiences and assessments that incorporate multiple literacies and foster critical thinking
• participating in the implementation of collaboratively planned learning experiences by providing group and individual instruction, assessing student progress, and evaluating activities
• joining with teachers and others to plan and implement meaningful experiences that will promote a love of reading and lifelong learning
• providing and planning professional development opportunities within the school

Information Specialist

As information specialist, the school librarian provides leadership and expertise in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of information resources and technologies in all formats, as well as expertise in the ethical use of information. The school librarian ensures equitable access and responsible use of information by:

• in accordance with school policy, developing and maintaining a collection of resources appropriate to the curriculum, the learners, and the teaching styles and instructional strategies used within the school community
• cooperating and networking with other libraries, librarians, and agencies to provide access to resources outside the school
• modeling effective strategies for developing multiple literacies
• evaluating, promoting, and using existing and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, supplement school resources, connect the school with the global learning community, communicate with students and teachers, and provide 24/7 access to library services
• providing guidance in software and hardware evaluation, and developing processes for such evaluation
• understanding copyright, fair use, and licensing of intellectual property, and assisting users with their understanding and observance of the same
• organizing the collection for maximum and effective use

Teacher

As a teacher, the school librarian empowers students to become critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information. The school librarian supports students’ success by guiding them in:

• reading for understanding, for exposure to diversity of viewpoints and genres, and for pleasure
• using information for defined and self-defined purposes
• building on prior knowledge and constructing new knowledge
• embracing the world of information and all its formats
• working with peers in successful collaboration for learning
• constructively assessing their own learning and the work of their peers
• becoming their own best critics

Program Administrator

As program administrator, the school librarian works collaboratively with members of the learning community to define the policies of the school library program, and to guide and direct all activities related to it. The school librarian maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of the school library program by:

• using strategic planning for the continuous improvement of the program
• ensuring that school library program goals and objectives are aligned with school strategic plans
• using effective management principles, including the supervision of personnel, resources, and facilities, in developing and implementing program goals and objectives

This is a full-time, year-round, benefited position. Benefits include but are not limited to; health and dental insurance, STD/LTD, tuition remission, paid time off. Only applicants to be invited for an interview will be contacted. ISD is an EEO employer and follows all applicable employment laws.

NO phone calls or emails please.

Notes:

1. Job descriptions are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job.
2. All employees are required to undergo a Colorado Department of Human Services required background check prior to employment.

Requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree in library and information/media studies from a program accredited by the American Library Association.
• Certification as a school librarian
• At least three years experience as a librarian in a bilingual/multilingual library
• Bilingual/Multilingual (French, Spanish, Chinese, English)
• Experience with the International Baccalaureate Programs
• Familiar with E-book and online portals such as Overdrive

Physical Demands:

• Regularly lift and /or move up to 10 pounds
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear.
• The employee may occasionally be required to bend, stoop or kneel.