Teacher-librarian

A teacher-librarian, or library media specialist, is a certified teacher who also has training in librarianship. In the United States, a teacher-librarian must have a baccalaureate degree and a certificate in secondary or elementary education, and must also complete a library media program and gain a state certification. Programs in library science vary between institutions; however, state requirements must be met before a library media specialist is allowed to teach. Some library media speicialists hold the full Masters or Library Science (or Masters of Library Information Science) degree, while others do not. Librarians who have an MLS but do not have the requisite teaching credentials must obtain these teaching credentials and classroom teaching experience first before they are permitted to work as teacher-librarians, and often additional library science graduate coursework is required, focused specifically on issues pertaining to school librarianship.

Teacher-librarians typically work in school library settings, and their jobs include: teaching classes either collaboratively with teachers or on their own; choosing appropriate material to support student growth and school curriculum; processing and cataloging new materials; encouraging reading for all age levels; maintaining library policies and the library budget; planning for the library space, (including remodeling); and maintaining an overall positive atmosphere in the library.

Has anyone thought to add information regarding "Librarians in the Classroom" ? Librarians who are being asked to teach in other disciplines.

Education

In the United States and Canada, a librarian normally has a one or two-year master's degree in library and information science, library science or information science (called an MLS, MALIS, MSLS, MIS, MS-LIS, MISt, MLIS, or MILS) from an accredited university.[2] These degrees are accredited by the American Library Association and can have specializations within fields such as archiving, records management, information architecture, public librarianship, medical librarianship, law librarianship, special librarianship, academic librarianship, or school (K-12) librarianship. School librarians often are required to have a teaching credential, as well as a library science degree. Many, if not most, academic librarians also have a second, subject-based master's degree.

In the UK and some other countries, a librarian can have a three- or four-year bachelor's degree in library and information studies or information science; separate master's degrees in librarianship, archive management, and records management are also available. In the United Kingdom, these degrees are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and the Society of Archivists. In Germany and some other countries, the first step for an academic librarian is a PhD in a subject field, followed by additional training in librarianship.

It is also possible to earn a doctorate in library and information science. Graduates with PhDs usually become teaching faculty in schools of library and information science, or sometimes occupy the directorship or deanship of university libraries. Those undertaking research at the doctoral level can pursue a very wide range of interests including information technology, government information policy, social research into information use among particular segments of society, information in organizations and corporate settings, and the history of books and printing.

It is common in academic and other research libraries to require the librarians to obtain Master's degrees in some academic subject, sometimes but not necessarily related to their professional responsibilities; in major research libraries, some of the librarians will hold Ph. D degrees in subject fields.

Other advanced degrees often taken in conjunction with a degree in librarianship are law, management, or public administration.

Library associates, library technicians, and library assistants often have college diplomas but usually do not hold library-related degrees. Occasionally they also hold undergraduate or graduate degrees in other disciplines. These workers, sometimes referred to as para-professionals, perform duties such as database management, cataloging, ready reference, and serials and monograph processing.