Librarians or tech integration specialists?
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 05:57AM 
From Librarians are from Venus; Technologists are from Mars. Technology Connection, May 1998
My dean just asked me to provide her with a 'mini lesson' on the growing trend within K-12 to look for "Digital Learning Specialists" versus "Media Specialists". I have my opinion of the difference but would appreciate some input from others. She would like to get a sense of what it is and what is may mean in connection with our School Library and Information Studies program. Question to AASL Forum, 4/27/16
How would you define a Tech Integration Specialist? How do you describe the work they do that is so much more than tech support? What would you say to someone to share how powerful of an influence a TIS has in a school? MN-ITEM on Google+, 4/25/16
How are the jobs of tech integration specialist and library media specialist alike and different? It's a question with which I have been wrestling for 30 years. And each year, the question seems to come up again.
As I reflect on my work with librarians both in the districts in which I've worked and in the professional organizations I've helped lead, it feels like I have spent most of my career trying to turn librarians into tech integration specialists. And somewhat successfully, I like to think.
Now, due to funding sources and a paucity of licensed librarians, I find my career from here on out may be ironically different: turning technologists into librarians. My current district is hiring "Digital Learning Specialists" to teach K-5 students digital literacy skills, provide embedded professional development in technology for teachers, and to help manage library resources, especially digital resources. These folks have been selected from the ranks of our best and most progressive classroom teachers, but only one has a library science degree.
Starting with their respective roles as teacherscis a good beginning point in comparing/contrasting these positions. In 2008, both ISTE and AASL released new standards that described what their organizations felt students should know and be able to do. I created this comparison.
(Click on image for a larger jpg image. For the same diagram as an Inspiration file, click here. Or as a pdf file.)
Granted, both these sets of standards have been superseded with new ones, but I would argue that more similarities still exist between the new standards than dissimilarities. Yes, librarians might emphasize reading and literature in some lessons; tech integrationists more tech specific activities. But by and large, critical thinking and problem solving, information literacy, digital citizenship, communication and teamwork are all shared between the standards. And most districts that I know, use both sets to construct their own specific curriculum.
By and large, both librarians and TIS can and should be teaching and supporting the adults in their buildings as well. What skills and what support are increasingly determined by building/district goals and challenges. For example, next year we will want strong support for our learning management system (Schoology), a new collection of e-books (MyOn Reader), and Chromebook use and management for our teachers. Will formal training in the masters degree programs of either tech specialists or librarians prove to have been useful for any of these tasks - especially if the degree is more than a couple years old?
There are three primary areas where library science skills and understandings are critical for this position, however. First, a good librarians will have had classes in materials selection and children's/YA literature. We need someone in our schools with those skills. Second, library training emphasizes the information literacy and problem-solving as a life-long skill which includes personal evaluation of sources of information.
And finally, and most importantly, we need professionals in our buildings that bring some foundational library values to decision-making processes including intellectual freedom, the broadest possible access to information and ideas, and equity of access to information. Will the "digital learning specialist" know how to deal with a materials challenge? Will he/she be able to determine what is filtered and what is not in a school? Will there be advocacy for student personal interest being a driving force in what students can find in their schools? Will all points of view whether political, religious, or cultural be represented and available to our learners?
Perhaps there are skills and understandings that folks with technology specialist degrees and certification bring to jobs like these as well, that I am missing. I hope readers enumerate these in the comment section.
The name of the position will never be as important as the person who fills the position. I am optimistic that our new position will be of great value to both our students and our staff.
Reader Comments (4)
Thanks Doug! We are revising Texas school library standards right now, and I am stealing (with attribution) the chart you made! Also, this conversation is hugely important - I am wrestling with how much we should support campuses and even entire districts with no librarian. One one hand, they should definitely have one and should feel the pain of choosing to not have one, but on the other, those students (and staff) need information literacy instruction, regardless of who provides it. I agree that the person is much more important than the title.
I have no doubt the technical knowledge and abilities of someone with technology degrees and/or certification would likely be greater than the typical MLS, but do they have the reference interview skills a librarian learns in grad school?
I would also argue the formal training we get simply lays the foundation for ongoing professional development and lifelong learning - I would value someone's continuing education activities at least as much (and probably more) as their graduate degree, regardless of the letters at the end of their title.
You hit this spot on. The question that I posed on Google+ was a seed in my mind for reflecting on these two roles. I have a hard time defining them because I am simply both. I went to school to become a tech integrationist, and I ended up a library media specialist. Or both, depending on which hat I am wearing at the moment. My Master's degree's top programs really peaked at PowerPoint. Even a class on dealing with book challenges doesn't prepare you for the first one you face, library degree or not.
With the recent article about Eden Prairie in the news, I reached out to various news sources about attending the Spring ITEM Conference. I wanted to share how our spaces, our work, and our vision have evolved over the years. In my happy anticipation that someone would get back to me (one actually did, but couldn’t make our event), I wanted to gather my thoughts as to the role we all play in our schools.
We have library media openings that don’t have a deep pool of licensed candidates. We have very passionate, strong educators as integrationists stepping into a media role out of necessity. Neighboring districts could have a full time media person per building while the next has none at all.
I may not be able to come up with black and white statistics as to the positive affect ITEM members have on their schools. Crunching numbers may not show a distinctly higher success rate on AYP or MCA tests. (Unless someone has a statistician who can really analyze the data that is available. Anyone?)
What we CAN share is the powerful role that all of us play in educating today’s students.
With summer approaching, I hope to have time to put my thoughts into writing, as you have. I’m not alone in mulling this over, and for that I am thankful.
Hi Len,
There seems to be some middle ground here where a position is created that harnesses the power of both jobs. I don't really care about the job title - I just care about what understandings the people bring to the position.
Good luck with your standards!
Doug
Hi Jen,
Thanks so much for your work on this issue. Like I said in the post, it's a puzzle with which I have been struggling for 30 years. Great to have young new minds involved!
All the best,
Doug
I so totally agree and have spend time, again, studying the two roles--especially as we have library media specialists and technology integration specialists working together in our buildings for the first time.
I have felt that the librarian was a technology integration specialists since 1984 when I first used spell check and an online databases through a 300 baud modem. And yet I have found our technology integration specialists having a different focus--especially on grading and assessment practices in our schools. The media specialists are playing a much greater role in the management of devices--getting every kid, every day to have a working digital device takes a big chunk of time--even with three clerical assistants. The big question is whether either is spending as much time as we would like increasing communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in our media centers and classrooms.
Next year...