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School Media Specialist Job Advertisement Trends and Their Implications

The social and political climate of 21st century America has created a competitive, fast-

paced and dynamic world for its citizens. A detailed analysis of school media specialist job ad

trends reflect these same qualities in libraries and in the roles of the school librarians. This

analysis reveals that libraries are consistently supporting an innovative and rapidly advancing

technological environment, and employers expect librarians to adapt and thrive in these

conditions. As a result, the educational requirements, skills and duties of school media specialists

are shifting to reflect societal change and to meet the trending expectations of employers. This

paper explores job advertisement trends found in those major areas of consideration and their

implications for school librarians.

Job Requirements

All of the job ads stress the importance of having graduate level education with either a

MLS degree or certification in addition to having teaching credentials; this is the minimum

background qualifications the majority of the employers would accept. There were very few

entry level positions available. Many of the job ads insist upon experience along with the

educational components. The type of experience the employers are looking for varies from

classroom teaching experience to prior experience as a school media specialist. The ample

positions requiring experience would make it tough for a recent graduate with little experience to

find a job. Furthermore, employers are asking for more than just educational and experience-

related prerequisites. Job ads are listing certain knowledge and competencies in their

requirements section. IT knowledge and strong communication skills are some of the common

core components that employers request. All of these prerequisites address the competitive and

demanding nature of school librarian positions.

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Skills, Competencies, and Knowledge

School media specialist job ads place just as much emphasis on skills, competencies and

knowledge as they do education and experience. The most prominent skills appearing in job ads

are communication, collaboration, information technology, multitasking and leadership.

Interestingly, skills and personality qualities appear in job ads with similar frequency, which

indicates employers hold both types of attributes in equal esteem. Most often employers look for

applicants who are creative, flexible, and excel at problem solving. The types of knowledge that

employers value above others tends to vary, but current knowledge of trends in reading materials

and educational technology seems to be the most essential. These skills, competencies and

knowledge reflect the rapidly changing world of information. With the changing educational

standards and emerging technologies affecting libraries, the demands and challenges of the job

have grown. As a result, employers need their librarians to be proficient in this increasingly

information-oriented environment. These attributes and abilities contribute to the effectiveness in

which a school media specialist handles their duties and responsibilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

A school media specialist’s duties and responsibilities cover an expansive array of

categories within the field. While each job ad focuses on certain duties that are more pertinent to

their institution, they all emphasize tasks relating to management, collection, assessment,

technical services, information technology and most importantly, instruction. Even the job titles

indicate the prominence of instruction for a school media specialist; they label the job for school

librarians as teacher librarians in some instances, which emphasizes the importance of their

instructional role. The scope of the duties and responsibilities for these types of librarians are

ample, revealing the diverse nature of the job. Ultimately, these trends expose a school

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librarian’s information role because in the job ads, there is an emphasis on e-resources, library

systems management, web site management, technical support, and the creation of web-based

instructional material.

Conclusion

Overall, these trends suggest a blending of information science and traditional library

principles. By analyzing these job advertisements, it is clear that the information role of school

librarians is becoming a more prominent aspect of the job. On the other hand, there are still signs

that the traditional role of librarians has a vital function in school libraries through the emphasis

employers are placing on maintaining collections, obtaining print materials, and fostering

learning. Ultimately, these trends reveal that this profession is in a flux of development and

advancement, but that these opposing principles are finding a way to coexist and work together

in harmony.

Preparing for the School Media Specialist’s Job Market

First and foremost, experience is essential to being a strong candidate for any library

position since there are very few job openings that do not require some form of experience along

with a degrees and certifications. Internships, fieldwork, assistant positions or any other form of

work that allows me to obtain experience in the field will be crucial to landing my first librarian

job. This experience will not only improve job skills and my resume tremendously, but will

potentially provide me with networking opportunities, recommendations, or even a real job

opening in that same location. Additionally, since all the job ads request a cover letter along with

a resume, ensuring that my cover letter is exceptional and stands out amongst the dozens of other

applications is another imperative factor for being a strong candidate for a school library

position. Interviews are just as crucial as resumes and cover letters or maybe even more so.

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Therefore, it is important to show the hiring staff that I can excel at the job during the interview.

By providing them with examples of how I have implemented the required skills, competencies

and abilities during my past library experience, I will solidify my position as a strong candidate.

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References

SLIS Jobs - http://slisjobs.wordpress.com/

EDJOIN - http://www.edjoin.org/index.aspx

ALA’s Job List - http://joblist.ala.org/

ALISJOBS listserv - http://si.usf.edu/communication/employment/