The Upper School Librarian & Digital Literacy Specialist manages the library and library materials, teaches and fosters information literacy and research skills, and promotes reading. The librarian engages students and teachers in friendly dialogue to ascertain their information needs using a customer-service mindset and well-honed problem solving skills. The librarian creates an atmosphere that is inviting, welcoming, and engages students and teachers.

The librarian must be innovative, flexible, energetic, and responsive, and maintain the library as a safe, welcoming, and creative space for all. Strong interpersonal written and verbal communication skills required, especially in developing warm, trusting relationships.

Essential Functions

• Collaborates with teachers and students to design and teach engaging inquiry and learning experiences that incorporate multiple literacies and foster critical thinking
• Builds and strengthens connections between students, information, and research needs, curricular content, learning outcomes, and resources
• Guides students in using information for project-defined and self-defined purposes
• Supports faculty in integrating research into their classes
• Enacts AASL standards to support information literacy skills that will enable students to create, collaborate, and problem solve both locally and globally
• Works with faculty to ensure that information literacy skills are embedded systematically and with the use of the LifeReady PreK-12 alignment throughout the school and library program
• Works collaboratively with librarians and technology specialists across divisions on innovative growth opportunities that integrate digital citizenship and information literacy into the curriculum
• Supports reading for understanding, for exposure to diverse viewpoints and genres, and for pleasure
• Serves as advisor to an assigned student group, which involves daily attendance and supervision of advisory time
• Leads the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and organization of information resources and technologies in all formats for 24/7 access to library services
• Develops and maintains a diverse collection of resources appropriate to the curriculum, the learners, teaching styles, and instructional strategies used at McDonogh
• Evaluates, selects, purchases, processes, catalogs, and maintains print collection
• Evaluates and subscribes to a variety of research databases to support curriculum
• Espouses a DEISJ perspective in evaluating items for the collection
• Organizes and promotes the collection for maximum and effective use
• Proactively learns about and shares new resources, including Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Guides students and faculty to locate, evaluate, and ethically use information
• Understands copyright, Fair Use, and licensing of intellectual property and assists users with their understanding and observance of the same
• Responds to reference questions and advises readers
• Cooperates and networks with other libraries, librarians, and agencies to provide access to resources outside school
• Creates and shares course- and project-specific documents
• Defines the goals and objectives of the library program and directs activities related to it
• Manages library budget and maintains vendor relationships to support program goals
• Markets library programs, including social media, displays, and bulletin boards
• Manages printers, copiers, and other technology in the Upper School Library
• Edits and maintains content on library pages of McDonogh School website
• Supervises and evaluates support staff (assistants, staff, volunteers)
• Assumes a leadership role in modeling and teaching the skills necessary to access, evaluate, and use resources effectively, ethically, and responsibly for students, faculty, and staff
• Serves as Department Chair for the library; serves on decision-making teams
• Takes an active role in school improvement and accreditation activities
• Enacts AASL National Program Standards at McDonogh
• Shares expertise by presenting at faculty meetings and parent meetings
• Maintains active memberships in national and state professional associations
• Remains current in professional practices and developments, information technologies, and educational research applicable to school library programs
• Advocates for the school library program and the guiding principles of the profession