SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM

Mission Statement. "The mission of the library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. ... To carry out the mission, the library media specialist performs the following separate but overlapping roles to link the information resources and sources of the library media program to the information needs and interests of the school's students and staff:

• Information Specialist
• Teacher
• Instructional Partner
• Program Administrator"
(Information Power; Building Partnerships for Learning, ALA, 1998)

As Information Specialist, the library media specialist provides access and assistance in finding and using information. As Teacher, the library media specialist instructs students and others in the use and communication of information and ideas. As Instructional Partner, the library media specialist works with teachers to develop instructional activities using technology and other information resources to incorporate information skills into the classroom curriculum. As Program Administrator, the library media specialist works collaboratively with members of the learning community to define the policies of the library media program and to guide and direct all the activities related to it.

The School Library Media Program at the School of Information and Library Science, UNC-Chapel Hill prepares students to meet these challenges. Because teaching and working with teachers and students in an educational setting is central, a teaching certificate is required as a first prerequisite.

Teaching Certificate. A valid North Carolina A-Level Teacher's Certificate is required for certification as a School Library Media Coordinator in North Carolina. A student who wishes to be certified as a School Library Media Specialist (SLMS) in another state must meet that state's requirements; the program described here should, in most cases, be acceptable.

For those students interested in SLMS certification who lack a teaching certification, additional coursework in education is required. This usually means 18 hours of course work distributed among four subject areas, student teaching and passing the National Teacher's Exam. The distribution credits are as follows:

• 6 hours of history, sociology, philosophy of education
  Possible courses: EDFO 120, 220, 223, 223, 228, 242, 245
• 6 hours of psychology
  Possible courses: EDFO 101, 102, 201, 302
• 3 hours of a methods course - EDCI 115
• 3 hours of a reading course - EDUC 153 or EDSP 239

Other courses as approved by the Coordinator of the School Library Media Program may be accepted in place of those listed. Such courses may be completed at the undergraduate or graduate level, as long as they are from an accredited institution. Some of these hours (but in no case more than 9 hours) may be included in the MSLS degree as requirements or electives.

Library Science Requirements. Students seeking school library media certification must meet requirements for the Master of Science in Library Science degree. This degree is accredited by the American Library Association's Committee on Accreditation and includes 48 semester hours of graduate level coursework, completion of a satisfactory comprehensive examination in the field of information and library science and satisfactory completion of a Master's paper.

Required courses for all Master's students in the School of Information and Library Science are as follows:

• INLS 111: Information Resources and Services (3)
• INLS 131: Management of Information Agencies (3)
• INLS 151: Organization of Materials I (3)
• INLS 153: Resource Selection and Evaluation (3) [INLS 242 may be substituted]
• INLS 180: Human Information Interaction and Lab (180L) (4)
• INLS 201: Research Methods (3)
• INLS 393: Master's Paper (0-3)

Also required is a proficiency in use of the computer for word processing, email, spread sheet and database construction and use. This requirement can be satisfied by proficiency exam or by completing, without credit towards the degree, INLS 50: Introduction to Computing for Information Use (3).

TOTAL: 18-21 hours

Additional required courses for students seeking certification are as follows:

• EDCI 115: Principles of Instructional Design (3) (Required Methods course)
• INLS 122: Young Adult Literature and Related Materials (3)
     or (but preferably both)
  INLS 123: Children's Literature and Related Materials (3)
• INLS 241: Administration of the School Library Media Center (3)
• INLS 242: Curriculum Issues and the School Librarian (3)
• INLS 299: Supervised Field Experience (3 to 6)
  NOTE: School Library Media Specialists must spend a minimum of 130 hours on site in either an elementary or a secondary school library under the supervision of a certified School Media Coordinator, and preferably 130 hours in both an elementary and a secondary school library. The field experience must include the student's teaching at least part of one unit. If the student does not already hold a valid North Carolina A-Level Teacher's Certificate, 25 additional hours must be spent observing in one or more classrooms.

TOTAL: 15-21 hours

Electives. The remaining 6 to 15 hours may be taken as elective courses.

Media Coordinator Specialty Area Exam. All students seeking certification must take the Media Coordinator (#0310) PRAXIS/NTE (National Teacher's Exam) specialty exam. If the individual already has a North Carolina license this is the only test required. For those applying for their first North Carolina teaching license as a Media Coordinator, in addition to the Media Coordinator (#0310), the Professional Knowledge Test (#0520) must also be taken (and passed, of course).

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Revised 9/25/99