Project Connect Develops Toolkit for Future-Ready Librarians

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/27/15

Project Connect, an initiative sponsored by Follett, is promoting "future-ready" libraries and librarians in K-12. To meet this goal, a library leadership committee met during the recent International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference in Philadelphia, where it developed plans for a "toolkit for transformation." The toolkit will include a framework for revamping relevant job descriptions, roles and evaluation rubrics for school librarians.

Project Connect participants also plan to share success stories from programs where school librarians are leading, teaching and supporting 21st-century learning. They will create videos, webinars, whitepapers and possibly micro credentials that librarians and others can earn as they develop innovations in their educational practices.

According to Carolyn Foote, librarian at Westlake High School and the Eanes Independent School District in Austin, TX, "The education landscape is changing rapidly, and libraries play a key role in the shift so many schools are making. With their information literacy skills and curriculum connections, tech-savvy librarians are uniquely qualified to collaborate with teachers and administrators to lead schools forward."

In a video about Project Connect, Nebraska's Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel noted that if librarians and media specialists are not brought along "with this digital transformation that's occurring, then we're leaving behind what I would consider one of the most important aspects of educational delivery."

The leadership committee will next meet as part of a focus group in Seattle at the School Library Journal (SLJ) Leadership Summit in September.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.

  • laptop on a desk with its screen displaying numerous colorful educational app icons

    Survey Finds Majority of Schools Using 10 to 15 Educational Apps

    A new report points to the fragmented digital landscape of educational apps in use at schools and districts across the country.

  • laptop displaying AI-powered educational content

    Kira Introduces AI-Generated Lesson Tool

    AI company Kira has announced a new AI-powered lesson generation tool that it says delivers complete, standards-aligned lessons that are personalized to each student.