You're transitioning from a public to a school library. What skills do you need to succeed?

You should also have a teacher, trainer and researcher skills, when you treat with students to learn them how they use information resources inside the library room.

The role of the school librarian and the public librarian is very different. I would say that often a school librarian is on their own in the library and being in a department of one can bring its problems. There is no one to ask and many schools don't understand what you do, so it is important to find a group of people who can help and support you. It is very important to understand your role beyond reading for pleasure. You need to be aware of the curriculum and have the skills to teach information literacy and inquiry learning to students. This is a role that needs you to be good at many things you did not have to think about as a public librarian.

Engaging with students is a skill in itself. Unlike the public library where patrons choose to visit often students are being told to... this dynamic can be difficult to manage. Unless brought in by a teacher many students will choose not to come to the library. The job of the school librarian is to create opportunities to engage those students and encourage them in. This can be down to your stock collection, having engaging resources that students want to read but it will be more than that. It will be about the work you do outside the library. School librarians need to advocate a lot, through running activities in the library like chess clubs and Lego clubs that bring students into the library maybe for the first time.

It will often be assumed that you know how to manage behaviour. You might want to ask for training in this area as it is very different to public libraries.

Many public librarians will not have experienced teaching in a classroom before and this is something that school librarians will do. One way to tackle classroom management is by asking to observe teachers and asking to be observed. Another way is reading books written for new teachers will give you guidance on classroom management as well as looking out for training as Rachel said.

I would say that being the troubleshooting expert is not the job of the school librarian. Schools have people who do this. You will have knowledge about your own library management system but even there you will have support from the software company. Technology integration is important though and means you need to have an understanding of the online resources and tools available to you and how to use them. You will need to be competent in teaching digital and information literacy.

Staying up to date with latest technology trends is important, then finding ways to share your knowledge and incorporate into your teaching and library platforms.

School librarians often don't see themselves as leaders but they should. They are middle leaders meaning they are responsible for their own advocacy. Leadership includes being able to explain why your library is important to teaching and learning beyond reading for pleasure. It is being able to talk about your role in teaching and learning and highlight the value you bring to student learning. Advocacy can include things like, talking to SLT, joining HOD meetings and writing articles for the school newsletter. It also means keeping up to date and feeling confident and this can be done through professional development. Finding the right support and training can boost a school librarian's confidence.

One of the new and profound mistakes that students do is that they think that the library is too much information. To decipher this: 1. Do your SWAT analysis. 2. Find your subject taste. 3. Figure out your specialization. 4. Align all your goals to your specialization. 5. Finally let the library be the hotspot to conquer your specialized dream and goal. That's it.

You will also have to do things you’ve previously never had do - came as a shock to me! You have to decide which books to buy, order them, add dewey numbers or other class marks, add them to the catalogue, and also mend them when they are tatty. Cover them too when they come in unless you pay for that. You are responsible for everything- there is no backup

Being flexible is important but also be prepared to say no to things that are not within your job description. Often in schools you see 'job creep' and before you know it you are doing many things that are not within the remit of a librarian. There are polite ways of saying no!

Creativity, enthusiasm, dedication & in depth knowledge of children’s literature Keeping up to date with new publishing trends Important to be a reading champion promoting books and tailoring academic & reading for pleasure recommendations to a range of different year groups. Collection development- Sourcing online and printed resources to complement the curriculum Making provision for EFL and SEN pupils Organising author events, book fairs, quizzes Promoting bibliotherapy, inclusivity & diversity in collections Recruiting and nurturing student librarians Supporting & liasing with staff re: requests, recommendations, curriculum support Using social media & technology to promote your library environment to the school community

In a school library, you will also be in a position to offer pastoral support. Although the public libraries do this, I found that it is more intensive in school as you are responsible for them at the same time. If you are in a secondary school (ages 11+) it would be beneficial to have some teen mental health training, and ask your teacher colleagues for guidance, support and advice. I think it's important that the library is a safe space for all and it can be good if there is a distinction between librarians and teachers. For example, the students here call me by my first name and I'm there to listen and facilitate a happy, relaxed lunch break where they can open up and be themselves.