Job Description:

Location: Horace Elementary School
Department: Curriculum & Instruction
Reports To: Director of Curriculum & Instruction and Building-level Principal
Term: Renewing 188-day contract beginning with the 2025-26 academic year
Schedule: M-F Full-time, following the academic hours of operation

SUMMARY: The Library Media Specialist will oversee all operations of the elementary media center which continues to evolve as technologies and education change. Library Media Specialists create an engaging, nurturing and safe learning environment that allows learners to develop their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing, providing instruction in library media skills, future ready skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be compassionate, lifelong-learners, and contributing citizens in a rapidly changing world. The Library Media Specialist will establish and maintain new lines of communication and partnerships with learners, parents and community members. The Library Media Specialist will be responsible for learners in grades K-5 and work collaboratively with all grade levels and administration.
 
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and requirement satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (Other duties may be assigned)
Collaboration:
Develops positive, effective working relationships with learners and staff.
Engages with other district staff in the professional learning community process.
Collaborates with teachers to incorporate multiple literacies and foster critical thinking.
Collaborates with other libraries, librarians, and agencies to provide access to resources outside the school.
Evaluates, promotes, and uses existing and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, supplement school resources, and connect the school with the global learning community.
Creates an environment that establishes respect and rapport between the teacher and learners; as well as among learners.
Provides learning opportunities within the school and district.
Communication:
Models effective strategies for developing multiple literacies within various formats.
Connects and shares ideas through appropriate/applicable formats to express thoughts and ideas with integrity.
Encourages the use of instructional technology to engage students and to improve learning.
Promotes 24/7 access to digital information resources for the entire learning community.
Establishes and clearly articulates procedures and routines that promote efficiency and appropriate use of time.
Shares up-to-date district policies and issues such as materials selection, circulation, reconsideration of materials, copyright, privacy, and acceptable use.
Utilizes effective communication skills to facilitate connection and sharing of thoughts and ideas in multiple formats with diverse audiences.
Establishes and clearly articulates procedures and routines that promote efficiency and appropriate use of time.
Clearly communicates the instructional purpose of each lesson and make connections to prior learning.
Engages learners in meaningful direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice.
Utilizes questions, discussions, and dialogue that promote critical thinking about diverse perspectives, viewpoints, and experiences.
Compassion:
Empowers learners to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic learners, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
Promotes meaningful experiences across the curriculum that promote a love of reading and lifelong learning.
Fosters reading that encompasses exposure to diverse experiences, viewpoints, and genres.
Understands the complexities of cultural and global issues and how they relate to employee and learners’ experiences.
Ensures equitable access to information.
Partners with others to resolve potential controversy and conflict through respectful discussion.
Proactively seeks to understand the ideas, opinions, and skills of others.
Creativity:
Models effective strategies for developing multiple literacies within various formats.
Connects with team members and shares ideas in an effort to improve the overall learner and employee experience.
Utilizes creative, critical thinking skills when faced with challenges.
Design assessments that are aligned to the standards and learning targets and provide frequent opportunities for authentic and meaningful assessments.
Establishes an environment that values high expectations, work ethic, and a growth mindset.
Critical Thinking:
Reasons, interprets, and analyzes information to generate new knowledge and understanding.
Maintains and organizes the library collection and environment for maximum and effective use.
Follows copyright, fair use, and licensing of intellectual property guidelines and assists users with their understanding. 
Researches, orders, weeds, catalogs, and oversees the processing of all new media center materials. 
Allocates the library budget based on instructional needs of the building and district.
Demonstrates knowledge of content and pedagogy in language arts; explicitly connecting key concepts to develop learner communication skills in speaking and listening, reading, and writing for a variety of purposes.
Reflection:
Demonstrates understanding of the diverse social, emotional and developmental learning needs of elementary school learners.
Maintains communication with supervisor and director regarding general feedback, career advancement opportunities, and areas of growth opportunities.
Resilience:
Maintains composure while dealing with stressful situations.
Proactively seeks out resolutions and takes initiative to resolve knowledge gaps.
Responsibility:
Provides instructional assistance to learners and helps them access, apply, and evaluate the integration of technology and resources in an ethical manner.
Utilizes district guaranteed and viable curriculum including the scope & sequence of academic and social emotional learning targets along with the defined proficiency scales.
Implements learner instruction through library skills courses.
Plans a program of study that meets the individual needs, interests, and abilities of the learners.
Develops and maintains a collection appropriate to district guidelines, curriculum, and learners within the school community.
Participates in the curriculum development process at both the building and district level to ensure that the curricula include the full range of literacy skills (information, media, visual, digital, and technological literacy) necessary to meet content standards and to develop lifelong learners.
Utilizes district behavioral plans as a backbone to promote positive learner behavior.
Fosters a safe and equitable classroom environment.
Utilizes the district protocol for maintaining information on learner progress.
Utilizes knowledge of applicable federal and state laws regarding education and learners.
Creates a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the maturity and interests of the learners.
Guides the learning process toward the achievement of curriculum goals and in harmony with the goals establishes clear objectives for all lessons, units, projects and the like to communicate these objectives to learners.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of this role, the employee is regularly required to reach with hands and arms.
While performing the essential duties and responsibilities of this role, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, bend, talk, and hear.
The specific vision abilities required for this role include close and peripheral vision.
The employee may be required to lift up to ~30 pounds.
The employee must work with the public and various WFPS staff while simultaneously managing several competing demands.
The employee may come in contact with bloodborne pathogens or other bodily fluids on rare occasions.
The employee will work in an environment that has a quiet to loud noise level.
 
Education and/or Experience:
Valid ND Teaching License with Library Media Specialist (LM02) or Library Media Director (LM01) Credential.
Bachelor’s Degree in Education.
Prior library experience preferred.
Prior experience managing complex learner behaviors or working with behavior plans is preferred.
Prior experience teaching or working in an elementary setting preferred.
 
Language Skills:
Ability to read, write, and comprehend simple instructions and short correspondences in the English language.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally, expressively, and reactively.
 
Other Skills and Abilities:
Exercise confidentiality, discretion, and good judgment.
Adhere to the assigned work schedule by maintaining regular and punctual attendance.
 
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
None.

Salary: The Position follows the Teacher Salary Schedule 2023-2025