School Library System Coordinator/Director Appointment Procedures

Education requirements for the School Library System (SLS) coordinator/director State-aided position and the position functions are included in the Regulations of the Commissioner §90.18. Educational agencies (BOCES/Big 5 Cities) must obtain State Education Department approval from the New York State Library before the educational agency’s Board of Education formally appoints a candidate to the School Library System coordinator/director position. This approval is required in order to assure that all regulatory requirements are met prior to the formal appointment.

The coordinator/director of a School Library System shall hold a school library media specialist certificate with a minimum of three years of experience and be eligible to possess either a School Building Leader (SBL) or School Administrator and Supervisor (SAS) educational leadership certificate within three years from appointment date. The educational agency should forward the following items to the New York State Library for review and approval prior to appointment of the SLS coordinator/director:

  • a copy of the candidate’s New York State library media specialist certificate, and/or other certifications
  • copy of the candidate’s resume

Once written approval from the New York State Library is received, the candidate’s name may be forwarded to the agency’s Board of Education for appointment. Once the candidate is appointed to the school library system coordinator/director position, the educational agency files with the New York State Library:

  • a copy of the agency’s Board minutes pertaining to the appointment or a certified statement from the clerk of the BOCES/Big 5 Cities Board of Education.

The new director will be contacted by a New York State Library staff member to schedule an orientation visit to the New York State Library.

All materials should be sent to:

Carol Desch
New York State Library
Division of Library Development
New York State Library
Room 10B41 CEC
Albany, NY 12230

For further information, please contact Carol Desch at the Division of Library Development at (518) 474-7890.

(Revised May 18,2017)

Job Description

Position Title: School Library System Director and Supervisor of Learning Resources

Department: Instructional Resources

Reports to: Senior Supervisor for School Improvement

Supervises: 

Audio Visual Aide
Information Services Librarian (1.5)
Shared Librarian (.5)
Library Clerk
Motor Vehicle Operator
Secretary I

JOB SUMMARY:

School Library System (SLS): Responsible for running all aspects of the SLS, including resource-sharing, database development, staff development, library automation. Coordinated Cooperative Collection Development (CCCD), Virtual Reference Library, grants coordination, and communication with component schools, other systems in our region, systems outside our region, and SED/Library Development.

Learning Resources (LRC): Responsible for overseeing all aspects of the LRC service, including hard copy and digital media library, van delivery of materials, off-air recording, lamination, and communication with component schools, vendors, and other NYS BOCES media programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES: SLS

  • Oversee the daily operations of the School Library System through CoSers 508 and 510, including supervision of staff.
  • Oversee interlibrary loan throughout the SLS, including revision of policies, procedures, and forms as needed, keeping of statistics, solving problems, and communicating as needed; provide access to a variety of information resources to districts, including online resources, and to BOCES programs in need of that information.
  • Oversee the continual building of the electronically-based Union Catalog of library holdings in OPALS-NA format, including the addition of new materials, deletion of old materials, and general improvements to the quality of the Union Catalog.
  • Plan, coordinate, and provide professional development opportunities for school librarians among the component school districts.
  • Oversee the Library Automation program through CoSer 510, offering as much equity and diversity of service as possible. Plan new services as needed/requested/available, and communicate as changes are made.
  • Oversee the running of the CCCD program through CoSer 508, including continued development of district-based CCCD collections, system-developed CCCD kits, and ebook-based Virtual Reference Library.
  • Assure communication between the SLS and districts through the use of meetings, telephone, fax, email, Booktalk Weekly newsletter, SLS website and SLS blog; communicate as needed with SED/Library Development, other SLSs, vendors, etc.
  • Work with SLS Council, CC/Liaisons and SLS committees to assure that student, teacher, and administrative needs are being met.
  • Oversee development and administration of the SLS grant-funded budget.
  • Develop and implement the SLS Five-Year Plan of Service; prepare and submit Annual Report to SED/Library Development.
  • Act as the primary BOCES liaison with school districts in all matters related to school library system services/school library media program support.
  • Interact with other SLL BOCES programs, such as Model Schools and School Improvement, to build collaborative relationships and to take advantage of coordinated services that benefit all component school districts.
  • Maintain professional affiliations with the New York Library Association (NYLA/SLMS), American Library Association (ALA/AASL) and the School Library Systems Association of NYS (SLSA); attend SLSA, NYLA/SLMS and ALA/AASL meetings and conferences, as feasible.

RESPONSIBILITIES: LRC

  • Oversee the daily operations of the Learning Resources Center through CoSer 509, including supervision of staff.
  • Oversee the development and management of the Media Library hard copy and digital media resource collection and the online booking system, preparation of a monthly LRC newsletter, and communication with librarians, other teachers, and administrators.
  • Oversee the delivery of mail, media, equipment, and interlibrary loan materials to 2 districts, BOCES offices, etc.
  • Supervise shared librarian through consistent communication and district visits including regular communication with district administration to ensure district needs and expectations are met.
  • Oversee the administration of CoSer 512, which provides access to the St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s The Chronicler to subscribing districts.
  • Interact with other SLL BOCES programs, such as Model Schools and School Improvement, to build collaborative relationships and to take advantage of coordinated services that benefit of component school districts.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Required:

  • Minimum of three years experience as a school library media specialist.
  • New York State certification as a School Building Leader (SBL) or School Administrator and Supervisor (SAS) or eligibility to possess either a SAS or SBL certificate within three years.
  • Working knowledge of school library and media library operations, including library automation.
  • Ability to supervise clerical, technical and professional staff.
  • Ability to manage multiple budgets.

Preferred:

  • High level of interpersonal, communication, and collaborative skills.
  • Ability to manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, and delegate responsibility.
  • Skill in developing systems to solve problems and accomplish goals.
  • Broad knowledge of libraries, media and technology, P-16.
  • Knowledge of New York State Learning Standards in all disciplines.

 

Click HERE for vacancy notice. Click HERE for original job posting.
(Source: SLL BOCES at http://www.sllboces.org/sllboces)