Spotlight on the AASL Standard Framework for Librarians: 

CURATE

AASL CURATE KEY COMMITMENT: Make meaning for oneself and others by collecting, organizing, and sharing resources of personal relevance (2018).

Curating materials and resources is such a large component of a librarians job that you could fill a library with theories about how to fill a library. School librarians have to narrow their focus to ensure their curation of materials meets a diverse range of audience reading levels, interests, and educational functions. I had the opportunity to speak with Bryson Middle Media Specialist, Patty Barker about how she applies the AASL librarian standards in her program. 

Mrs. Barker implements the AASL curate competencies by thoroughly researching and constantly updating her collection to provide relevant resources for her students. Utilizing digital resources and databases like DISCUS helps ensure the materials stay up to date with topical issues, current events, and changing trends. E-books offer a way to quickly adapt to needs without over burdening the budget constraints. When working on specific research projects she finds it helpful to act as a guide along the search process to help students locate the appropriate materials and frequently gathers material ahead of visits to maximize time in the library. Her role as the librarian not only helps students locate resources, but also teaches them to assess and analyze the materials to build critical thinking skills. The ability to synthesize the information once they find it, is a vital skill that Barker actively cultivates with her students.  

Mrs. Barker shared that a key component to curation is weeding out materials that are no longer useful. Being on top of collection management is not only knowing what you have but knowing what no longer is of service to the students. Keeping kids in engaged and interested is a constant challenge, especially in the middle school environment. With limited budgets school librarians often have to find a balance between the high interest titles that circulate or nonfiction reference materials that might quickly become out of date. 

Part of the framework is checking the collection to see if there are gaps within the curriculum resources and taking time to find outside resources when needed. In an effort to facilitate collaboration with staff, Mrs. Barker attends the various content area monthly staff meetings to stay informed on changes to lesson planning. 

One of the biggest challenges facing librarians in the middle school today is time. Content area teachers are faced with such strict time and planning deadlines in their own classrooms that they often don't want to lose valuable instruction time by taking students to the library. It makes the time students do have in the media center with the librarian even more valuable. 

One component that Barker would love to see added to the AASL standards is a menu of prepared lessons focused on the key foundations and commitments geared to students. It would be a great asset to many librarians, new or established, to be able share materials that would enable students to gain a better understanding of the competencies and how they relate to their own educational success. 

American Association of School Librarians.( 2018). National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. ALA. Chicago.Standards Framework - National School Library Standards (aasl.org)

Barker, P. (2022). Personal Interview