October 2026 – June 2027

Instructor/Facilitator: Katie Mack, Champlain Valley Union High School Librarian and Allison Vega, South Burlington High School Librarian

AT A GLANCE

What’s in a name?
Librarian? Library Media Specialist? The title alone rarely captures the many “hats” school librarians wear. While each of those roles is valuable, this course will use the term “teacher librarian” to highlight the essential role librarians play as educators within the school community.

As education continues to shift—both locally and nationally—it’s more important than ever for school librarians to position themselves as teaching partners and instructional leaders. We must consistently demonstrate our impact on student learning and advocate for equitable education within our schools.

Of course, every school and grade level presents its own challenges. So how do we balance our ever-growing responsibilities? How do we ensure our vision and expertise are recognized by school leadership?

This course will be structured in such a way that participants will have the opportunity to examine the various instructional roles of librarianship at grade-specific level, reflect upon current practice, and create professional library growth goals to implement in their library setting. Throughout the course participants will create a “teaching portfolio” that includes evidence of goal-setting and execution of library collaboration in each setting: literacy leader, curricular collaborator, and equity coach. Our final meeting will be a chance to share best practices, reflect upon action, and vision for the future.

Course Objectives:

Develop and continuously pursue professional growth goals for library programs.
- Identify potential areas in your library program to expand instruction.
- Execute plans to implement “librarian as teacher” with the intent to increase visibility and efficacy within the school community.
- Reflect and share upon best practices.
Cultivate relational trust, caring, mutual respect, and honesty with individuals and groups as a librarian.
Build a network of librarian collegiality, support, and collaboration.

Location: CVEDC-ESA 150 Kennedy Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403

Dates: October 28, 2026; December 2, 2026; February 3, 2027; April 14, 2027; June 2, 2027

Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. plus 10 hours of online reflection and discussion

Credits: 3 Graduate Credits from Saint Michael’s College

Cost: $1,450 includes book $1,900 includes grad credit and book, Teaching Students to Decode the World by Chris Sperry and Cyndy Scheibe

Teacher Librarians: A Cohort for Collaborative Practice and Growth