Library Media Specialist

A Library Media Specialist is...

A Teacher...

As a teacher, the LMS works with students and teachers to analyze learning and information needs, to locate and use resources that will meet those needs, and to understand and communicate the information the resources provide. Essentially, the LMS is  teaching students how to use the library media center and its resources.

 An Instructional Partner…

As an instructional partner, the LMS joins with teachers to identify links with curricular content, learning outcomes, student information needs, and information resources. The LMS takes a leadership role in developing policies, practices, and curricula that help students develop information literacy skills.

An Information Specialist… 

  As an information specialist, the LMS provides expertise in acquiring and evaluating information resources in all formats; in bringing an awareness of information issues to teachers, administrators, and students; and in modeling strategies for locating, accessing, and evaluating information within and beyond the library media center.

A Program Administrator…

As a program administrator, the LMS guides and directs all the activities related to the library media program. The LMS is an advocate for the library media program, and is proficient in the management of staff, budgets, equipment, and facilities 

Jobs and Scholarships Available

(see Scholarships)

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Why select UW Oshkosh for your Library Media coursework?

Faculty teaching in the program have extensive experience in k-12 schools as librarian media specialists.

How do I become a Library Media specialist?

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction certifies Library Media Specialists at two levels.

Candidates must hold or be eligible for a teaching license in an area other than school library media services to be eligible for the Initial Instructional Library Media Specialist (902 Initial, was 901) license. Undergraduate students may select Library/Media as a minor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Graduate students may take these courses as special students, or as the emphasis area for the Masters degree in Educational Leadership. 

To qualify for a Professional Instructional Library Media Specialist (902 Professional, was 902) license, an applicant must have held an Initial Library Media Specialist license for at least three years and complete a master's degree or the equivalent in an approved program. Many people complete the MS-Educational Leadership program here at UW Oshkosh.

Additionally, our campus offers licensure for the Library Media Supervisor. An applicant must hold the 902 Professional License with an accompanying master's degree and complete additional coursework.

Are the classes available online?

For students who live more than 50 miles from Oshkosh, you can apply to work through the UWSSLEC (University of Wisconsin System - School Library Education Consortium) program. The contact person for this program is Carrie Lencho (Lenchoc@uww.edu) at 1-800-621-5376. Dr. Penny Garcia (garcia@uwosh.edu) serves as our local program liaison.

Program details can be found at the following website.

http://academics.uww.edu/libmedia/uwsslec/index.htm

What courses are required for 902 Initial Library Media Specialist licensure?

Candidates must hold or be eligible for a teaching license in an area other than school library media services to be eligible for the Initial Instructional Library Media Specialist (902 Initial, was 901) license. Undergraduate students may select Library/Media as a minor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Graduate students may take these courses as special students, or as the emphasis area for the Masters degree in Educational Leadership.  Either way, (degree or licensure only,) graduate students must apply to the MS-Educational Leadership Program. 

To obtain institutional endorsement for this license at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh , students must take the following courses:

What courses are required for 902 Professional Library Media Specialist licensure?

To qualify for a Professional Instructional Library Media Specialist (902 Professional, was 902) license, an applicant must have held an Initial Library Media Specialist license for at least three years and complete a master's degree or the equivalent (30 credits in library/media/technology coursework, in the application column labeled "Degree or Licensing Program" write MS-EQ if you are using this equivalency) in an approved program. Many people complete the MS-Educational Leadership degree program here at UW Oshkosh. Whether you are seeking licensure only or your degree and licensure, you must apply to the MS-Educational Leadership program. If you have already completed your MS-Educational leadership degree and are returning for licensure only, please contact the program coordinator so your student status will be accurately coded.

To obtain institutional endorsement for this license at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh , students must take the following courses:

What courses are required for 91 Library Media Supervisor licensure?

To qualify for the Library Media Supervisor 91 license, an applicant must hold the 902 Professional License with an accompanying master's degree and 3 years successful school library media experience.

To obtain institutional endorsement for this license at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh , students must take the following courses:

How do I apply for my license?

Go to the DPI site with license application information. Click on the FAQ link to determine which form fits your specific needs.
http://dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/applications.html

Fill in the form(s), send it/them to the Ed Leadership Program Coordinator. We will verify you have completed the program then sign/endorse the form(s) and mail to DPI. Be sure to enclose your check made out to DPI or a signed credit card form. You don't need to send an envelope made out to DPI, we will do that part!

What do I do if I'm not working as a library/media specialist? Do I still have to earn my 902 Professional within 3-5 years?

No, if you are not employed as a library media specialist you can extend your initial license. According to DPI, "the Initial Educator License is a five-year non-renewable license unless the individual has not been employed in his/her license category for at least three years within the five-year period. If an educator chooses not to work or cannot find a position, the Initial Educator License may be renewed with an application/fee at the end of the five-year period."

Are there job openings in this field, and where do I find them?

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction projects that significant numbers of Library Media Specialists will retire within the next five years. At the present time, approximately ninety emergency licenses have been issued to people working in Library Media Centers while completing certification requirements.

Despite frugal budgeting in school districts in recent years, 95% of UW-Oshkosh Library/Media graduates have found positions in schools.

To access job listings in Library Media, access the state web site at www.Wisconsin.gov. Then, choose "Employment in Wisconsin " at the right of the screen. Under "Categories," choose Education. Under "Subcategories," check both K-12, Library Services and Libraries, K-12 Libraries.

• Library Media Planning Sheet  -- doc, pdf 
• Projected Course Schedule -- xls, pdf
• Library/Media Flier -- ppt, pdf
• Library/Media Minor (undergraduate) Flier -- ppt, pdf
  

Professional Links

• WEMTA -- Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association
• AASL -- American Association of School Librarians
• Applying for your Library Media License (DPI Site with License Application Information)
• DPI FAQ Page - Application Instructions

Courses for Instructional Library Media Specialist (902 Initial)

ED LDRSP 302/502 Literature for Children

Literature for children aged three to twelve. Emphasis on: criteria for evaluation and aids for selection of materials; the reading interests, needs, and abilities of children; and reading, listening and viewing guidance in the classroom and in school and public libraries. Prerequisite: Admission I required for PEP students. 302/502

ED LDRSP 303/503 Literature for Young Adults
Criteria for evaluation and aids for selection of materials for young people aged thirteen to eighteen as well as extensive reading of the literature. Reading , listening and viewing guidance techniques appropriate for the classroom and for the school and public library. 303/503

ED LDRSP 304/504 Developing Information Literacy Skills
Preparing library media specialists to teach students information literacy skills (the ability to access, evaluate and use information from a variety of sources) through the study of the goals and methods of library/media instruction, and to integrate those skills into the curriculum.

ED LDRSP 317/517 Classification & Cataloging
Theory and principles of library classification and cataloging. Practical problems in classifying by the Dewey Decimal system; main entry of personal authors, practice in constructing unit cards. 317/517

ED LDRSP 321/521 Building Library Collections -- Is being combined with 329 class if taken on UWO campus effective Fall 2009
Principles of developing and managing collections; investigation of selection aids and reviewing tools with emphasis on national and trade bibliography; acquisition procedures; and the current state of the book trade. 321/521

ED LDRSP 325/525 Instructional Technology
A basic course in the selection and utilization of media and computers in the teaching-learning process. Media technology is studied as a means of enhancing and improving learning. Prerequisite: Admission I for PEP students. 325/525

ED LDRSP 329/529 Building Collections and Reference Services -- updated course effective Fall 2009
Study of basic resources in a general reference collection. Organization by type of material: encyclopedias, dictionaries, yearbooks, indexes in both print and electronic format. Theory, current trends, and future prospects of reference services. 329/529

ED LDRSP 334/534 Administration of the School Media Center
Techniques of administering the multi-media instructional materials center in elementary and secondary schools. Problems in planning facilities, equipment, personnel, budgets, services; investigation of current standards. Prerequisite: Educational Leadership 317/517 and 321/521. 334/534

Student Teaching
Students receiving initial teacher certification will take six credits of student teaching field experiences. This includes a combination of nine weeks in an elementary, middle, junior high or high school classroom, and nine weeks in a Library Media Center (LMC). Students teaching in an elementary classroom will be expected to complete their library media experience in a secondary LMC. Those student teaching in a secondary classroom will be expected to complete their library media experience in an elementary LMC.

ELEM ED 454 Student Teaching in Elementary Education
Observation, participation, and responsible teaching experiences in grade 1 through grade 6 under supervision. Prerequisite: Admission II.

ELEM ED 453 Student Teaching in Middle/Junior High School
Observation, participation, and responsible teaching experiences in middle/junior high school under supervision. Prerequisite: Admission II.

SEC ED 461 Student Teaching in Elementary & Secondary Education
For students seeking K-12 licensure. Supervised observation, participation and responsible teaching experiences. Prerequisite: Admission II.

Practicum
Students who are already certified teachers will complete a three-credit practicum experience. This includes one hundred hours at the secondary level, and one hundred hours at the elementary level. Students working in an LMC under an Emergency License may complete part of their required hours in the LMC in which they are teaching.

ED LDRSP 724 Practicum in Educ Leadership
The practicum course will deal with a broad range of problems and representative issues in school and classroom leadership. The primary purpose of the course is to provide educational leadership students with an opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts studies in the prerequisite courses to problems and issues identified in the school setting.

Courses for Instructional Library Media Specialist (902 Professional)

ED LDRSP 308/508 Multimedia Design & Production
Directed experiences including: utilizing digital still photography and manipulation of digital images; creating audio Podcasts; applying intermediate web design tools including frames and cascading style sheets; employing hypermedia authoring environments in educational settings; and/or other emerging technologies.

ED LDRSP 420/620 Learning and Leading in Cyberspace 
Integration of the Internet into classrooms to promote student learning is the focus of this course. Topics covered will include: electronic communication, the Internet, search engines and online searching, information literacy, legal and ethical issues, hardware and software requirements, web page design and evaluation, and development and delivery of instructional units which incorporate the Internet. Prerequisite: Educational Leadership 325/525 Instructional Technology, another technology class or consent of instructor. 420/620

ED LDRSP 705 Trends in Children's Literature
Recent developments in contemporary literature for children and young adults through wide reading of the literature and an investigation of reading interest studies. Listening and viewing media are also considered. Prerequisite: Educational Leadership 502 and/or 503.

ED LDRSP 714 Leadership for Curriculum Development
This course is designed to develop skills for leading staff in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the curriculum.

ED LDRSP 740 Supervision of School Media Centers & Systems
Study and discussion of techniques of supervision of school media systems on various jurisdictional levels, municipal, district, state. Current problems such as centralized acquisition, processing, in-service training, organization of elementary school centers. Prerequisite: 901 certification.

ED LDRSP 741 Computers in the Library & Media Center -- deleted effective Fall 2009
This course is an introduction to the use of the computer in the library and media center. During the course a variety of computers and media center related computer programs will be studied and evaluated. The course will also examine how database management, word processing, and spreadsheet programs can be utilized in the management of the media center.