Appendix A. Educator Questionnaire
Please complete the following information. Your participation is voluntary and respondent anonymity is guaranteed.
College Degrees:
____ BA/BS Area(s): ____________________________
____ MA/MS Area(s): ____________________________
____ PhD/EdD Area(s): ___________________________
____ Other Area(s): ______________________________
All areas of certification (e.g., endorsements): _________________________
Grade level taught during the 2006–7 school year: _____________________
Other grades taught: ___________________________________________
Total years of experience in current grade level assignment: ______________
Total years of experience teaching at current school: ___________________
Total years of experience as an educator: ___________________________
Describe any experiences (positive or negative) you’ve had with libraries in general, meaning any type of library, public, school, college?_______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
How did you first find about the reinstatement of the Teacher Librarian and School Library Program requirement into the 2007 Iowa Code?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
When did you find this out?
____ During the past few weeks ____ 1–3 months ago ____ 4–6 months ago ____ 6–12 months ago
Appendix B. Focus Group and Interview Questions
Teacher Focus Group and Interviews
- What thoughts come to mind when you think about libraries in general (any type)?
- What do you think the ideal school library program would be like?
- Tell me about your building’s school library program, either in the past or in the present. How has the program changed through the years you’ve taught here?
- In what ways does your school library fit your ideal description?
- Suppose that your school was hiring a certified school librarian as a teacher with teaching certification and the state endorsement as a teacher-librarian. What skills or abilities do you feel this person must have?
- What responsibilities do you feel this person should assume first, and next?
- How do you view the library program role in early literacy?
- How do you view the library program role in content learning, e.g., science, social studies, math, or information research skills?
- What would be your preference for the organization of library books? Would you prefer to see them in the library or in the office?
- How do you view the library program role in school improvement activities, e.g., in light of the discussions at your school about testing data?
- What, if anything, would keep you from using a school library?
Focus Group Topics Initiated By Teachers and Improvised Questions
- What expectations do you feel are realistic for a library staff member working for associate-level pay?
- Would you want to plan collaboratively and co-teach with a certified school librarian? If so, how?
- How do you feel about the Guided Reading program?
- How do you feel about the Reading Counts program?
- How do you feel about classroom libraries and school libraries?
- Do you feel the kids are tech-savvy?
- Supposing your district hired a certified school librarian and then the state legislature offered additional waivers. Is there something that the teacher-librarian could do while here that would seem convincing enough for that position to be sustained?
- Do you feel a part-time teacher-librarian could accomplish this?
Library Associate Interview
- What thoughts come to mind when you think about libraries in general (any type)?
- What do you think the ideal school library program would be like?
- How or where have you developed your perspective about what to expect in a school library program?
- Tell me about this building’s school library program, from your perspective as someone who has only been here nearly two months.
- In what ways does this school library fit the ideal school library program description?
- As you were interviewed and as you’ve started your work here, what specific skills or abilities do you feel have been emphasized by the administration? Principal? Superintendent? Teachers?
- What responsibilities do you feel have been emphasized?
- What do you feel are the most important skills or abilities for this position?
- What do you feel are the most important responsibilities in this position?
- What responsibilities do you feel are realistic and what responsibilities are the ideal?
- How have you come to these conclusions?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to guide students in their reading selections?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to teach students research skills?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to teach students technology skills?
- Do you feel the kids are tech-savvy?
- How do you view the library program role in early literacy?
- How do you view the library program role in content learning, e.g., science, social studies, math, or information research skills?
- In light of the grant-funded project you talked about, do you think that your school library played an adequate role in what you did, or could have it been improved?
- Would you want to plan collaboratively and co-teach with the teachers? If so, how?
- How do you view the library program role in school improvement activities e.g., in light of district discussions about testing data?
- From your knowledge of Guided Reading, where do you see the library fitting in?
- What do you feel are positives or negatives of programs like Reading Counts or Accelerated Reader?
Administrator Interviews
- What thoughts come to mind when you think about libraries in general (any type)?
- What do you think the ideal school library program would be like?
- How or where have you developed your perspective about what to expect in a school library program? Describe your libraries as a student, teacher, etc.
- In what ways does your school/district library fit the ideal school library program description?
- Tell me about your school library program here, past and present.
- What do you believe are the responsibilities of a certified teacher-librarian?
- What would be the primary responsibility of a certified teacher-librarian?
- What are the job responsibilities of your library associate?
- What would you say is the primary responsibility in the job?
- What responsibilities do you feel are realistic for a library associate and what responsibilities are the ideal?
- How have you come to these conclusions?
- What do feel your teachers want from a school library program?
- How do you expect teachers to make use of the school library program and the librarian?
- How do you communicate with teachers about expectations regarding the library?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to guide students in their reading selections?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to teach students research skills?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to teach students technology skills?
- Do you feel it is more the teacher’s or the librarian’s responsibility to assess students’ technology skills?
- Do you feel the kids in the district are tech-savvy?
- How do you view the library program role in early literacy?
- How do you view the library program role in content learning, e.g., science, social studies?
- How do you view the library program role in school improvement activities?
- What are your plans for future budgeting for library materials?
- During the state accreditation visit, did the school library program come up anywhere throughout the visit or in the report?
- What are your plans for meeting the reinstatement of the teacher-librarian and school library program requirement?
- How do you view the library program role with regard to the Guided Reading and Reading Counts programs?
Appendix C. Data Codes
Roles of the Teacher Librarian
AD—Program Administrator
CM—Information Specialist / Collection Management
P—Instructional Partner
T—Teacher
Program Administrator
ADVis Visioning (Library Program)
ADCom Communication (Public Relations)
ADBud Budgeting (Library Materials)
ADFac Facility (Access/Atmosphere)
ADTec Technology Equipment Management
ADImp School Improvement Support
Information Specialist
CMR Collection Management Resource Specialist
CMS Collection Management Selection
CMW Collection Management Weeding
CMO Collection Management Organization
CMC Collection Management Circulation and Shelving
CMA Collection Management Automation
CMT Collection Management Teacher Resources
Instructional Partner
PAR Partnering (Collaborative teaching)
Teacher
TEA Teaching (general)
TEC Teaching Technology
TRE Teaching Research
TRG Teaching Reading Guidance
TGR Teaching Guided Reading
TRC Teaching Reading Counts
TST Teaching Storytelling/Read Aloud
TLO Teaching Library Organization
TLE Teaching Library Exposure
TLB Teaching Library Behavior
TCO Teaching Content
TSE Teaching Source Evaluation
TIS Teacher In-service
TAS Teacher Assistant (helper, take class, specials)
TIQ Teaching Inquiry
Non-Role Codes
ZROL Professional Role Confusion
ZTIM Full/Part Time in Building
ZLEG Legislative Issues
ZENR Enrichment/ Supplemental Purpose
ZOBJ Testing/Objectification of Education
ZNEG Negative Feeling—Nonspecific
ZPUB Public Library Connection
ZDEM Democratic Ideal
ZPRI Priorities (District Budget)
ZCLL Classroom Libraries
ZBGR Background with Libraries
Interview and Focus Group Questions and Topics Codes
SLLib Libraries in General
SLVis School Library Vision
SLPro School Library Program (past/present)
SLPer School Library Personnel
SLExp School Library Expectations
SLCom School Library Communication
SLTec School Library Technology
SLLit School Library Literacy
SLCon School Library Content Learning
SLImp School Library School Improvement
SLBud School Library Budget
SLAcc School Library State Accreditation
SLLeg School Library Legislation
SLTim School Library Part/Full Time
SLOrg School Library Organization
SLBgr School Library Background experiences
Interpretation Codes
INV Invisibility of Professional Librarian Roles
IDE Identity Crisis of Teacher Librarian
BLA Blaming Others
DIS Disconnect Values from Own Actions
MIN Resulting Minimalization of Teacher Librarian Role
HYG Hegemony
