Joining the Conversation: School Librarians As Facilitators of Learning (Feature ARTICLE‪)‬

In October of 2010 Joyce Valenza posted a very powerful manifesto for 21st-century school librarians. (1) It lists a variety of cutting-edge practices and principles to enhance learning and service to young adults. It begins with a question asked by another school librarian: "In the 21st century, what does a school librarian do?" It is a question that is being asked across library types. Public librarians are trying to come to terms with their role in tough economic times. Academic librarians are wrestling with the migration to an overwhelmingly digital collection. Medical librarians are trying to understand what it is to be embedded within medical teams. Throughout the field, people are asking, "What does a librarian do?"