School librarian's role shifting from storyteller to data expert

Every month, for two years straight, librarians came from schools across Seattle to see him.

He showed them gadgets, told them jokes, gave them a sense of community they rarely get. But ultimately, the dean of the University of Washington Information School had a serious message to send.

Nicole Winard, head librarian at Nathan Hale High School, heard it this way: "You better get on board with technology, because that's the way we're going."

With computers in most classrooms and encyclopedias online, a major shift is taking place in school libraries. A job once designed for mild-mannered book lovers has evolved into something more powerful: CIO, or chief information officer, of the school. And school districts across Puget Sound are officially recognizing the shift.

"The information needs in today's schools are dramatically bigger than they used to be," said Chip Kimball, assistant superintendent of information services in the Lake Washington School District. The CIO concept is part of a larger national movement to expand the librarian's role from a custodian of books to a more active partner in the push for higher student achievement. In the Puget Sound area, Mike Eisenberg, dean of the UW's Information School, is leading that effort, essentially writing a new job description for school librarians in several districts, including Seattle, Lake Washington and Shoreline.

"If you think about schools, they really are small businesses, and the lifeblood of any business is its information system," said Eisenberg, who describes the state as a leader in the school-library movement. Eisenberg narrows the new job of school librarian to three main areas: technology literacy, reading advocacy and CIO. What that means for librarians, in practical terms, is less reading of stories and more urging students to read them independently; fewer hours checking out overhead projectors and more time guiding students through online research; and not as much time executing orders as crafting a strategic vision for how the school manages, organizes and uses information resources.

"There have been some librarians who say, 'I'm not interested in that role; I got into this to get out of the limelight,' " said Eisenberg. "What we tell those people is to retire."

At Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School in Kirkland, librarian Sue Holmes said she moved beyond the role of storyteller several years ago. Now she does more strategic work, she said, finding ways to deliver resources of the digital age in a simple, safe way to children.

She works closely with teachers, suggesting online resources to complement their lessons on everything from African animals to lunar landings.

"When people say they can replace the librarian with parent help, they're missing the boat of what the librarian is doing," Holmes said. "It's more than just checking out a book."

Cara Solomon: 206-464-2024 or csolomon@seattletimes.com