Strengths and Opportunities: School Librarians Serving Students with Special Needs in Central New York State

The programs and services offered at school libraries will be accessed by K–12 students with a range of physical and cognitive abilities. School librarians must be equipped to address the information-seeking needs of all patrons, including those with special needs. An electronic survey was conducted to collect data from school librarians working in central New York State school districts; the purpose of the survey was to identify the strengths this group of school library professionals brought to the task of providing services to students with special needs. This paper shares the answers to five research questions and presents opportunities for improvement. Study results indicate that the respondents showed strength in several of the examined areas. Results also reveal practices that school librarians might implement to increase and improve library services for students with special needs. Introduction The once-popular depiction of school librarians as stern, student-shushing, book-shelving, paraprofessionals has been replaced with a more appropriate understanding of school librarians’ role in the school community. School librarians are certified information specialists who are also trained educators with the ability to reach every student in the school environment (Franklin 2011). At one time, school librarians operated separately from classroom teachers and were generally called upon only to relieve classroom teachers of instructional duties during break time (Franklin 2011). The expectation today is that school librarians will seek opportunities for instructional delivery by collaborating with general and special educators to meet all students’ needs (Dow 2010; Franklin 2011; Zmuda and Harada 2008). Study Purpose and Research Questions During the 2007–2008 school year (the most recent year for which statistics are available), approximately 6.6 million students in America’s public schools had some type of disability (IES Volume 15 | ISSN: 2165-1019 2009a). Because of the large number of students with special needs, 1 school librarians must have an understanding of their unique education and information needs and be prepared to meet these needs through the library program (Allen and Hughes-Hassell 2010). This study was conducted to collect data from school library practitioners in school districts in central New York State 2 . The inquiry is a pilot test that replicates a Master’s thesis study conducted by Kendra Allen (2008) and was intended to gather data that will guide the design of a broader national study. Study results highlight the participants’ current strengths and show areas where reported challenges present opportunities for success regarding school librarians’ interactions with students with special needs. Analyzed data can serve as a useful first step in discussing how school librarians might position themselves to meet the needs of all 21st-century learners, regardless of their cognitive or physical abilities. Five questions were explored via the study: 1. How do school librarians rate their knowledge level of best practices for serving students with special needs? 2. What resources do school librarians use to become informed about best practices for serving students with special needs? 3. How do school librarians rate their knowledge level of the students with special needs enrolled at their schools? 4. What types of services and accommodations do school librarians offer to students with special needs? 5. What level of collaboration do school librarians have with special education teachers? Literature Review The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was implemented to ensure that students with special needs would have opportunities to receive free, appropriate educations equivalent to those of their peers without physical disabilities, health impairments, or cognitive challenges (U.S. Dept. of Ed. n.d.). IDEA’s tenets do not apply only to the traditional classroom; they must also be present in all areas of the school environment, including the school library. Numerous studies have concluded that students who attend schools with certified school librarians have higher achievement levels (as measured through standardized tests) than their counterparts who do not. (Examples include Lance 2002; Small, Snyder, and Parker 2009.) Concern about K–12 school library services for students with special needs is not a new topic. An edited book published almost three decades ago (Macon 1982) included contributions from seven researchers about subjects as varied as ―characteristics of the handicapped‖ and ―selecting materials for the mainstreamed library. ‖ While much of the terminology in the book is outdated, the core purpose remains relevant: School libraries and librarians must play an active role in educating students with special needs. Recent literature related to the school librarian’s role in special education presents sound practical perspectives. Allen, for example, examined ―the relationship between school library media programs and special education programs [in North Carolina] in the context of meeting 1 The term “students with special needs” refers to Pre-K–12 students who are eligible for special education services as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ). 2 The state of New York has the third-largest population of K–12 students with disabilities enrolled in public schools in the U.S. (IES 2009b). Volume 15 | ISSN: 2165-1019 the unique needs of students with disabilities‖ (Allen 2008). Alana M. Zambone and Jami L. Jones (2010) provided an outline of the various types of learning challenges that might be present in a school environment. Colleen Brind’Amour’s (2010) survey of school librarians and special educators in Western New York State exposed gaps in perception about the level and quality of library experiences for students with special needs. In 2011 I shared perspectives from pre-service school librarians; these perspectives could be useful for shaping LIS curriculum in the area of preparing future practitioners for serving individuals with disabilities in K–12 environments (Franklin 2011). The United States is not the only country where the relationship between school librarianship and special education has been examined. For example, in 1999 Janet Murray considered the effectiveness of training made available to Australian school librarians to prepare them to serve students with special needs. Vida Jouzatis (2004) contemplated best practices in Canadian school libraries for serving students with specific learning disabilities. Abdullah Abrizah and Ruslina Ahmad (2010) examined barriers to service provision to ―special education needs‖ students enrolled in schools in Malaysia. Many opportunities for additional research around the topic of library services for students with special needs exist, as is illustrated in the results of the third phase of a study conducted by a team of researchers who examined school librarians’ impact on public school students throughout the state of New York. The researchers found that respondents reported lower knowledge levels about serving students with special needs than any other topic about which school librarians were asked (Small, Shanahan, and Stasak 2010). The study results were important for measuring the New York librarians’ perception of their ability to serve students with disabilities. New research efforts and subsequent reports must facilitate dialogue about the various methods school librarians use to effectively teach students with special needs how to seek, manage, and use information. This study contributes to such literature.