Student assistants and parent volunteers may also compose the cadre of workers. Different management skills are necessary to manage these two groups. Emphasizing the necessity of teaching staff and students to operate in an electronic milieu, she points out that guiding patrons to select the most appropriate source is a sizeable task requiring concentrated analysis. This analysis is not unlike that done by a classroom teacher in trying to determine which instructional methods will be appropriate for the different learning styles in a classroom. Fitting electronic resources into the patterns of information location and application is a task particularly suited to the training and skills of the librarian.
Teachers constitute a significant portion of the librarian s instructional time.
Staff development activities serve to showcase the library and the librarian as the person in the know to whom one may turn for suggestions and advice. When faculty members look to the librarian as the information expert, students learn to rely on that person for guidance in information matters, as well. Summary None of these roles precludes the traditional tasks of reading guidance, organization of resources, and selection of materials in multiple formats which were the foundation of library service long before information went electronic. Working in concert with classroom teachers and curriculum experts, librarians form a comprehensive team designed to enhance student academic achievement and critical thinking skills necessary for success in lifelong endeavors. Focus on potential and purpose.