Technology initiatives, curriculum mandates, instructional frameworks, new programs, new platforms, new expectations, and professional development. Every year — and sometimes every month — something else is added to teachers’ plates. The result can be fragmentation, burnout, and a lack of focus.
But what if the way forward isn’t to add more, but to use existing resources more strategically?
One often underutilized resource is already in the building: the certified school librarian. As an instructional partner, information literacy expert, technology integrator, and professional development leader, the librarian can help streamline efforts, reduce duplication, and build more focused, sustainable learning environments.
The initiative overload crisis
Schools face a “too much” problem. Technology initiatives are often layered onto curriculum mandates, programs, platforms, and competing priorities, often without sufficient time to implement or evaluate them. Teachers are left trying to determine what deserves their attention and how all the pieces fit together.
Rather than adding another person, program, or initiative, administrators can begin by asking: “How can I better use the expertise of the educators I already have?”
Reconceptualizing the school librarian role
What if the solution is already in the building?
Certified school librarians are often overlooked and underutilized. Far from simply managing the library, today’s school librarians are highly trained educators who typically bring classroom teaching experience, graduate-level preparation, and specialized certification to their positions.
They are instructional partners, information literacy experts, technology integrators, and curriculum support leaders. In many ways, school librarians embody the TPACK model (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006)) working at the intersection of content, pedagogy, and technology.
For administrators seeking to reduce teacher workload while strengthening instruction, fully utilizing the school librarian is an important and sometimes missed opportunity.
The instructional partnership advantage
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) (AASL, 2020) emphasized the librarian’s role as an instructional leader and collaborator. Librarians can partner with teachers to develop learning experiences that strengthen information literacy, research skills, and critical thinking.
They can also help teachers determine when technology or another resource meaningfully supports a learning goal. Teachers need someone who can help them determine which resources are worth their time.
Collaborative planning brings another perspective to the table. A librarian may identify a resource particularly suited to a topic, suggest a different way for students to demonstrate learning, or help transform an assignment into an inquiry experience. The goal is not simply to add something to a lesson, but to help teachers and students focus on what matters most.
Inquiry is especially important. Librarians regularly ask questions such as “How can we dig deeper?” and “What if we looked at this another way?” They help students develop curiosity, confidence, and skills to continue seeking answers when solutions are not immediately apparent.
Information literacy as strategic focus
Students are surrounded by information, but access to information does not mean they know how to evaluate or use it. School librarians teach students how to locate information, evaluate sources, recognize credibility, ask questions, and use information responsibly.
The AASL Standards emphasize critical thinking, evaluation, and responsible use of information (AASL, 2025). These skills should not exist only within isolated “library lessons.” They should develop progressively across subjects and grade levels.
School librarians can help teachers build on what students already know rather than having them start over each year with the same basic research skills. Developing a cohesive approach to information literacy prepares students not simply to complete assignments, but to make informed decisions throughout their lives.
Technology integrator
School librarians can help schools get more value from technology they already own.
Rather than adopting another platform, librarians can identify existing tools that align with instructional goals and help teachers use them effectively.
More importantly, they can help move students beyond “digital worksheets.” Technology offers greater value when students use it to investigate questions, collaborate, create, and demonstrate understanding through products such as digital stories, interactive timelines, and multimedia research projects.
Artificial intelligence (AI) adds yet another layer to this work. School librarians can support teachers in exploring AI for tasks such as lesson planning, resource development, and instructional preparation while also helping educators consider accuracy, ethics, privacy, attribution, and appropriate use.
Likewise, students need opportunities to develop AI literacy. The question for schools is increasingly not simply whether students will use AI, but whether they will learn to use it thoughtfully, critically, and ethically. As information specialists, school librarians are well positioned to collaborate with teachers on this work.
Professional development instructor
School librarians can also serve as in-house professional development leaders. Because they understand the school’s curriculum, technology, resources, teachers, and students, they can provide customized, just-in-time support (Lance & Kachel, 2018).
Unlike one-time professional development sessions, librarian-led support can continue after the initial training. Teachers have someone nearby who can answer questions, troubleshoot problems, model strategies, and collaborate on implementation. That ongoing relationship can turn professional development from a one-time event into sustained professional learning.
Doing more with what we already have
Schools are continually being asked to accomplish more with limited resources. One answer may not be another initiative, platform, or program. It may be making better use of the expertise already available.
Research repeatedly connects strong school library programs and collaborative librarians’ roles with positive outcomes for students. Lance and Kachel (2018) describe high-quality school library programs as “powerful boosters of student achievement” (para. 24) that can also contribute to closing achievement gaps.
Because school librarians work at the intersection of instruction, information, technology, and collaboration, they are uniquely positioned to support teachers and administrators while strengthening student learning.
The power of less does not mean asking schools to accomplish less. It means being more intentional about where we invest our time, attention, and resources. Before adding the next initiative, school leaders might first ask a simpler question: What expertise do we already have in this building that we have not yet fully utilized?
For many schools, that answer is standing in the library: the school librarian.
References
American Association of School Librarians. (2020). The instructional role of the school librarian: Position statement. American Library Association.
American Association of School Librarians. (2025). National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and school libraries (2nd ed.). ALA Editions.
Lance, K.C. & Kachel, D. (2018, March 26). Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell us. Phi Delta Kappan 99(7), 15-20. https://kappanonline.org/lance-kachel-school-librarians-matter-years-research/
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054.
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