School library media specialists who provide in-service training for teachers

By taking a leadership role in the development and implementation of in-service training for teachers, school library media specialists increase their influence, strengthen their school library media programs, and in turn help increase student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how school library media specialists perceived the role of designing and implementing in-service training for teachers in an effort to determine why some school library media specialists did in fact practice this important role. Research was conducted to determine the characteristics of school library media specialists who provided in-service training opportunities for teachers. A link to an online survey was distributed via e-mail to graduates of Rowan University\u27s School and Public Librarianship Program and through a posting on the Educational Media Association of New Jersey (EMAnj) listserv. A total of 75 completed surveys provided the results. The survey results indicated that 59% of the school library media specialists perceived the provision of in-service training for teachers greatly improved or improved student instructional outcomes and/or teaching outcomes; however, 60% of the school library media specialists indicated that their school or district did not provide financial incentive for the provision of in-service training