School Library Systems Program
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Program Overview
This state-aided program creates and funds 40 School Library Systems (SLS) based in the Big 5 Cities and the
Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), which serve multiple districts in an area. Main functions of the program are outlined in Commissioner's Regulations 90.18 
.
Program Information
New York State's School Library Systems
Facts and figures for New York State's School Library Systems. Also available as a PDF brochure.
NYSL 101: For Library System Leaders
Links and resources for getting to know your State Library.
Fiscal Guidelines for School Library Systems (Revised November 2016)
General guidance for the financial management of State Aid by local agencies; links to applicable State laws, regulations, and directives.
Member Plan
Overview of School Library System Member Plan, per (CR) §90.18 (f) (4).
Plans of Service
General information, including dates, announcements, and instructions, for library system plans of service.
School Library System Coordinator/Director Appointment Procedures
Requirements, procedures, and helpful links.
Overview of Council and Communication Coordinator Responsibilities
Information on council representation and duties, as well as roles and responsibilities of communications coordinators.
CO-SER
Laws and Regulations
- Commissioner's Regulations:
- Education Law; Article 5 — University of the State of New York:
School Librarian Certification
All teacher certification in New York State has been updated and changed to meet new Part
80 Regulations of the Commissioner as of February 2004. Library Media Specialist (all grades) is the new, and
only, title for school library media specialists obtaining certificates after February 2004. The Office of Teaching
Initiatives issues certificates certifying that an individual has met degree, coursework, assessment, and experience
requirements. Certificates are issued in many titles preK-12 in three major categories: classroom teaching, administrative and supervisory, and school service (e.g., school counselor, psychologist, social worker). Library Media Specialist is in the classroom-teaching category.
Obtaining an Initial Certificate
Because individuals are educated throughout the country and enter teaching through various paths, there are two ways to obtain an Initial teaching certificate in NYS. Each method requires candidates to acquire the same level of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Both methods of obtaining a certificate require three assessments, including a LMS content test, and child abuse identification and school violence prevention and intervention workshops.
See School Librarian Certification Requirements; from the Office of Teaching Initiatives, State Education Department
Resources
Merger and Cross-Contracting Guidelines for School Library Systems
Guidelines for long-range planning by school library system coordinators/directors, school library system councils, system liaisons from member districts, school districts and BOCES administrators, District Superintendents, and Boards of Education.
School Library System Cooperative Collection Development Plan Fact Sheet
Helpful information for creating a CCD plan.
New York State Talking Book and Braille Library (NYSTBBL)
NYSTBBL lends audio and braille books and magazines to New Yorkers in counties outside of New York City and Long Island who have a visual, physical or reading disability. Services for New Yorkers living in the New York City and Long Island area are provided by the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library.
Critical Resources for School Librarians
- Empire State Information Fluency Continuum, Developed by the School Library Systems Association and the Section of School Librarians of the New York Library Association
- Endorsement Letter from State Librarian Moore
(.PDF, 310k) - Endorsement Letter from the New York Library Association (.PDF, 146k)
- Endorsement Letter from State Librarian Moore
- NCC Informational Brief: "Roles of the School Librarian: Empowering Student Learning and Success; September 2019" (.PDF, 390k)
- Executive Summary (.PDF, 204k)
- Executive Summary
- NYCC Informational Brief: "Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement; October 2011" (.PDF, 287k)
- Executive Summary (.PDF, 90k)
- Executive Summary
- NYSED School Library Program Rubric
- This rubric is intended to be a helpful self-assessment instrument to support the school library program. This rubric identifies six foundational values and 27 essential elements for quality school library programs. The School Library Program rubric is not required for use in schools, but is provided as a resource for schools, districts, or School Library Systems to use in developing, improving, and running strong school library programs.
- School Librarian Role in Pandemic Learning Conditions
- Developed by the American Association of School Librarians of the American Library Association, this guidance document correlates the five roles of the school librarian with three types of pandemic learning conditions--Face-to-face learning, blended learning, and distance learning.
- Translation of Practice for School Librarians (.PDF, 259k)
- This document developed by the N.Y.C. School Library System has great ideas on how to transition from in-school practices to online/remote practices and it aligns with the School Library Media Program Evaluation Rubric.
Program History
Established in 1984, the School Library Systems program provides a formalized network for public and nonpublic school library media centers across the State and provides for the development of a standardized automated catalog which enhances interlibrary loan of resources among the participating schools.
The systems also provide services to their members such as consulting, continuing education and professional development, cooperative collection development plans, services addressing special client needs, database searches of professional research and literature, and connections to other types of libraries and library systems across the State and beyond.
School Library Systems transact over 242,600 interlibrary loans each year. School library media center holdings exceed 47,800,000 copies of 15,242,000 titles. School Library Systems sponsor over 2,000 opportunities for professional development, attended by 31,000 participants each year.