There are SO many opinions on standards and how they fit into the library program. Every district and every school has different requirements for their librarians. The varying schedules from totally fixed to totally flexible and everything in between makes it nearly impossible for there to be a set standard to hold every librarian accountable.
That being said -- the AASL Standards do a pretty stand up job at providing guidelines for library programs. It seems that even in the schools where the librarians barely know the standards exist, the standards are being met. Competencies are incorporated because the standards are simply best practices. It is what a good librarian is already doing in their program, with what they have available to them. It certainly does provide a basis for expanding the library program and potentially getting more resources since that seems to be a limiting factor for most schools.
As a new librarian, I like the idea of having standards to build my program around. It gives me roots.
As a former classroom teacher, I love the idea of not being tied to the standards. It gives me wings.
I will do both - nestle my roots down deep and spread my wings.
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