"I love being a librarian because
I love being a teacher." --Amy Grundmeyer, MA 2003
School Library Studies builds on
the UNI tradition of preparing excellent teachers. Our students become teacher-librarians
who use their acquired knowledge of children & young people, books & information
technologies, curriculum & the power of collaboration to enhance the learning
experiences of all students in their schools.
Teacher-librarians have a two-part curriculum so
that they can prepare K-12 students who read widely and communicate information critically
and thoughtfully. Our graduates are teacher-librarians who are leaders in educational
practice and who prepare their students to be informed members of a democratic society.
Completing the program The School Library Studies program is distance-friendly, yet retains a sense of identification with UNI and establishes for our students a network of colleagues throughout the state. All course requirements are offered as distance classes except for a couple of on campus classes that are offered summers and a few Saturday meetings in several courses. The first required class (350:114g) meets on campus three days; the remainder may be completed off campus. Approximately 18 hours of the program courses are offered on the Iowa Communications Network. Other courses are taught primarily over the Internet.
Those holding a bachelor's degree, but who are not currently certified teachers, may apply for a second BA in Teaching.
Our program prepares teacher librarians to meet the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners requirements for Teacher Librarians.Teacher Librarians must also hold a teaching license. Our master's degree meets the requirements for the K-12 teacher librarian endorsement.
Financial Assistance
A limited number of assistantships and scholarships are available. For information and application forms, please contact the Program Coordinator.
UNI African American Read-In
The 4th annual African American Read-In took place on February 22 on the UNI campus at the Rod Library. Jan Spivey, children’s book illustrator and author spoke with students from Black Hawk Elementary School and Walter Cunningham School of Excellence. Students also had the chance to participate in art and reading activities. Several UNI students and personnel participated in the events. It was partially sponsored by the UNI Multicultural Teaching Alliance in combination of celebrating Black History Month and promoting literacy education.
See the Hunger Games Outreach video from the event on the UNI campus
October 24, 2009!
Congratulations Scholarship Winners!
The Mary Lou Kirk Scholarship Award -- Cecilia LaFrance -- presented October 15, 2009 from the Des Moines TAU chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma and the University of Northern Iowa's School Library Studies Program Foundation account.
The ILA Foundation Scholarship -- Dixie Forcht -- presented October 22, 2009 at the Iowa Library Association Annual Conference.
Dr. Jean Donham, Associate Professor in School Library Studies
Dr. Jean Donham earned a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Iowa
and a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the
University of Maryland. Dr. Donham was a library media specialist and district-wide coordinator for library media and technology for the Iowa City Community School District. She has served as director of the library at
Wartburg College and previously at Cornell College. Dr. Donham was
formerly a tenured associate professor at the University of Iowa School
of Library & Information Science, having left in 2000. Dr. Donham is
co-editor of School Library Research Online, the research journal of the
American Association of School Librarians. Dr. Donham joined the
faculty in June 2009. She is married to Kelley Donham, Professor of
Public Health at the University of Iowa. They have two sons.
Dr. Karla Krueger, Assistant Professor in the School Library Studies Division is the program coordinator. She has created a template for an Iowa school library web site, "IowaTown", utilizing Iowa Pages, which has numerous content-filled pages of librarian-approved resources and links. Iowa teacher librarians may easily adapt this template for their own school's use.
Kelly Stern, Adunct Intructor in the School Library Studies Division was instrumental in obtaining thousands of books for area schools by participating in the Young Adults' Choices project, sponsored by the International Reading Association. See the full story.... "C.F. students get opportunity to shape future national book lists"
Kelly's research about children's books and games has been featured in the Teacher Librarian article "Play Me a Story: Games Based on Children's Books"
UNI School Library Studies Reference students create tutorial, "How to Use Facts for Learning" using the Adobe Captivate program as an introduction for elementary students to familiarize them with the Facts For Learning subscription database.
University of Northern Iowa African American Read In
On Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the College of Education, and Rod Library hosted 236 first, second, and third-graders from Cunningham Elementary School in Waterloo and Price Lab School in Cedar Falls for the 2009 National African American Read-In at the University of Northern Iowa. The African American Read-In is a special community outreach project of the Multicultural Teaching Alliance (MTA) student organization.
Watch one of our students' lessons presented in Curriculum Class. Kathy Bottaro's Lesson is designed to inform Kindergarten students what a teacher librarian does.
You will need Real Player to watch this video. Click here to install.
Here you can view online videos of lessons from teachers in Iowa and five other states, along with their lesson plans, that incorporate technology.
In 2006 the following law was reinstated by the Iowa legislature and signed by Governor Tom Vilsack: "Beginning July 1, 2006, each school district shall have a qualified teacher librarian who shall be licensed by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272...." (Iowa School Library Guidelines, 2007).
