The Dispositions of Exemplary School Librarians

How Professional Dispositions Relate to Student Learning in the 21st Century

Abstract

As former students ourselves, we know instinctively the qualities of exemplary educators even if we have difficulty naming these ourselves. A review of the extensive body of dispositional literature indicates that educators struggle with the concept of dispositions, what these entail, and their assessment; however, little has been written about the dispositions of school librarians. Interest in this topic has increased since the development of Dispositions in Action as an essential component of the American Library Association’s American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner published in 2007. The authors provide foundational information about dispositions and justification of their importance to student learning and present a self-assessment instrument which is the first step to understanding one’s dispositional strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, a theoretical framework for obtaining dispositions is presented.