IB Librarian

Mar 22 2025

IB Standards and Practices for Librarians in MYP and DP

By Heeru Bhojwani IB Librarian, Internation Schools, Librarian's Role No Comments

In an IB MYP and DP program, the librarian plays an integral role in fostering inquiry, supporting student research, and ensuring access to diverse resources. The librarian is not just a keeper of books but an educator who collaborates with teachers, engages with the community, and supports the academic integrity of the program.

To maximize their effectiveness, librarians must receive structured professional development, appropriate resources, and strategic support from the IB coordinator and leadership team. This document outlines the key IB standards and practices that align with the librarian’s role and provides an ideal scenario for best practices. See IB Ideal Libraries IB Program: Standards & Practices

1. Learning Environment: Student Support (0202)

Standard: Learning environments in IB World Schools support student success.

Practice 1.6 (0202-01-0600):
The school maintains a functioning and active library consisting of adequate combinations of people, places, collections, and services that aid and extend learning and teaching.
- Librarian’s Role: Ensure the library provides access to a wide range of print and digital resources, supports inquiry-based learning, and aligns with the IB’s philosophy.

2. Learning Environment: Teacher Support (0203)

Standard: Learning environments in IB World Schools support and empower teachers.

Practice 1.1 (0203-01-0100):
The school ensures all teachers access current and relevant IB content. And the librarian has access to the lesson plans to support the teachers with resources.
- Librarian’s Role: Curate and provide IB-aligned resources to support teachers and students.

3. Culture: Language and Multilingualism (0301-04)

Standard: The school implements, communicates, and regularly reviews a language policy that helps foster intercultural understanding.

Practice 4.3 (0301-04-0300):
The school identifies in its language policy various physical and virtual resources used to facilitate language development.
- Librarian’s Role: The librarian must learn and the coordinator must provide access to the Language Policy to provide multilingual resources, organize storytelling sessions in multiple languages, and create a diverse collection reflecting the community’s cultural backgrounds.

4. Approaches to Learning and Research Skills (0402-01)

Standard: Students actively develop thinking, research, communication, social, and self-management skills.

Practice 1.1 (0402-01-0100):
The school implements and reviews the development of the IB’s approaches to learning (AtL).
- Librarian’s Role: With the support from the co-ordinator, the Librarian can teach research skills, critical thinking, and academic integrity by guiding students in locating, evaluating, and using information effectively.

5. Approaches to Assessment: Academic Integrity (0402-04)

Standard: Students grow in their ability to make informed, reasoned, ethical judgments.

Practice 4.3 (0402-04-0300):
The school provides support and guidance for students on acknowledging the work of others, including guidance on citation and referencing.
- Librarian’s Role: The coordinator must ensure that the Librarian teach citation styles (MLA, APA) and ethical research practices.

6. Culture: Academic Integrity Policy (0301-03)

Standard: The school implements, communicates, and regularly reviews an academic integrity policy.

Practice 3.4 (0301-03-0400):
The school implements relevant support materials, resources, and structures related to the academic integrity policy.
- Librarian’s Role: The coordinator must share the academic integrity policy with the Librarian to continue to promote ethical research practices and guide students in proper citation and referencing.

7. Community and Parent Involvement (0202-05, 0301-01)

Standard: The school builds relationships with the wider community.

Practice 5.1 (0202-05-0100):
The school identifies and uses a variety of human, virtual, and physical resources in the wider community that aid and extend student learning.
Practice 5.2 (0202-05-0200):
The school provides meaningful opportunities for legal guardians to contribute to the development and support of its programme(s).
- Librarian’s Role: The Leadership team must collaborate to support and provide resources and opportunities to organize reading events, literacy workshops, and book fairs involving parents and community experts.

8. Professional Development for Librarians (0203-02, 0201-05, 0301-06)

Standard: Leadership ensures ongoing professional learning for staff.

Practice 2.1 (0203-02-0100):
The school complies with IB-mandated professional development requirements.
Practice 5.1 (0201-05-0100):
The school funds adequate resources to implement the programme(s) and meet programme requirements.
Practice 6.7 (0301-06-0700):
The pedagogical leadership team uses the school’s IB-mandated policies in decision-making and curriculum development.
- Librarian’s Role: Participate in IB workshops and receive ongoing training on Extended Essay (EE), Approaches to Learning (ATL), and academic integrity.
- Support from Leadership: The librarian should be actively facilitated, supported, and professionally recognized by the IB coordinator and leadership team to ensure they receive continuous professional development, participate in curriculum meetings, and contribute to program planning.

9. Organization and Management of the Library

Standard: The library is a well-organized and accessible learning space.

Practice 1.6 (0202-01-0600):
The school ensures that the library is effectively structured, with adequate resources and systems to support student learning.
- Librarian’s Role: Maintain a well-organized cataloging system to ensure easy accessibility to books and digital resources.
- Ensure the library’s physical layout is conducive to independent study, group collaboration, and inquiry-based learning.
- Regularly review and update the collection development policy to ensure materials are current, diverse, and aligned with IB principles.
- Use digital tools and library management systems to enhance accessibility and integration with student learning platforms.

10. Ensuring Language Diversity and Inclusion

Standard: The school promotes multilingualism and inclusive access.

Practice 4.3 (0301-04-0300):
The school identifies various resources to facilitate language development in its language policy.
- Librarian’s Role: Offer books and digital resources in multiple languages, support bilingual students, and facilitate cultural awareness programs.

To conclude

IB MYP and DP program librarians are central to fostering inquiry, research, and ethical academic practices. They serve as essential collaborators, ensuring students develop strong research and literacy skills while supporting teachers with IB-aligned resources.

To maintain a high-quality IB program, it is critical that school leadership and IB coordinators provide consistent professional development opportunities, recognize the librarian’s role in academic success, and include them in curriculum discussions. The librarian should also have access to a well-maintained library website or digital platform, allowing students and the community to access resources efficiently. By ensuring continuous collaboration between librarians, teachers, leadership, and the wider community, IB schools can create a dynamic, research-driven learning environment that aligns with IB’s mission and philosophy.

For building a library contact: schoollibraryconsultant@gmail.com or ceo@liferarian.com

~Assisted by ChatGpt4.0

Mar 09 2025

How to Implement a New IB School Library: Recommendations for PYP and more.

By Heeru Bhojwani IB Librarian, Librarian's Role, Teacher Librarian One Comment

Blurpeace, CC BY-SA 3.0

This post comes with another request from a librarian beginning his/her journey in the IB School.

I often get questions like:

Questions?

What do I need to purchase for the Library?

How is it different from other curriculums?

What cataloguing style and process should I start with?

Simply Said:

For the Primary Year Program, purchase picture books and fiction and nonfiction books that meet your readers’ needs, which means books for all reading levels.
Then, purchase books and resources that support the IB Learner Profiles, Units of Inquiry, Concepts and Transdisciplinary Skills.
Ensure you have an OPAC that supports your cataloguing and that your school community and parents can ensure they can access the resources that are available for all.
Your coordinator will ensure you are a part of the planning meeting (at least two meetings) with the teachers to support their literacy curriculum or the research and media literacy teaching and learning aspect of their curriculum. You may be invited to collaborate on other projects to support students’ learning.
Finally, the librarian will need to create a Library policy that aligns with the IB Curriculum and Action plans for 2-5 years, depending on the needs of the school.

Here is a list of expectations that are aligned with the IB Accreditation Standards

1. Aligning with IB Accreditation Standards (IB Standard 2.2, 2.3, 5.1, 5.2)

IB Standard 2.2: The school provides students with access to resources and services that support their learning and inquiry.
IB Standard 2.3: The school demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access to resources for all students.
IB Standard 5.1: The school fosters the development of IB teaching and learning through collaborative planning and resource sharing.
IB Standard 5.2: The school provides various resources to support teaching and learning aligned with the IB curriculum.

To align the IB standards, the librarians ensure the library supports students across all three curricula by providing a balanced collection of fiction, nonfiction, magazines, and digital resources. These resources must reflect international-mindedness by housing local and international titles. Establish a library policy that includes the academic integrity guidelines that you can include from your school’s policies. All resources must be available to all members of the school: teachers, students, and parents. Finally, to meet the above standards, there must be some evidence of collaboration of units in the PYP and MYP program where the librarian weaves within their library classes, either the UOI, Learner Profiles or supporting/reinforcing conceptual understanding of the UOI. And in collaboration or teaching of research and ethical use of information in the high school or the DP program. (And, it doesn’t have to be with all the units, as much as you can – because it is not humanly possible to collaborate with all grades from all grades, especially if you are the only librarian for the whole school or even a part of the part program)

2. Collection Development & Curation (IB Standard 2.2, 5.1, 5.2)

IB Standard 2.2: The school provides students with access to resources and services that support their learning and inquiry.
IB Standard 5.1: The school fosters the development of IB teaching and learning through collaborative planning and resource sharing.
IB Standard 5.2: The school provides various resources to support teaching and learning aligned with the IB curriculum.

The library collection must include a diverse collection of fiction topics that showcase different cultures and values. The collection must include all genders, values, and lifestyles, creating an open-minded approach to thinking. The collection must include global perspectives and different points of view for all 3 IB programs. Fiction and nonfiction books must align with the PYP Units of Inquiry, MYP Global contexts, and a variety of other books/resources that support the DP Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and other recreational reading. The online databases, eBooks and research tools like Jstor or Questia, Gale or EBSCO or the Librarian can curate several resources to support the IB curriculum

3. Information Literacy & Research Support & Inquiry-Based Learning (IB Standard 2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.2)

IB Standard 2.3: The school librarian demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access to learning for all students
IB Standard 4.1: Students develop research and information literacy skills that enhance their ability to engage with the curriculum.
IB Standard 4.2: The school librarian integrates ATL skills to support students in becoming self-regulated learners.
IB Standard 5.2: The school librarian provides various resources to support teaching and learning aligned with the IB curriculum.

Developing a research skills program that supports the three curricula aligned with the Approaches to Learning (ATL) Skills. Students must teach students and teachers to use citation tools and citation styles for students. Digital, media, information & AI literacy sessions by librarians must be embedded in the teaching process to support teachers and students.

Another important part of the implementation of the IB program is that the librarian must try and collaborate to embed library sessions into Units of Inquiry with support from the curriculum coordinators. Support subject-specific research resources (sciences, humanities, arts, etc.) by providing resources both in print and digital resources. Finally, the library spaces must support collaborative learning, quiet study, and discussion areas.

4. Physical & Digital Library Infrastructure (IB Standard 2.3, 5.1)

The library space or the Learning Commons must have a flexible design that includes reading zones, collaborative spaces, and digital workstations. Implementation of a user-friendly cataloguing system (e.g., Destiny, Follett, KOHA) for easy access to resources. Moving one step forward is to provide maker spaces and technology tools to support design thinking and creative projects. OR there is a close relationship between technology and Library spaces. Offer 24/7 access to digital resources through a well-maintained library portal.

This cannot be accomplished in a day, nor does the school or the IB Organization expect the School Library Team to implement all of the above. The school administration works in partnership with the curriculum coordinator and the school librarian to implement the above. The school usually has approximately 3 years to implement the above in stages and with positive intentionality of embedding the school’s IB teaching and learning practices.

~Assisted by ChatGpt4.0 & IB Program: Standards & Practices

Mar 05 2025

IB Assessor Questions for a MYP & DP Librarian

By Heeru Bhojwani IB Accreditation No Comments

The Librarian’s Role & the IB Accreditation Team

Librarians are often nervous about the accreditation team questioning how the school library supports the IB curriculum. The library is considered the centre of the teaching and learning of the IB curriculum.

A gentle reminder to the Librarian: it is a collaborative process with the school admin, coordinator and librarian, who work hard to meet the IB accreditation criteria. So, as librarians, you can reach out for support from your team; it is not your sole responsibility.

Here are some questions to consider and think about when preparing for the accreditation team.

As an IB Assessor, the following questions may be asked to librarians during an IB evaluation visit to assess alignment with IB Standards and Practices in an MYP or DP program:

1. Library Role and Support for Inquiry-Based Learning

How does the library support inquiry-based learning across the MYP and DP programs? (0202-01-0600)
Can you provide examples of how the library encourages independent research for students?
How do you collaborate with teachers to integrate Approaches to Learning (AtL) research skills in student projects? (0402-01-0100)

2. Collection Development and Access to Resources

How do you ensure that the library collection supports the IB curriculum, including core components like the Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK)? (0202-01-0600)
How does the library provide multilingual resources to support students’ language development and the school’s language policy? (0301-04-0300)
What steps do you take to ensure digital access to research databases and e-books for students and teachers?

3. Academic Integrity and Research Skills

How do you teach students about academic integrity, citation, and avoiding plagiarism? (0402-04-0300, 0301-03-0400)
How does the library support students in developing research skills for the Extended Essay and Internal Assessments (IA)?
How is the school’s academic integrity policy communicated to students, and what role does the library play in it?

4. Collaboration with Teachers and Leadership

How do you collaborate with subject teachers to support research projects, inquiry-based learning, and the IB curriculum? (0203-01-0100)
How do you contribute to curriculum planning discussions and ensure library resources align with MYP and DP learning goals?
What support do you receive from school leadership regarding professional development and resource allocation? (0203-02-0100, 0201-05-0100)

5. Community and Parent Engagement

How does the library engage parents and the wider school community in fostering a culture of reading and research? (0202-05-0200, 0301-01-0200)
Can you provide examples of workshops, literacy events, or collaborations with parents and local organizations?
How does the library support students who speak multiple languages or require additional learning support?

6. Professional Development and Continuous Learning

What IB training and professional development have you participated in? (0203-02-0100)
How do you stay updated with best practices in school librarianship and IB-specific research methods?
How does leadership facilitate your ongoing professional learning and growth?

7. Digital Resources and School Library Website

- Does the school have a library website or digital platform where students and teachers can access research databases, citation guides, and book catalogs? (0202-01-0600)

How is the library’s cataloging system structured to ensure easy accessibility to books and digital resources for students and teachers?

Can you provide examples of how the library organisation supports inquiry-based learning and independent research?“ (Aligned with Practice 1.6, 0202-01-0600)

How does the library use technology to enhance student access to academic resources?
What initiatives have you introduced to promote digital literacy and responsible research practices?

8. Documentation and Evidence of Impact

Can you provide examples of library policies, research lesson plans, or collaboration records that demonstrate your role in student learning? (0301-06-0700)
How do you track and document student engagement with library resources and research skills development?
Can you show evidence of how the library supports interdisciplinary learning and IB’s global contexts?

~ IB Program: Standards & Practices

Mar 01 2025

Tips for a New IB Librarian

By Heeru Bhojwani IB Librarian, Librarian's Role 2 Comments

Image Credit: viktortalashuk

Recently, I have had a few Librarians reach out to me asking how they might learn about the IB Curriculum and what a librarian’s role might look like in this curriculum.
Having worked in an international school for decades, I recommend these few tips. Please consider this my opinion. Please know you will need to unpack and understand many educational, academic vocabulary words when learning about the IB program. The IB curriculum focuses on process, collaboration, student agency, international mindedness, transdisciplinary themes, program of inquiry and much more. Understanding these concepts comes in slowly as you begin to grasp the curriculum and the methodology or process of teaching & learning. Here is the IB Ideal Libraries document for an overview.

Tips for a New Librarian

1. Understand the IB Framework

Familiarize yourself with IB standards, practices, and terminology. If you are not working in an IB school, it is important to connect with the Liferarian Members or IB school Librarians and practically unpack the terminology of the Themes in the PYP, the Transdisciplinary Approach in the MYP and the Research Aspects of the Diploma program from a Librarian’s point of view.

3. Audit & Learn the Current Library Collection

As practising librarians, it is our role to assess available resources, identify gaps aligned with the IB curriculum, and identify new resources that will match the new descriptors of the IB themes in the primary year program. Print materials like books and magazines are heavily used in the elementary or primary section compared to the middle and high schools. Identifying fiction/nonfiction books and digital resources for middle and high school students is important as you continue to keep the school library current and add books to meet the various needs of the students and the curriculum.

4. Ensuring a Robust Budget

Identifying your needs and providing reasons for requesting a budget, as well as always learning and justifying your budget by purchasing resources that are available to all members of the community, is an important part of the role. Resources that match and support critical thinking, global awareness and a deeper understanding between human and natural worlds and the society/economic structures of the world.

5. Building Strong Relationships Slowly and Steadily

Connecting with teachers, students, and IB coordinators to integrate library services is essential to the IB curriculum. This can be challenging, but slowly approaching one teacher and student at a time will help. However, as a Librarian, you will need to be proactive and ask, share, request, learn and grow; you cannot wait for people to upskill you. Librarians can take an active part in the curriculum by supervising Service, Personal projects and being a part of the Extended Essay, which is an independent research paper. Primary school librarians are involved in the Grade 5 Exhibition Unit, which is an inquiry-based research project. These opportunities help librarians connect with students and teachers.

6. Develop Information Literacy Programs

Plan sessions on research skills, digital literacy, and citation practices while understanding the IB’s policy on Academic Integrity. If you are not aware, scour the net and learn from credible websites, how might you teach the above and match it to your library curriculum or embed them in the units of inquiry for the PYP or in the social studies/sciences in the Middle school and supporting the research components in the High School.

7. Curate a Diverse Collection

Ensure materials support global perspectives, multilingualism, and IB themes. Books and resources that cater to all sections of society and all subject areas, from Psychology to Ecology to Media and even Economics and Entrepreneurship.

8. Leverage Technology

Use library management systems and digital databases effectively. Learn what other academic resources can be used to support student learning. If the school cannot budget immediately, then curating a list of open education resources in the form of videos, academic papers, eBooks, and more can be helpful.

9. Promote the Library

Organize book clubs, author visits, community books or literary magazines for writers and poets, empower students to participate in book awards that highlight students’ voice and power, like the National Jarul Book Awards, and support IB-aligned reading challenges. Book displays, and book talks can support and promote reading.

10. Stay Updated

Engage in IB librarian networks and professional development opportunities through online learning communities like the Liferarian Association and other platforms that are open to learning collaboratively.

If you are looking to learn more, contact