Skip to main content
Heeru Bhojwani
Category

Internation Schools

Mar 22 2025

IB Standards and Practices for Librarians in MYP and DP

By 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

Dec 18 2018

Guided Reading Program- Raz Plus

By Digital Resources, General, Internation Schools, Literacy, Reading and Writing, Reading Program, Writing Program No Comments

Recently, I read in the local newspaper in Mumbai, that the latest key education trends to watch out for in 2019 are:

  1. The growth of integrated learning solutions: that is integrating technology with teaching content
  2. Adoption of formative assessment solutions: we know that the assessment of rote learning is not going to help our present generation of students
  3. Learning through regional languages: using bilingual mode of teaching and learning
  4. Increased demand for professional development for all educators: having a growth mindset and learning the craft of teaching and learning with new and updated teaching-learning strategies the and pedagogy.

Recently, I learned that many International schools are looking at adopting reading and writing programs and are moving away from the textbook. Some are adopting a dual program – text book + a reading program. This in my perspective, is a great opportunity for teachers to build on their craft of teaching English.

Learning A-Z is a great resource, well known in the International circuit and is used in over 140 countries, thus validating and supporting accreditation in schools. The research and awards received by the program, shows that the content is vetted both qualitatively and quantitatively  leveraging good reading and writing practices, thus moving away from ROTE LEARNING to develop DEEP LITERACY SKILLS  for critical thinking.

In my opinion, Learning A-Z  supports all of the above. It teaches teachers how to teach reading and writing involving skills and  strategies of the 21st century like analyzing character, analyzing plots, analyzing settings, understanding author’s purpose of entertainment, information, and persuasion, cause & effect, identifying points of view, making inferences and drawing conferences, problem solution, understanding different genres, sequence of events and more. All resources books are available in a blended format – both print and digital.

This program offers students direct and explicit instruction on key comprehension skills with the Comprehension Skill Packs. Each lesson plan follows the teaching, practice, and apply an instructional approach to support students as they build meaning from texts.  It includes guided reading books (leveled), worksheets, professional development lesson plans, visual devices, graphic organizers and all the necessary documents for teaching – thus saving lots of google search time.

A blended program that offers the students an opportunity to read at their reading level, complete a quiz on their device. The results of the quiz can help teachers identify areas of teaching and support student learning.

The Writing A-Z  delivers online writing lessons, resources, and tools to meet the needs of every student, at every learning level for Elementary and Middle School Years.

  • Lessons and resources to teach writing
  • Interactive online writing tools for students
  • Online reporting to track progress and growth

You can get your free trial here for 14 days and also download their samples and check them out. I am sure this program will benefit your students and enhance your teaching practice.