Ms Chen, Librarian | stratfordstemlibrary

Librarian email Ms Diane R. Chen

Ms Diane R. Chen is the librarian at Stratford STEM Magnet. She earned a Master of Arts Degree in Library Information Science from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Modern Languages-Chinese from Buena Vista University. She has taught in Taiwan, Germany, and in four U.S. states for 30 years. She is a native of Washta, Iowa. Ms Chen enjoys traveling, learning new languages (Chinese, German, Spanish, and sign language), playing with her dog Benji, and spending time with her four grown sons and six grandchildren. Her favorite types of books are thrillers, mysteries, paranormal, and crafting.

So what is a librarian and what does one do?

To be a school librarian, one must have a master's degree, preferably in a library related field because these educators influence every student's academic progress & assist teachers with planning rigorous, interesting content so that all students are future-ready! In this role, your librarians:

plan and implement programs to highlight new books and books of interest in order to encourage enthusiastic readers
plan & host events like Maker Days, the Bookfair, Battle of the Books, Hour of Code, and more!
select and purchase materials including books, online resources, technology, and assorted media for teachers and students that enable them to be skillful researchers and critical thinkers
manage the online information system for our library collection
manage the Library website
create tutorials, podcasts, screencasts, blackboard pages, and other resources for personal, blended, online instruction
manage schoology.com and provide professional training for faculty
attend school-based and district meetings
hold staff trainings, one-on-one lessons, and small group help sessions for colleagues
individually collaborate with teachers, district librarians, and administration in an effort to support classroom instruction, enabling all patrons to be informed and ethical users of information
publish a newsletter, tweets, and keep up social media pages in an effort to stay in touch with the school community
oversee the media center budget
determine policies and procedures which help to maintain a welcoming, organized, and useful physical space for the school community
train and supervise library aides and manage volunteers who contribute to the successful operation of this facility
co-teach classes on academic content revolving around information and digital literacy skills.
set up and tear down for special events.
process inventory (assigning barcodes and spine labels)
repair books
fix protective covers on new books
facilitate back-end management of our library system (inputing student pictures, changing erroneous book information, investigating computer issues as they arise, etc...)
sort through donated titles in order to determine appropriateness for our library
maintain organizational systems in storage areas
trouble-shoot and maintain electronics
maintain machines: lamination, copier, etc....
complete grant research
assist in the supervision of students
reorganize our collection when necessary
keep up the main library displays
maintain visuals and decor associated with programming (like creating signage for the library)
investigate products or services that are under consideration for purchase and report their findings
make phone calls on behalf of the library when necessary
maintain lab schedules for class visitations
research and write
process the school ID card photos

Stratford STEM Magnet School Library

Librarian email Ms Diane R. Chen

So what is a librarian and what does one do?

To be a school librarian, one must have a master's degree, preferably in a library related field because these educators influence every student's academic progress & assist teachers with planning rigorous, interesting content so that all students are future-ready! In this role, your librarians:

plan and implement programs to highlight new books and books of interest in order to encourage enthusiastic readers

plan & host events like Maker Days, the Bookfair, Battle of the Books, Hour of Code, and more!

select and purchase materials including books, online resources, technology, and assorted media for teachers and students that enable them to be skillful researchers and critical thinkers

manage the online information system for our library collection

manage the Library website

create tutorials, podcasts, screencasts, blackboard pages, and other resources for personal, blended, online instruction

manage schoology.com and provide professional training for faculty

attend school-based and district meetings

hold staff trainings, one-on-one lessons, and small group help sessions for colleagues

individually collaborate with teachers, district librarians, and administration in an effort to support classroom instruction, enabling all patrons to be informed and ethical users of information

publish a newsletter, tweets, and keep up social media pages in an effort to stay in touch with the school community

oversee the media center budget

determine policies and procedures which help to maintain a welcoming, organized, and useful physical space for the school community

train and supervise library aides and manage volunteers who contribute to the successful operation of this facility

co-teach classes on academic content revolving around information and digital literacy skills.