Schools suffer librarian shortage

EDMOND August 29, 2007 10:53 am

— Oklahoma public schools are experiencing a shortage of certified media specialists. This has forced many schools to ask for exemptions from the State Board of Education, which requires media specialists to have a master’s degree in education and a media specialist certification.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education reviewed applications for exemptions from eight schools Thursday, requesting they be allowed to hire media specialists who were working toward certification.
Wendy Pratt, communications director for the Oklahoma State Board of Education, said all eight schools were granted exemptions, including Cheyenne Middle School in Edmond and Deer Creek High School.
“There’s a shortage of certified media directors,” said Debbie Bendick, principal of Cheyenne Middle School. “I can’t tell you how many people that called that were working on their master’s.”
The state board already has approved 15 media specialist exemptions for the 2007-08 school year. The board approved 36 exemptions for the 2006-07 school year.
Bendick said Cheyenne’s new media specialist, Jennifer Babb, is working toward her master’s degree at the University of Central Oklahoma. Bendick said Babb has been on staff at Cheyenne for seven years and is most qualified for the job because she is familiar with the school’s curriculum.
Bendick said Babb took classes during the summer and frequently called her.
“She was so excited about what she was learning,” she said.
Lenis DeRieux, personnel and communications director for Deer Creek Public Schools, said they applied for an exemption because they did not have any certified media specialists respond to the job posting.
“There are very few positions they allow you to ask for exemptions for,” DeRieux said of the state board.
Pratt said there is a shortage of certified media specialists because having a master’s degree is a requirement. She said many schools have been hiring certified teachers to fill the positions. The teachers have three years to earn a master’s degree, take media specialist classes and pass the certification test once the exemptions are approved.
Pratt said there about five universities in Oklahoma that have degree programs for media specialists.

Photos

DREW HARMON | The Edmond Sun Cheyenne Middle School media specialist Jennifer Babb leads a media center orientation for seventh-graders Tuesday afternoon. Babb, who was a geography teacher at Cheyenne for seven years, has 12 credit hours out of the 36 she needs for a master's degree in media information from the University of Central Oklahoma. Because of a shortage at the position, many Oklahoma schools are hiring media specialists who are still in the process of meeting degree requirements.

DREW HARMON | The Edmond Sun Seventh-graders Adam Stow, left, and Zach Franklin work on an information scavenger hunt in the media center at Cheyenne Middle School during an orientation session led by media specialist Jennifer Babb.