It’s been a couple of years since I wrote a new article in this School Librarian Job Interview series, but it’s job interview season right now. I myself have an interview on Tuesday for an ELA High School position, so I thought I’d share some of the questions I have seen asked in school librarian interviews.
I have LOADS of experience on both sides of the librarian job interview table. I’ve worked as a librarian at five different schools in two countries, and each one of those came with one or more interviews. I also completed interviews for two other library positions that I did not get.
On top of that, I have interviewed candidates for two librarians to replace me in my position, plus positions for two library interns and three library aides.
This post will cover library interview questions for my main experience: school librarian positions in Texas. These will apply to both elementary and middle school positions since I have experience with both.
Many of these questions will also apply for international school librarians, but I will write up more international questions in a separate post.
Most interviews will begin with a warm-up question, which will be some variation of “Tell us about yourself.”
For this question, you need to be thorough and concise. You can mention family (spouse, children) if you choose, but just mention them briefly as the interviewers are more interested in your passions, your credentials, and how you will be a great fit for this school.
Try to emphasize that last one with every question you answer – How are you a great fit for this school? Why did this school appeal to you? Be sure to show your passion for libraries and student reading at this school, and also be sure to mention your credentials one time so there is no question you are qualified.
If your resume is short, you will need to hone in on your passion, your creativity, your ideas, your ability to collaborate with teachers…whatever it is you will bring to this school.
If you worked outside teaching, what skills are you bringing from your previous jobs?
If you are teacher-certified, have classroom teaching experience, or have worked as a substitute teacher, you should definitely mention that. Many schools prefer experienced teachers for their librarians, and in some states (like Texas), it is required by law.
Think about this before your interview. It’s awesome if you live in the district, or if you or your children attended this school. But even with proximity, this is your chance to compliment the school or the district.
Research information about the school before your interview. If you know someone who works there, what do they like and dislike?
Post questions about the district or school to teacher Facebook pages for your area. If you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, I love the DFW Teacher’s Lounge page and am seeing a lot of people ask general questions about working in certain districts or schools right now. If you are not in the DFW area, do a Facebook search for teacher pages in your town or city.
At a minimum, you’ll want to spend some time on the school’s website and Facebook page, which most schools will have these days.
Things you might compliment a school on, even if you don’t live in the district or know the area well…
Other things to notice while you are on the website:
Did you love the library as a student? Do you love a busy library vibe that is never the same day twice? Being surrounded by readers and potential readers? What is it that draws you to working in the library?
Something to avoid: Do not say anything about wanting to be out of the classroom or that library is less stress. I promise you, the library is NOT less stress than a classroom. It’s different stress. Believing or saying otherwise just makes you sound ignorant and unrealistic to the interviewer, especially if a librarian is on your interview panel. The library is not an escape from the classroom; it is a crucial enhancement to all classrooms.
This one is also often asked of teachers. Before your interview, brainstorm what your library looks like. Is it busy? Is it quiet? What are students and teachers doing? How do you have it decorated?
Buzzwords to use here: collaboration (students and teachers), technology, reading, busy, customer service, problem-solving, adaptability, flexibility, leadership, community, lessons, centers.
Take time to re-read the ALA Intellectual Freedom Principles and the Library Bill of Rights. Pick two or three concepts you feel strongly about and talk about them. This will also give you an idea of how the school’s philosophy of the library lines up with your own.
For example, if you strongly believe the library should challenge censorship attempts, then you need to be at a school that supports that.
If you believe in curating a diverse library with many different perspectives, then you may not be happy at a school that pushes to keep LGBT+ books out of the library. Unless of course, you want to fight these battles. If that’s you, please carry on! We need people who want to fight.
To read: Daniel Pennac’s Reader’s Bill of Rights. This has lots of ideas for supporting readers and struggling readers.
Talk about how you plan to plan with teachers. Collaborative planning time can be difficult to schedule, especially if you are on the elementary Specials rotation (Art-Music-PE-Library). Department meetings and PLCS are a great time to listen and support the teachers. You don’t even have to say anything in the meetings; ask if you can attend, then just listen and take notes on how you can help support the teachers in the library.
Review your state’s curriculum for the grade levels you are interviewing for. Look for big ideas, not specific concepts. For example, “genre” is a large part of the ELA curriculum (TEKS) for Texas public schools and in Common Core. Genrefying the library and genre booktalks and displays will help students learn and use genres as a regular part of using the library.
Also scan your state curriculum for phrases about student choice in reading. This includes phrases like “selecting their own books” and “reading for pleasure.” The TEKS (Texas) specifically mention “self-select texts and read independently for a sustained period of time.” Common Core implies choice as part of reading in several of the standards, especially in the last section of each grade level for Reading: Literature.
For this question, think about a disruptive student you might have had in the past. Or a student who didn’t like to read and how you got them to love reading. Or maybe a parent who was upset about paying for a damaged library book.
Highlight your ability to compromise, to help a struggling reader, to work with a difficult student or teacher. The situation matters less than the fact that you handled it professionally and came to a resolution.
If you want this job and it is a good fit for you, there is only one answer to this question.
“I will follow whatever written procedures the school or district has for challenged books.”
If you already found the district’s Selection and Reconsideration Policy online, you can mention that here also.
You can extend that answer a bit, but the bottom line is that you are bound to uphold the district’s written policy. That’s exactly what the school administrators want to hear you say in the interview.
Last, a few things that you need to be careful about in a school librarian interview. These are from my own experience and have been reasons I have chosen one candidate over another equally-qualified candidate.
I personally never worried so much about years of experience. Some interviewers do, but for me, everyone starts somewhere. New librarians bring a lot of passion and are recently-familiar with new technology and library best practices.
Here’s my last bit of advice to keep in mind:
1. Be careful about talking too much about how much you love reading.
You can mention it, but you should talk more about how much you love working with children, teachers, in a school environment. You should talk about how your passion for reading has inspired others to become readers.
2. If you have them, bring photos or, even better, a visual portfolio. I have a portfolio in a binder that I swear has made me stand out over other candidates. Teachers, librarians, and administrators (who are usually also certified teachers) are creative people. We love visuals! A portfolio also shows you are prepared and organized.
Another example: My super-creative librarian friend brought a pizza box to her interview, where she had made different wedges for different things she’s done as a teacher and school librarian. We were both interviewing for two brand-new school libraries in the district, in back to back interviews. We were both hired.
3. Don’t go off on a tangent about censorship. This is a controversial topic and if you are passionate – most of us are – you can easily trip yourself up or turn off an interviewer. In my experience, if one person on the interview committee is not impressed with you, that’s usually enough for the entire committee to pass on you.
So for a controversial topic like censorship, you follow the district’s written policies. That’s it. You can battle censorship within those policies once you have the job.
4. Be sure to give specific examples to answer the questions. Vague answers or theory won’t get you the job. Talk about things you have done in the past, and things you would like to do in the future.
5. Research the school before your interview. The school did their homework on you. They read your resume and may have already checked your references.
They chose to interview YOU out of what could be hundreds of applicants for this position. You owe them the same courtesy. You are also choosing THEM out of all the schools in your area. Be able to tell them why.
