Media Paraprofessional

Position: Media Paraprofessional
Position Category: Paraprofessional
Classification: Class 6 Paraprofessional
Bargaining Unit: SEIU Local 284 – Paraprofessionals
FTE: 1.0 FTE
Hours of Work: 7 hours/day, 35 hours/week, 180 days/year
Reports to: Learning Design Futurist (Assistant Director of IDL) and Director of Information Services 
Location: HHS
 
SECTION II: JOB SUMMARY 
Duties include regular and independent application of media center systems, protocols and general operations to ensure a welcoming, inclusive and vibrantly active media center environment.  Provides information and services to all students and staff including obtaining appropriate materials, using digital resources, and ensuring that the media center holdings are processed, maintained, and circulated in an efficient and equitable manner; provides student device technology support.  
 
The Media Paraprofessional supports media center facilitation under the direction of the Digital Literacy Specialist team.  Duties include general media center space and student supervision.  Provides day-to-day facilitation of media center operations.  Supports facilitating and supporting full-classroom, small group and 1:1 learning facilitation within the media center under the direction of the Digital Literacy Specialist, including co-facilitation of prepared learning experiences and independent support of small group and 1:1 learning facilitation.  
 
SECTION III: ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 
This class specification lists the major duties and requirements of the job and is not all-inclusive.  Incumbent(s) may be expected to perform job-related duties other than those contained in this document and may be required to have specific job-related knowledge and skills.

1. Media Center Systems and Material Handling:
   • Prepares and processes new print and digital materials.
   • Performs all duties pertaining to the automated library system by implementing circulation operations and protocols, entering patron information, supporting Destiny integration, and generating customized reports.
   • Handles the circulation of all materials by students and staff.
   • Provides overdue and lost/damaged materials reports and implements notification process for staff and caregivers.   
   • Under the supervision of the Digital Literacy Specialist, weeds outdated, worn, and unused books and materials from the collection and offers suggestions for appropriate replacements.
   • Assists with textbook, book room, and centralized resource management circulation processes and tracking as needed.
2. Guidance and Support:
   • Offers basic guidance for students and staff in the use of the online catalog, location of items in the collection, and digital applications within the media center.
   • Provides friendly, efficient customer service to patrons contacting or visiting the media center; responds promptly to email, phone and face-to-face requests.
   • Provides student device technology support.
   • Assists with coordinating student devices.
   • Assists with orientation of new students and staff to the media center.
   • Under the guidance of the Digital Literacy Specialists, coordinates and trains caregiver, community, and student library volunteers.
3. Supervision and Instruction:
   • Develops relationships with students and amplifies Media Center life through experiences in areas such as digital literacy, enrichment, love of literacy and computer science.
   • Directly supervises student activity in the media center during the school day.
   • Co-facilitates and co-supervises prepared learning experiences with the Digital Literacy Specialist, classroom teacher and/or other certified staff.  
   • Reinforces the instructional plan laid out by the Digital Literacy Specialist, classroom teacher and/or other certified staff.
   • Provides personalized feedback to students under the direction of the Digital Literacy Specialist, classroom teacher and/or other certified staff.
   • Facilitates and delivers activities designed to enrich and extend learning.
   • Provides ad hoc Reader’s Advisory. 
   • Assists staff with media center activities and leads group sessions under the direction of the Digital Literacy Specialist.
   • Collaborates with students and staff to create a safe, positive learning environment.
   • Monitors and reports relevant progress within media center programming of individual students, small groups, and/or classes to the Digital Literacy Specialist/classroom teachers.
   • Supports adaptations in the learning environment based on observation of student engagement, safety, circulation trends and media center life under the direction of the Digital Literacy Specialist.  
   • Provides supervisory services on an as-needed basis for programs and activities that occur within the media center during the school day.
4. Promotion and Maintenance:
   • Promotes school-wide media center usage through creative use of displays, signage, and posters.
   • Ensures the media center and adjacent spaces are kept clean and organized.
   • Promotes adherence to copyright laws and district copyright policies with staff and students.
   • Protects data privacy, including but not limited to confidential student information such as family names, addresses, phone numbers, email accounts, grades, IEP status, etc..
5. Technical Support and Event Coordination:
   • Assists with the set-up, videotaping, and distribution of school news shows, concerts, speeches, and special events.
   • Helps set up equipment (whiteboard, projector, camera, microphones) for meetings in the media center.
6. Professional Development and Other Duties:
   • Participates in professional learning opportunities to enhance professional practices.
   • Promotes and supports the overall mission of the District by demonstrating courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with public and staff; acts in a manner that promotes a harmonious and effective workplace environment.
   • Performs all other duties as assigned by the Director of Information Services, Learning Design Futurist, and/or the Digital Literacy Specialist team. 
   • Other duties as assigned in service to our Hopkins: Learning Framework, Student Success Metrics, E-12+ Hopkins System Goals, the Equity Audit findings, our Vision 2031 and the unique programming of the school community.  

 
SECTION IV: KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES 
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Required Knowledge:

• District policies and procedures.
• Basic online resources and media collection in digital and print.
• Best practices in teaching and learning.
• Current digital tools and resources.
• Computer applications related to the work.
• Correct business English, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Knowledge of the media collection, both digital and print. Knowledge of children’s and/or young adult classic and current book titles is a plus.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrates strong, positive customer service skills.
• Communicating effectively with children, students, staff, caregivers and community members.
• Communicating effectively verbally and in writing.
• Evidence of strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Operating a school issued device using standard and specialized software.
• Experience with personal computers and tablets: Competent user of spreadsheets, word processors, databases, forms and reports, email programs, and mobile device apps. Knowledge of Google Suite is a plus.
• Evidence of ability to work with diverse populations of youth and staff.
• Contributing effectively to the accomplishment of team or work unit goals, objectives, and activities.
• Commitment to the District mission, which is to ensure high quality, innovative, challenging education where all learners are valued and respected.
• Performing assigned responsibilities in a manner consistent with the District’s established Core Values.
• Advancing the District’s mission and values through careful attention to the key issues of learning, environment, and resources.
• Demonstrates an ability to read and interpret instruction and correspondence.
• Demonstrates an ability to operate and maintain a variety of equipment associated with media resources.
• Filing, word processing, photocopying, and computer skills required.

Abilities:

• Ability to work independently or with a team; flexible and adaptable to changes in daily schedule and task assignments.
• Ability to manage media center activities and supervise patrons in the absence of the Digital Literacy Specialist.
• Evidence of organizational skills and attention to detail necessary for managing a media center collection, patron records, and circulation statistics.
• Evidence of the ability to assist students in learning and media center exploration.
• Evidence of the understanding of concepts and skills students need to learn with specific attention to media, digital literacies, and computer science.
• Evidence of the ability to work in a supportive relationship with staff and the schools.
• Evidence of the ability to adapt to different media center environments, school communities and teaching/learning styles.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships with students and empower students to create safe, positive learning environments.
• Evidence of the ability to take work direction from Digital Literacy Specialists, teachers and resource staff.
• Evidence of the ability to work effectively and inclusively with diverse groups of students, caregivers, staff and community.
• Demonstrated awareness of and an appreciation of cultural and identity differences.
• Able to build relationships with students and colleagues to build a positive community.

 
SECTION V: EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS 
Continued employment is contingent upon all required licenses and certificates being maintained in active status without suspension or revocation.
High School Diploma or GED Equivalent. 

• Minimum two (2) years post-secondary education required or ability to successfully pass the paraprofessional proficiency exam.
• OR an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. 

• Minimum of 1-2 years of experience working in a curriculum support capacity with students of various ages.
• Experience working with youth, preferably from diverse backgrounds, in educational or recreational settings preferred. 
• Experience in a public service role such as a media center, office reception desk, customer service job, or other public service role preferred. 
• Experience using current computer programs to gather statistics, communicate, and generate reports on a regular basis. 

 
SECTION VI: COMPETENCIES AND/OR VALUES COMMON TO ALL POSITIONS 

• Demonstrate ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students in school environment and community. 
• Maintain a safe working environment and encourage colleagues to be safety-minded in the performance of all school-related duties. 
• A clear and demonstrated commitment to the District mission, which is to ensure high quality, innovative, challenging education where all learners are valued and respected. 
• Advance the District’s mission and values through careful attention to the key issues of Learning, Environment, and Resources. 

 
SECTION VII: PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS
PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:
The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
 
Mobility to work in a school setting, use standard office equipment and stamina to stand for extended periods of time; strength to lift and carry up to 20 pounds; vision to read printed materials and computer screens; and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone.  
 
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Work is performed in a school setting.