Social and Emotional Learning Competencies
Delaware Association of School Librarians
The Delaware Association of School Librarians is excited to share this new initiative, Social
and Emotional Learning Competencies with their members. School library media specialists
serve a unique role in addressing social and emotional learning in their students. They work to
build a diverse print and digital collection that encompasses divergent viewpoints, cultures, and
experiences and teach students to take responsibility for seeking multiple points of view and a
global perspective. They work to provide safe spaces for reading for fun, as well as for supporting a variety of needs for students on a daily basis.
The following are ways that school librarians address social and emotional learning:
● Develop materials selection policies that address a diversity of perspectives and points of
view
● Select reading literature for students to develop knowledge, understanding and empathy.
● Create social learning opportunities through collaborative research projects
● Teach appropriate use of social tools for learning and sharing
● Provide opportunities for book discussion for students to learn to respect varied
perspectives
● Teach evaluation and information literacy skills in order for students to develop value
and importance of gaining deeper and more balanced understanding
● Create a judgment-free space making the school library welcoming, comfortable and
safe
● Provide bibliotherapy: a therapeutic approach that uses literature to support good mental
health
● Collaborate with teachers to provide guided inquiry learning giving students an
opportunity to reflect on their learning
● Nurture emotional growth providing a collection of resources that meet student personal
needs and interests
● Provide nurturing relationships with all students since they are the one constant through
students’ years in a school
A well-funded school library, where the collection is managed by a professional school librarian, supports the school community by providing access to information and literature from the broadest possible diversity of cultures and perspectives through its collection of resources, by
providing access to technology that allows communication with remote people, and by teaching
students that it is important to consult these physical and human resources. School libraries offer
access to diversity even in schools where the population is not diverse and where resources are normally limited.
