Upper School Librarian

About Us

The Fessenden School is an all-boys independent day and boarding school serving 540 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 9 in West Newton, MA. Our mission is to cultivate each boy’s talents and develop in balance his character, mind, and body in an inclusive and joyful community. For over 100 years, The Fessenden School has offered state-of-the-art facilities, a dynamic curriculum, and programs specifically designed to meet the educational and developmental needs of boys.

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The Upper School Librarian at The Fessenden School is an energetic educator, collaborator, and connector who works closely with faculty and students in Grades 7-9 to cultivate a love of reading, strengthen information literacy, and design meaningful learning experiences that integrate research, technology, creativity, and critical thinking.

Candidates must be able to design, implement, and adjust curriculum to integrate into Upper School classes based on student needs and departmental and library goals. Grounded in the developmental needs of early adolescents, the Librarian communicates with young people in a way that respects their humanity while exciting their curiosity about the world. The Librarian also acts as a faculty advisor and performs other duties to contribute to the Upper School community.

Attention to detail, commitment to professional development, the ability to maintain a vibrant, welcoming space, and willingness to assist and support all Fessenden students, colleagues, and other librarians are also key.

The Upper School Librarian brings joy, humor, and strong relationships to their work and plays a vital role in advancing the school’s mission to develop each boy’s character, mind, and body in a joyful and inclusive community. The Wheeler Library team of Upper, Middle, and Lower School librarians works together to provide a vibrant, forward-thinking, and coherent program for boys in Pre-K through Grade 9.

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The Upper School Librarian:

• Serves as a teacher and collaborator, partnering with faculty to design learning experiences aligned with curriculum goals and AASL standards
• Curates and promotes a diverse, inclusive, and engaging collection that reflects our community and provides windows into a wide array of experiences that help to expand our students’ world views. We aim for our collection to support boys’ identities, interests, and academic growth
• Uses a current understanding of children’s and Young Adult literature to inspire a culture of reading by connecting boys with books, authors, genres, and ideas both in and beyond the library
• Helps students develop strong research, information literacy (including AI literacy), and digital citizenship skills, empowering them to navigate information thoughtfully and ethically
• Closely collaborates with the Wheeler Library and Ciongoli Center for Innovation teams to support students in their journey through design thinking, research, and creative problem solving
• Embraces growth, experimentation, and collaboration in a school culture that values professional learning and innovation

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• Build meaningful relationships with boys in Grades 7–9 in general, and directly support the academic and personal growth of a smaller group as a faculty advisor
• Supervise and support students in the library space and during assigned faculty duties
• Attend daily Upper School morning meetings and weekly X-Block assemblies or clubs

• Collaborate with faculty to design and support inquiry-based, project-based, and interdisciplinary learning experiences
• Teach and support information literacy, innovation, and research skills
• Promote reading and literature appreciation through creative programming, book talks, displays, and curated reading lists, including a Summer Reading List
• Incorporate executive function support, educational technology,…