All4Ed’s Future Ready Schools has updated the Future Ready Librarians Framework.

Originally launched in 2016 and with continuous support from Follett Content, the Future Ready Librarians program offers this latest edition—Future Ready Librarians Framework 3.0, which aims to reflect the evolving needs of the thousands of school librarians who use the framework to guide their work.

“One of our intended uses of this librarian framework is for librarians to be empowered, not only to make changes and to have innovative programming around them in their in their library hub, but also to use this framework to help with their selection materials, with their ability to communicate with their administrators, and how they build themselves in leadership capacity,” says All4Ed’s director of partnerships and programs Lia Dossin. “We went through a review process with our school librarians advisory group starting last year, looking at the framework as it stood and thinking about the complexities of life as we know it now.”

While “Learner Centered” remains at the core, the first circle, which touches all tenets, has changed from literacy to literacies to acknowledge the many kinds of literacies, including media, digital, news, information, financial, health, and AI literacies.

Other key updates to the framework:

• Curriculum & Instruction: Adds emphasis on guiding the responsible use of AI, ensuring educators and students use artificial intelligence ethically, creatively, and transparently.
• Data & Privacy: Strengthens attention to the ethical use of research, AI, and information, preparing students to be responsible digital citizens.
• Use of Space & Time: Reimagines libraries as collaborative, flexible, and inclusive environments that promote well-being, inquiry, and partnership across the school community.

• Collaborative Leadership: Positions librarians as leaders who go beyond the library to align with district priorities, drive systems-level change, and inspire innovation.

Iowa teacher librarian Shannon Miller is part of the advisory group.

“One of the other things that we made sure to add was protecting the freedom to read—just making sure that we are always thinking about being able to ensure all of our readers have access to inclusive and diverse and wonderful books and resources,” says Miller.

She hangs the Framework image near her desk, along with giving copies to her administrators and the school board, and grounds her short- and long-term planning in its guidance.

“I use it as part of my own individual professional development plan,” says Miller, who notes the framework can be used in conjunction with the AASL and ISTE standards. “It guides my work…setting up goals within each one of the wedges, making sure that it’s not just a guide, but that it’s really grounding [us] in all of the different hats that we wear as librarians.”