Forget media specialist or teacher-librarian. As far as the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is concerned, the official title for the profession is now school librarian. The AASL board of directors voted in favor of the move on Saturday during the American Librarian Association’s midwinter meeting in Boston. And that means “school librarian” will be used in all of the profession’s advocacy efforts and publications, including reports and press releases. AASL had been considering the matter for more than a year, and a recent survey conducted by the organization revealed that those in the general public and in education found other titles for the profession confusing—something that definitely hindered efforts to shine a positive spotlight on the field. For example, in 2006 the Educational Media Association of NJ (EMAnj) was renamed the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) after a consultant found that the general public was confused by its original name. The leadership of AASL says the title “school librarian” sufficiently reflects the role of the 21st-century library professional as a leader, instructional partner, information specialist, teacher, and program administrator. “It is our actions and not what we're called that is the most important,” says Carl Harvey, a candidate for the AASL presidency and a media specialist at North Elementary School in Noblesville, IN. “So, it is up to us to help paint that picture of how we impact students so that every stakeholder understands the essential role we play”. Ann Dutton Ewbank, also a candidate for AASL president and a librarian at Arizona State University, told SLJ “The AASL board voted in the name change after careful consideration. Because of this I support the name change.” But Cathy Nelson, a blogger and library media specialist at Dorman High School in Spartanburg, SC, views the change as a huge setback and won't be using it herself. “The moniker 'teacher librarian' would have moved us over to the essential core group in school instead of under the list of non-essentials, who are considered accessories in the school,” she says. “I will continue to refer to myself as a teacher librarian, despite this move by AASL for clarifying purposes.” The change comes after those in the profession have spent decades referring to themselves as library media specialists and teacher-librarians. Media specialist was coined in the early 1970s, replacing the traditional “school librarian,” and the word library, was added later to clarify the profession. Teacher-librarian is a title longtime used in Canada and emphasizes the teaching role of the librarian. California has codified teacher-librarian as its official title. At the same time, schools libraries are now being referred to as “learning commons,” a place that traverses both the print and the digital information worlds. In fact, a day before the AASL vote, the New England School Library Association and the Massachusetts School Library Association sponsored a day long event that included a visit to a school with a “learning commons”. To complicate matters, many states have already abandoned what they view as the outdated title of school librarian. In Florida, they use “media specialist,” and in California teacher-librarian is preferred. Stacey Greene Wicksall calls herself a teacher-librarian, despite the fact that in New York the official certification is called a library media specialist. She oversees the elementary library program for three schools in the Waterloo Central School District in Waterloo, NY, and is unhappy with the change. “We need a title that is active, not passive” she recently posted to the AASL blog. Could the return to the title “school librarian” pose a problem for Educators of Library Media Specialists (ELMS), a group within AASL? Let’s wait and see.