The Changing Role of the TL

An article in Teacher Librarian (October 2009) recently caught my eye.  At the end of our course, the  role of the teacher librarian was briefly discussed.  This is a topic that never dies among teacher librarians.  We are constantly discussing and debating the aspects of our evolving positions that we see as critical, as well as those aspects that get thrust upon us. An article by Elizabeth Marcoux and David V. Loertscher ,  The Role of a School Library in a School’s Reading Program ,discusses the ‘ideal’ situation for a teacher librarian, one that is less of a book manager and more of a fundamental professional in the development of reading initiatives in an elementary school.   Marcoux and Loertscher challenge us to delve into the ‘ideal’ elements listed in their article, and to think deeply about how we can incorporate these ideals into our individual, less-than-ideal daily working situations. 

Perhaps what stands out most prominently in this article is the need to have a full-time, credentialed teacher librarian in each school.  As a full-time staff member, the TL could best contribute to reading initiatives and collaborative planning between reading professionals and classroom teachers.  It should also be noted that the authors supported having a full-time qualified support personnel working in the library to best prepare, catalogue, repair, and organize materials.  As full-time TLs, the ideal situation would be  for us to be part of a ‘reading leadership team,’ assisting in the planning and decision making  of a school’s reading program(.  As part time librarians who do not work in the schools every day, it is easy to be ‘left out’ of this reading equation. 

Marcoux and Loertscher further emphasize the importance of the TL to be a visible member of the staff who can see the bigger picture by reaching out to community groups, parents, and even national and international organizations through the Internet.  These activities help to minimize the old belief that the library is a warehouse of books, waiting for customers to visit.  Overall, the authors challenge us to expand our isolated role into that of visionary and leader.

Marcoux,  Elizabeth and David V. Loertscher (2009). The Role of a School Library in a School’s Reading Program  Teacher Librarian, October 2009.

"The Boy Problem?" Librarians, moms, and their boys...

I just finished reading an excellent article in the School Library Journal titled The Boy Problem.  As the mother of a baby boy, I read with personal and professional interest.  As my husband and I are both avid readers, we naturally assume that our son will also turn out to be one.  We’ve filled his room with tons of books - cute and tactile board books along with our favourite classics for him to grow into.  We could never possibly have a ‘reading problem’ with our son, could we?  Leonard Sax sets out to discuss in this article the much discussed and researched issue of boys lagging behind in reading achievement and enjoyment.  As one boy claims in this article, “I’d rather be burned at the stake that read a book!”   How can librarians – and parents – start to change this gender gap in reading?

It was interesting to note, according to Sax, that video games have played a significant role in replacing boys’ leisure time pursuits.  Forget the hand-eye coordination excuse!  Video games and hand held digital devices are taking up too much time.  I recently observed my 12 year old nephew with fascination as he worked with his iphone.  It is so full of ‘apps’ and digital activities that he was happily content to sit with it for an hour, oblivious to the world around him.  He was ‘lost’ in it, like many of us get lost in a good book.

 More importantly, I found Sax’s point about the changing role of masculinity interesting.  Sax claims that popular culture has transformed role models for boys.  Look at some dads of television that our boys are watching:  Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons.  None of them are ever portrayed pursuing reading, or even anything that does not follow a laugh track.  Goofiness, laziness, stupidity, and slacking off are funny and are constantly represented on TV.  On all of these shows mentioned, it should be noted that it is the female figures – the moms and sisters -  who are often the smarter voices of reason and stability.  Talk about entrenched gender stereotyping in every episode!

Back to the question of “what can we do?”  Sax suggests that we aim to meet the needs of squirmy, talkative boys.  For example,  librarians could  institute a “Noisy-Time Storytime” wherein students are invited to not sit quietly, but rather  to actively participate in the story as it is read, making comments, sit, stand, and lie down, and tap, click and rock as needed. 

Sax also suggests and revisiting of the curriculum in general to meet the needs of boys at their developmental level.  A five year old boy, for example, in Sax’s opinion, is possibly not ready to be taught to read.  He equates this with trying to teach a three year old girl to read, for instance. 

Myself, I will continue to make quality book purchases that I think are best aimed at their hard to please readers.  Moreover, as librarians, we should be enlisting the help of boys when looking at print and online catalogues.  The more involved  they are in the process, the more likely they will become active participants in the school library. 

Lastly, despite the foreboding nature of the research on this topic, my husband and I will quietly and doggedly continue to read to our toddler each night, and ply him with books at each stage in his developmental years!

Sax, Leonard (2007).  The Boy Problem.  School Library Journal  September 2007.

Argh...Student Choice vs. Parental Preferences in the School Library

While this might be a bit off-topic for our coursework, I must vent a bit about the issue of a students' right to personal choice when it come to library selection.  Just this week, I had two different, well-meaning moms approach me and ask me to keep their primary boys  from selecting 'junk' during library book exchange.  By junk, they were referring to the widely-purchased, and well-regarded DK Readers series, levels 1 - 4, which feature eye-catching 'boy' subjects such as Batman, Spiderman, and Star Wars.  Apparently, Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not also fall in the 'junk' category, along with pretty much anything that his not a standard 'chapter book."  One rather bewildered third grader usually comes to library time armed with a sticky note from home bearing titles from which he is 'allowed' to choose.  Needless, to say, this boy does not really enjoy library time, and is anxious to find a book from his 'list' so that he can breathe a sigh of relief.

Luckily, one mom approached me at a time in the day when I actually had time (!) to give her a little tour of the library and a "talking to."  I explained that students get required reading in their classrooms, at-home reading books from their teachers, etc... that library time should be THEIR time to choose a book of interest to them, not necessarily one at their particular reading level.  In fact, if all students were ONLY allowed to take out books at their reading level, then library time would literally take hours.

The word needs to get out about multi-literacies.  The act of reading is an all-encompassing technique which involves visual cues,  prior knowledge, connection-building, visualization, and questioning.  It is not simply the ability to decode words. 

The venerable Ron Jobe stated it best in his book, Info-Kids: How to use nonfiction to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners when he described the the critical importance of 'appeal.'  Children will not choose books that don't hold some sort of personal appeal or connection for them.  Once that connection is made (a 'gross' cover, a familiar character in the title, a creepy-crawly photograph), students will naturally want to  read about that topic.

In the end, does it really matter if our students are reading chapter books or graphic novels for pleasure?  Think about the wide range of 'pleasure' reading that adults do: newspapers, magazines, comics, TV guides, blogs, Facebook conversation threads,  MSN headlines... it is ALL reading and it is ALL valid.

As Jobe concluded, we must give ourselves and our children 'permission' to pursue our own interests in reading.

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Works Cited:

Jobe, Ron (2002).  Info-Kids: How to use nonfiction to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners. Markham, Ont: Pembroke Publishing

Geographical Reference Sources - "what's good?"

Are print atlases a thing of the past?  Are online sources a faster, speedier, more reliable source for geographical questions?

Happily, print atlases seems to be a steadily- used reference tool in my school.  I recommend the Nystrom Canadian Atlas as a whole-class set.  It has a great teacher’s guide, and colourful, clear images.  The student copies are soft covers, though and need reinforcing.  I agree with many of you that a class set is not a library budget purchase.  However, I do recommend a full class set being purchased out of learning resource money.  It is not always easy physically for students to share, and as a left-handed person, there are just some things I can only do ‘one way’ and leaning to the right to study from a book is not one of them!

I do also enjoy the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada and the Scholastic Children’s Atlas of the World.  Both editions are reasonable priced for quality hardcovers (approx. $30.00 - $40.00) straightforward indexing, clearly labelled images.  It fits most of the criteria that Riedling sets out:  it has a simple, clearly- defined scale, colourful, clear, and legible images, and Scholastic Canada is a widely-used and recognized publisher of school learning materials. 

I have been checking out some of the online geographical sources that Riedling recommends, such as The Map Machine Atlas and The Lonely Planet.  The Lonely Planet was a bit too busy and full of advertising.  It is rather like a trip planning site than a site useful to elementary students.  I enjoyed the Map Machine Atlas.  It has a great downloadable feature which allows students to view maps in 3D.  It’s connection to the National Geographic Society lends authority and reliability to the site. 

It was interesting to read that Riedling states that any atlas (actually any reference material) five years or older is considered “historical.”  New class sets of atlases every four or five years will definitely stretch school budgets! 

Bibliographies - print and online

This was an interesting question to tackle, mostly because there is quite a bit out there to use.  Firstly, I have to mention that I continue to use a couple ‘old’ print lists.  They sit on my desk as a quick reference:

Meet the Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)

Meet the Canadian Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)

Every Teacher’s Thematic Booklist (Scholastic)

Yes, these were published in the 1990’s (for the record, when I was still in high school!!)  but I find these print copies useful, especially when talking to parents and teachers who are looking for the ‘golden oldies.’  Also, I find that, more and more, classroom teachers are returning to classic picture books and, less frequently, older novels to create a balance between old and new.

As others have stated, NoveList k-8 is an excellent source, comprehensive and up-to-date.  Our school district provides this site for free for school and at-home use.  I also continue to use the Canadian Children’s Book Centre site (http://www.bookcentre.ca) frequently for biographies and for current information on literacy awards and author visit info.  Also, the information at ERAC (Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium) (https://bcerac.ca) is critical.

Cafe Society? Expanding to meet the Wants and Needs of our Students

I was just  reading an excellent article by Debra Lau Whelan in the January 2008 edition of School Library Journal, Cafe Society:  Do School Libraries Need a Double Shot of Espresso?  The article brings to the table the question of the changing needs of school libraries and libraries in general.  It highlights several high school libraries that have incorporated small cafes, thus encouraging students to browse and spend more time in the library in a relaxed, coffee-house atmosphere.  Two distinct and entrenched sides have opinions on this concept.  One side is appalled with the idea of food services in the library, lamenting the cost, clean up, and overall image of cafes:  aren't we here to promote books, not caffeine?  On the other hand, more progressive librarians see it is as a way to encourage students to drop into the library.  Those who have established cafes have seen new faced arrive, as well as a rise in circulation.

I, personally, love the idea.  I am not the type of librarian to forbid water bottles or who goes around shushing her patrons. It never seemed to make sense to me to alienate the very group of people we are trying to attract.  We WANT students to WANT  to be in the library, and if that means bending some long-standing old-fashioned rules, then so be it.  Of course, we don't want a big mess in our libraries, or  to have coffee spilled over all of the books, but if corporations like Chapters are willing to take that risk, shouldn't we give it a try? 

 My husband and I have a favourite date night - going to Chapter's, browsing for books in mutual silence, and then meeting up for a cozy cup of tea at the adjoining Starbucks to discuss waht we read or purchased. The coffee bar concept is popular for a reason - it is a meeting place, and place for discussion, entertainment, book clubs, socializing, etc.  One school media specialst was quoted in ths article by saying, "I wanted a place where students could read, do research, and work on classroom assignments, but also socialize."  If our challenge is to get more students INTO the library in order to become familiar with and use the school library, this seems like a great palce to start. 

Dictionary Dilemma

I spent quite a bit of time this week examining the reference section of my school library, with special attention paid to the assorted dictionaries.  When I was growing up and  going to school in the 80's and 90's, the school library always had a huge, imposing, tomb-like dictionary on a special wooden stand - we dared not go near it!  To us kids, it screamed 'adults only!' 

In my current situation, I agree with what many of my classmates have stated- students are not well-versed in using a dictionary for everyday use.  They may have the alphabetizing system down pat, but they are not used to 'readability' factor - navigating multiple meanings, multiple spellings, word origins, and pronounciations guides that many dictionaries include.  In addition, students find navigating the small print challenging, and often are convinced that they word they are looking for is simply not there.

In terms of 'essential' print dictionaries, I recommend:

1. a French-English / English-French Disctionary
2 a dictionary of word origins
3.  the Scholastic Dictionary of Homonyms, Synonyms, and Antonyms (my personal fav!)
4. a Large-sized visual dictionary for little ones

(a note about the language dictionaries: I am still trying the teach my students (I am the French teacher,  too, or at least that's what they tell me!) how to properly use the French-English/ English-French dictionary.  These dictionaries are really two in one, and students need to understand how you use different parts of the book to look up a French word as opposed to an English word).

Many classmates have commented that the problem with dictionaries lies with the fact that students are not being instructed properly in their usage.  I certainly remember, as a child, "doing worksheets" on dictionary skills: choosing the correct set of guide words from a confusing list, alphabetizing rows and rows of words, and deciphering pronounciation keys.  Was this useful?  I certainly feel that I know how to use a dictionary well, but did this direct (and dry) approach  to student learning reach all students?   Perhaps the direct  teaching of dictionary skills is becoming overshadowed by the even-increasing curriculum, and the fact that online resources seem to be the wave of the future - are classroom teachers pushing dictionary skills aside for other topics?  The push to integrate learning and  to provide authentic learning experiences also has pushed aside dictionary skills.  When the need arises, a student looks a word up in the dictionary, and, through trial and error, find what he or she is looking for...this is a good learning experience, and one that is authentic and situational, but it does not provide the student with practice and mastery. 

Wiki-what? Encyclopedias - print, non-print, useful...?

I have enjoyed the discussions about the value of print and non-print encyclopedias in our coursework, both established and citizen-built. Like others have suggested, there is little point in trying to diminish or put restrictions on the use of Wikipedia - we all likely use it ourselves, and it is hard to resist when it pops up so quickly after a google search (which in itself, is another research issue, sigh).

Again and again, we find, as TLs, that our challenge is to help guide students through information, not around it by avoiding popular sites. If we don't teach the critical site evaluation skills, students will continue to use these sites, but without the proper tools to navigate them.

Reidling (2005) brings up an excellent point in chapter six: "Many people believe that all encyclopedias are objective. This is not the case." Even with our tried and true print encyclopedias, Riedling cautions us to be aware of which subjects get larger articles, which ones seems to contain "passive or implicit bias," and have topics de-emphasized or emphasized. Really, is anything that we read completely free of bias?

Wikipedia, in my opinion, is a form of social networking - it is a forum for information, communication, and opinion. How we read it and use it is ours to handle.

Riedling makes a further great point in chapter six: "remember that encyclopedias are published as a profit venture, one way or another."

A Reflection Question from Lesson Four:

"Are those of us who support both print and electronic reference sources fighting a losing battle? How do student preferences for electronic resources affect your purchasing?"

I have found the readings in Week four to be interesting and enlightening.   In particular, I have been reading and thinking more deeply about the long-term  usefulness  of a school library print reference section.

There is a great article in Newsweek magazine by Steven Levy which discusses the possible ‘demise of print culture”  (Levy, Stephen  (2007).  The Future of Reading.  Newsweek, Nov. 26, 2007.).  When we talk about the evolution of the reference section into electronic referencing, we are really talking about the greater impact of digital technology  on reading in general.    I love Levy’s definition of a book:

“...an object that is superbly designed, wickedly functional, infinitely useful, and beloved more passionately than any gadget in Best Buy.  It is a more reliable storage device than a hard disk  drive, and it sports a killer interface.  And, it is instant-on and requires no batteries.”

I think it is our job to make sure students gain a similar appreciation for ALL print material, reference or otherwise, and understand its value for record keeping, historical purposes, entertainment purposes, and storytelling.  That is not  to say that students cannot similarly love and appreciate the swiftness and ease of electronic media at the same time.  As always, it is about generating a BALANCE between sources, and to be able to find information from a variety of sources, both print and non-print. 

I have recently been working with a group of grade 2 students on 'insect research.`  I was sort of pleased when an electronic glitch caused one boy to realise that , sometimes, books are "way easier." He was conducting a google search on scorpions (after a carefully demonstrated lesson of using Worldbook online, the little guy swiftly logged out of that and went straight to google!)  He was mystified at what he was viewing, and called me over to see "this cool video about scorpions!" I came over only to find him watching a rock video from the band The Scorpions.   When we later looked up some information about scorpions in a trade book, he then made the aforementioned comment  about the ease of books.

In the same way that we are discussing how electronic resources seem to be quickly causing the print reference section to become dusty and outdated, Levy discusses the advent of devices like Kindle, which could possibly make printed books redundant.  Will Kindle make the publishing industry redundant, or will it simply be another device for book lovers to explore in addition to print material?  Perhaps variety and options are to everyone`s benefit. 

Teacher Librarian Anthony Carnovale recently wrote about his experiences as a classroom teacher new  to the job as TL by stating that  "new and emerging technologies are redefining the way students learn, communicate, and develop as social beings.  These new technologies are, as a result, redefining the  role that the library and the teacher librarian play in the development process."   As TLs, we need to see technology as a logical part of our job, not standing in opposition to it.

Student preferences for  electronic resources have definitely affected my purchasing.  I will readily admit that the reference section is generally only updated every few years, as opposed to yearly.  Purchasing a new set of print encyclopaedias each year is a school library is not cost effective.  To balance this, our district has purchased home and school rights to EBSCO, Worldbook, and BC Encyclopaedia online.  As an Elementary school TL, I have to filter the money into items that will be used most often by the most students.

Works Cited:

Carnovale, Anthony (2010).  Practicing my Shhhh!  Canadian Teacher.  Vol. 7, No. 1 September 2010, p. 8..

Levy, Stephen  (2007).  The Future of Reading.  Newsweek, Nov. 26, 2007.

Article #3 - A Summary and critical review of:

Oakleaf, Megan and Amy VanScoy (2010).  Instructional Strategies for Digital Reference: Methods to Facilitate Student Learning.  Reference & User Services Quarterly  vol. 49, no.4  380-390.

“When people actively participate in real-world activities and problem solving, learning occurs.”

                                                                                    -Megan Oakleaf and Amy VanScoy

Are librarians utilizing the “full instructional potential” of reference services?  This is the question Megan Oakleaf and Amy VanScoy set out to investigate in their article, Instructional Strategies for Digital Reference: Methods to Facilitate Student Learning.   Oakleaf and VanScoy believe that  librarians are doing a reasonably good job of guiding patrons through the research process, but are letting many more prime ”teachable moments” pass by (Oakleaf  & VanScoy, p. 380).  By focussing, like classroom teachers, on specific instructional strategies when engaging with students during reference transactions, these researchers believe that librarians can have a greater impact on student achievement and success.  Indeed, they point out that all of the scenarios that reference librarians face involve real-world activities and issues, and thus, the opportunity exists to provide students with authentic learning experiences.  Overall, the authors urge librarians to take every opportunity to maximize their impact on student learning (Oakleaf & VanScoy, p. 386).  Expanding on the older but reasonable theory of ‘show, don’t tell,’ this article goes one step further and argues for ‘teach, don’t just show.’

The eight specific instructional strategies are outlined in the article, are worthwhile making note of here:

1.       Catch them being good (praise works!  Reinforce positive steps)

2.       Think aloud   (be less of an expert and more of a thinker; be transparent)

3.       Show, don’t tell   (demonstrate the process and make it interactive)

4.       Chunk it up   (divide the project into manageable sections)

5.       Let them drive   (be a  guided observer)

6.       Be the Welcome Wagon   (be welcoming and supportive)

7.       Make introductions  (to other professionals who might also help)

8.       Share secret knowledge  (release the ‘tricks of the trade”)

What is especially interesting about this article is the fact that specific scripts are provided to demonstrate how each type of strategy can be used in a real librarian–student transaction.  The researchers used 150 digital reference transcripts (digital reference transactions include instant messaging, chat rooms, co-browsing websites with students, etc. as part of library reference services)  to demonstrate how to make each transaction successful and productive.

An elementary teacher librarian can take away many ideas from this article.  While school libraries do not generally provide digital reference services in the same way as university libraries, the message is the same: maximize every ounce of the ‘teachable moment’ in your interaction with a student.   Guiding students through the steps of solving a research problem can provide so many opportunities for self-guided learning and discovery.  As Riedling also suggests, when it comes to reference services, “each question is unique: therefore, each process will be unique as well” (Riedling, 2005). 

Elementary teacher librarians will also benefit from continual professional development, as urged in this article.  Keeping abreast of new digital and general reference materials will always be of benefit to students.  Teacher librarians must also remember to continually reconfirm their role as an instructor, not ‘just’ a librarian.  Too often, we get bogged down with the ‘administrivia’ of school library management, and forget that our primary role is that of educator.   Lastly, TLs need to keep in mind that individualized, personal, and meaningful service to students is the kind of transaction that will produce the best results and most authentic student learning.

Additional Works Cited:

Riedling, Ann (2005).  Reference Skills for the School Library Media Specialist: Tools and Tips (2^nd ed).  Linworth Publishing Inc: Worthington, Ohio.

Article #2 A Summary and Critical Review of:

Love, Emily.  (2009). A simple step: integrating reference and instruction into previously established academic programs for minority students   The Reference Librarian, 50: 4-13.

“I do not normally come into the library”

                                                                                -Korean student, University of Arizona, 2000

I came across this thought provoking article, A Simple Step: Integrating Library Reference and Instruction into previously Established Academic Programs for Minority Students by Emily Love at the University of Illinois.  In this article, Love sets out to examine the connection between active librarian leadership in connecting with minority students (“library outreach”), and the successful use and enjoyment of the library by those students.  While set in a university environment, much of Love’s finding s are applicable to any school setting.  As Love suggests, librarians have a “compelling reason to enhance their role in minority student learning by reaching out to partnering with minority student programs” and by “targeting the library’s services to minority students” (Love, p.5).  What Love discovered was that minority students, at the university level, demonstrated high initial recruitment but low retention and graduation.  A “racial discrepancy” in retention and graduation figures could possibly be due, in part, to an overall feeling of alienation toward academic preparedness, learning processes, researching, and completing assignments (Love, 5).  In short, minority students did not know how to properly access reference services at the library, or were reluctant to approach librarians for help, and this affected, overall, their academic achievement.

Love examines how this discrepancy could be more positively balanced by having librarians be more open and welcoming to minority students, and by having librarians more accessible via personal consultations, contact via e-mail and phone, and by providing librarian “drop-in” hours.   In addition, librarians made gains providing library outreach to cultural centres on campus in order to better explain library services to minority students (Love, p. 7).  All of these initiatives were aimed at supporting a “seamless learning environment’ for students who were feeling disconnecting form their university experience (Love, p. 7).

Overall, what struck me as critical information in this article was the idea that school libraries must target their outreach to students from underrepresented backgrounds in order to enhance their success.  We cannot assume that all students have the same ability to recognize and utilize the services which we provide.  Having worked as a teacher and teacher librarian in schools with minority cultures, largely First Nations students, this article brought to light the importance of meeting students’ individual needs, in the same was that classroom teachers are asked to do this with their own daily instruction.  School librarians, too, must seek out ways to connect in a meaningful way with all students by helping them to navigate the world of information.  Many cultures find face-to-face initial meetings with strangers to be intimidating, and when language issues and diverse backgrounds are added to the mix, one can see that approaching a librarian for the first time and asking for assistance is daunting. 

This article enabled me to think critically about the role of the school librarian in the academic success of students.  From this research, it is clear that “actively pursuing partnerships” both within the school and beyond into the community is vital to the enhancement and success of the library.  School and community-based partnerships will enhance student use, making access to research and resources easier and more fluid.  This is actually something we already know and rely on:  collaboration in any form is a positive thing.  We also cannot underestimate the power of personality in students’ use of the library.  Love urges librarians to “establish a warm and caring environment for student learning, which could help to improve minority student retention rates and lower student frustration” (Love, p. 12).  Being outgoing, friendly and enthusiastic is an important part about being a school librarian, but this is something that is easily overlooked.  Overall, Love’s article is an important piece in our effort, as school librarians, to promote our services and “establish a presence” in academic success (Love, p. 8).  Too often, the library is seen as an academic tool rather than a direct, key player in achievement.  Thus, recognizing the value of the “key role” that we have in shaping students’ academic success and achievement is the first step in library outreach (Love, p. 5).

It should be noted that, despite all of her reasonable arguments, one drawback to this article is the fact that Love does not provide any quantitative evidence to suggest that library – minority partnerships have a direct impact on university retention and graduations rates. 

To weed or not to weed? (at least in the public eye!)

I have been reading my classmates comments about the weeding process in school libraries.  Weeding has always been a challenge  for librarians – we are being asked to toss aside books that we might personally treasure, but ones that have outlived their usefulness.  There are many librarians out there who are packratish and don’t like to discard anything.  While it is admirable to want everything to have a purpose and a recycled life, keeping every book and reference text in a school library is not practical.  Unlike some public libraries, school libraries are not meant to be archives.  They are there to support the curriculum and student learning.  To that end, it is our job to keep our collections current and up-to-date.

Riedling supports this.  She states that ‘a systematic basis for weeding” must exist in any library.  (Riedling, 2005) Part of a librarian’s role is to determine “what is actually needed for effective reference work”.  Thus,  age, currency, frequency of use, and physical condition must all be considered.  More practically, when space is at a premium for reference materials (often limited to a few shelves in an elementary school library), the TL must be choosy.

The issue of 'dumping' weeded books is always a contentious one. While I believe that there has to be, out of necessity, some books tossed in the dumpster, here is an example of how weeded books can be offered to those who might realistically need and use them (keep in mind that shipping costs to overseas countries can be huge and this deters people from sending books to 'Third World countries." In our district, we recently went through a series of school reconfigurations and closures. All of the unused / not needed library books have been housed in a central location, and now we are going through a few weeks of priority viewing and claiming: TLs first, classroom teachers have next dibs, district staff, and then the viewing is opened up to community groups who might be looking for recycled reading material. This is one way to reuse these materials. TLs must also keep in mind that there are always 'public relation issues" regarding weeded materials, and sometimes we open ourselves up to much public scrutiny if weeded materials are viewed by others. We know what we are doing and can stand by our decisions, however, our professional decision-making is sometimes hard to explain to the general public.

TLs must also consider that we cannot possibly accept all 'donations' made to school libraries, no matter how kind. Outdated encyclopaedias and old National Geographics (donations I have been offered over and over!) simply take up too much space and are not used!

It is a great idea to offer weeded books to students - provided that you don't work in the type of school wherein the parents/staff don't support the weeding process - this can be a public relations nightmare if you put out books for the taking, and then have to face angry parents or teachers, weeded books in hand, who object to your "informed judgment" about what to weed. You just have to be able to 'read' your school climate well before you 'weed!'

One idea: I found that at one school I once taught at, that the weeded books were being grabbed up by students who were trying to be silly, and we going home with armloadfuls. They have no real intention of actually reading or using the books. The school was in a relatively stable socio-economic area, and most students had plenty of books at home. My library staff and I decided to charge a nominal fee ($0.10) per book to assign some sort of value to them, to prevent armloads. Of course, we never turned a child away who didn't have a dime and who truly wanted a book.

The Selection Process for Reference Materials

As information professionals in Canadian schools, what do you use to evaluate and select the "right" Canadian reference materials?

As Riedling suggests, the selections process for reference materials is planned and purposeful.  Riedling emphasises that meeting curriculum needs is a priority, and I couldn’t agree more.  What works well in one school does not necessarily translate to another.  The needs and learning styles of the students, as well as the instructional styles of the teachers, all play a role in the selection process.  Secondly, the selection policy of the school itself must be considered.    Thirdly, TLs should be constantly reading professional journals and publications for ideas and reviews.  I personally love the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s publications, as well as their annual “Best Books” review.  I also use their web site quite a bit.  Lastly, as Riedling also suggests, we cannot ignore the value of the TL’s own “informed judgment” (Riedling, 2005). 

Informed judgment is an interesting concept.  Do TLs have to ‘justify’ their selections to non-library staff?  We are certainly not immune to judgement or outside scrutiny when we make purchases for our libraries.  I recently purchases reference books for my library –  2 shiny new copies of Guinness World Records 2011!   While many librarians choose to house these in the information books section, they ARE technically reference books.  Do these types of purchases make it past scrutiny for the reference section?  I know many classroom teachers who wish they would disappear (bulky, won’t fit in desks, not enough ‘reading’ in them, etc...).  My justification  for spending the money on these copies is that simple fact that they are popular with students.  Thus, the popularity of reference books as well as their practical use also plays a role in school-based selection. 

Article #1: Virtual researching...are we ready for this?

Church, Audrey (2006).  Your Library Goes Virtual: Promoting Reading and Supporting Research. Library Media Connection  Nov/Dec 2006.

In the article, Your Library Goes Virtual: Promoting Reading and Supporting Research, Audrey Church sets out to define the importance of a school library website for student use and student  researching.  Specifically, Church encourages teacher librarians to create and maintain an effective library website, but more generally, Church argues for the promotion of online research resources by teacher librarians who might be more inclined to always point students in the direction of the print reference section.    This article is part of a growing list of research that is encouraging school libraries to change their thinking about how we provide services to students, especially researching and information services.  As Church states, “ we must adapt our library sources and services to meet their needs” (Church, 2006). 

Church brings to light the reality that most students go online every day, and prefer  online researching resources  to the school library because they “consider the Internet to be easier to use, more convenient, open 24/7, and full of more up-to-date material”  (Church, 2006).   While it is easy to be suspicious of change and rely on more traditional researching methods, Church points out (quoting Joan Lippencott) that responding  to global change by adjusting library services, resources and functions  is nothing new.  Indeed, libraries have been “adjusting their collections, services, and environments to the digital world for at least 20 years” (Church, 2006).  In this way, we are urged to think of our school library as a changing environment, rather than a facility in which materials are housed. 

Church provides great and relevant examples for teacher librarians to consider.  In order to make a school library website the’ first stop’ for online student researchers, Church  emphasises – and describes -  the use of book blogs, virtual reference services like subscription-based EBSCO and Worldnbook online,  and curriculum-related web sites such as Net Trekker in order to meet student needs.  The school library website should be “the portal and scaffold to support research and promote reading” (Church, 2006).

Overall, Church is urging teacher Librarians to not try to promote their print reference section to compete with online researching opportunities, but rather to connect the physical library to these virtual services as one all-encompassing reference tool.  When students use these sources online, they should,  in fact, be regarding  these tools as pieces of a whole, as opposed to separate entities, one old and one new. 

To some teacher librarians, this article provides a list of wishful-thinking.  Most teacher librarians in public schools are far less than full time.  I work at a school of approximately 300 students and am allocated 0.4 FTE (2 days per week).  Within that time, I must provide book exchanges for all 13 divisions once a week, collaborate with classroom  teachers on projects, manage and administer the library and my library assistant’s tasks, review and purchase materials for the library...the list goes on and on.  Finding the time to create and effectively manage a well-used and attractive library website is difficult.   What I am grateful for is that our school district provides and maintains each school’s catalogue online, and our district library maintains a website with good links for staff and students.  However, am I doing enough to promote the use of these online  tools?  That is my challenge.  In the end, this article has given me much ‘food for thought’ about how to better integrate online researching tools into daily student work in our library.

Information Literacy Skills - a curriculum to follow?

I have been following, with interest, our classmates' discussion about the teaching of information literacy skills.  A long debate between teacher librarians has been the concept of a set 'library' curriculum, versus a series of integrated lessons in collaboration with classroom teachers in the current academic curriculum.  My school district recently opted for the former, creating a concrete K-12 'continuum'  (a large and impressive looking professional binder!) which merges distinct information literacy learning outcomes with current instructional outcomes in English Language Arts and Social Studies.  Connecting information literacy skills with the set curriculum enables teacher-librarians to approach classroom teachers with collaborative ideas while not 'wasting' time on 'non-makrable' activities.  In the ever-expanding academic curriculum, classroom teachers must balance their teaching time wisely, and cannot 'afford' to give away precious teaching time to activities that do not necessarily translate to the report card.  While we, as TLs, know that information literacy reinforces lifelong skills across the academic board, this continuum shows classroom teachers how information literacy skills can be taught in conjunction with their set curriculum, not outside of it. 

I encourage everyone to check out this worthy continuum published by the Kamloops/Thompson School district at :

http://hgec.sd73.bc.ca/library   

(look to the right for links to the K - 12 Information Literacy Continuum)

The research process: which model is best suited to elementary school use?

“Our business seems usually to be considered the bringing of books to people.” 

 -Louise Rosenblatt (2005).   Making Meaning with Texts: Selected Essays.  Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH. 

As TLs, one of our main roles is to assist students in the research process.  As Reidling suggests, this can be a complex task, but an important one, as students need to “possess the skills to learn efficiently and effectively” (Reidling, 2005). 

Carol Kulthau’s six-stage model, Information Seeking, has many admirable aspects.  I appreciate its emphasis on in-depth researching and selection of the best, not just ‘good enough,’ resources to utilize.  Getting students to produce work of the highest quality is a central challenge in elementary school researching. (the “Google” revolution has, in many ways, pushed students into locating any kind of information fast, but does nothing to help students critically evaluate what they locate through Google).  Creating ‘focus’ to any research project is also key to Kuhlthau’s model.  Learning “all about wolves” for example, and creating the classic project outlining wolves’ habitat, defences, enemies, and appearance  is perhaps less effective for researching than narrowing down  the topic to a single question of inquiry.  As Reidling states, “more is not necessarily better” (Reidling, 2005).  In this way, I also admire Stipling and Pitt’s The Research Process for it attempts to narrow a research topic to a single question. 

The Focus On Inquiry research model published by Alberta Learning in 2004 (see link below) is a similarly practical and effective research process.   I appreciate how it centers around the student-generated central question for research. In our online discussion, a classmate mentioned the classic "bird unit" (beavers, constellations, Ancient Egypt, apples...the list goes on and on) We still see this all of the time in schools. Like my classmates have mentioned, these are not necessarily bad things, and do serve a function. However, what the Focus on Inquiry model does is to help narrow down the idea of studying all about bees, to rather, "why do bees have yellow and black stripes?" and then to pursue that specific information effectively and efficiently. The Alberta model supports 'building a culture of inquiry" in our students through the teaching of metacognition (learning to learn). TLs and classroom teachers need to always keep in mind that the end goal is not just the successful completion of a research project complete with an eye-catching title page, but rather gathering lifelong information skills necessary for globally literate students.

Our goal is to “help students learn how to learn, to become lifelong learners.”  (Reidling, 2005) 

Focus on Inquiry (Alberta Learning, 2004):
http://www.education.alberta.ca/media/313361/focusoninquiry.pdf

The Role of the TL: words define us!

When I tell people I am a teacher librarian, listeners mostly hear the word 'librarian' and find this both interesting and boring at the same time.  Many are not sure if I am 'really' a teacher, or do I just shelve books in a school library?  To many TLs, self-defining our job is a tough one, as well.

As I was reading our assigned text by Ann Reidling, Reference Skills for the School Media Specialist: Tools and Tips, I was overwhelmed with the verbs that jumped out at me which seem to encompass the true definition of a teacher librarian: 

"mediates"       "assists"   
"brings together..."     "guides"    "serves"       "provides"


In many ways, a teacher librarian in the role of reference specialist is in the service industry.  As Reidling suggests, we have three fundamental elements which are needed:  1) we have information, 2) a student approaches us with a question, 3) we provide an answer.  No, we do not ask if  they would like a side of fries with that, but we sure do try to meets their needs and provide them with the best possible learning opportunity in the library!

I'm blogging! I'm blogging!

Okay, to be fair, this is actually the second blog I've ever created - this was a requirement for a course I took a few years ago, but I hope to be more successful and savy this time around!