Photo courtesy of http://libr.org/juice/pics/cartoon.gif
When I saw the above cartoon, it is a red alert to me: is that what our library is heading towards, online resources replacing the printed ones? I definitely hope not.
In this theme, we studied different types of reference resources. There is no competition that the most commonly used ones are the online resources, which has the benefit of 24/7 access. I purposefully focus my study on resources that I pay little attention to: the printed reference resources session in the school library.
I teach at two different schools in the Surrey School District. At one of the two schools, the library has two shelves housing two sets of World Books (2007), one set of Britannia, a few dictionaries and thesauri, and a few copies of atlases dated 2010. They are neatly arranged on the shelves, indicating that they are seldom touched or used by students and staffs. I acknowledge that a few copies of dictionaries, thesauri, and atlases are kept in classroom for easy access during class time, therefore, those in the library remain unused by students. From the reading in Riedling (2013), I learned that reference books are supposed to be replaced with updated copies every 5 years. As the reference books in the school library are all considered “outdated,” I concern if they will be replaced by updated print copies, or will be weeded without replacement? Hence, I approached my administrator to discuss my concern. In her opinion, she would anticipate that the reference books will be weed without replacement. Her reasoning is that the replacement is pricey, and as the district has a district-wide subscription of the online version, there is no reason to spend the pricey cost for a printed replacement.
In fact, that happened at the other Surrey school that I teach at. A day before the Spring Break, I went to the school library, planning to do an evaluation on the reference session. To my surprise, I could not find any World Books, encyclopedia, dictionaries, etc. As the librarian at the school works on a different day as I do, I approached the administrator and question on the situation. Her response was coherent with the administrator’s at the other school. Because students have 24/7 access to the district online database, it is unreasonable to pay a pricey cost for a printed version of the same resources.
I asked myself: if I were the teacher-librarian at the school, will I insist on purchasing the printed reference resources? Considering the limited budget that school libraries receive for new resources each year, would I give up on the printed reference resources, but use the budget in purchasing resources or books suggested by the staffs at school? I am still debating on the matter, and have not come to a conclusion yet. Maybe, I do not have a choice as it could possibly be a district decision, not mine.
Reference:
Riedling, Ann Marlow, Loretta Shake, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. Third ed. Linworth, 2013. Print.
As I studied through Theme Two, I found the study was quite straight forward as the tasks of a teacher-librarian (TL) were clearly laid out with guidelines.
One of the many tasks of a TL is to conduct reference interview in order to gain insight of the learning community better. The teacher-librarian should invest time into building relationship with the patrons (students and staffs) and focus on their needs. The information gathered through reference interviews should be considered when selecting new reference materials.
Another task of a TL is to manage the reference collection. The Surrey School District (SD 36) provides the teacher-librarians with guidelines in selecting and evaluating reference materials in the district’s Teacher-Librarian Handbook. Riedling, Marlow, & Shake (2013) have discussed in detail in evaluating different formats of reference resources. Bishop (2007) listed the advantages and disadvantages of different formats of reference materials, as well as discussions in the selection criteria, implication of collection development and copyright considerations for each format. Since the TL is acquaintance with the needs of the learning community, the management of the reference collection would become a less challenging task.
Regular evaluations of the reference service are required to improve the service. Lamb & Johnson suggested that library collection could be evaluated through the mapping of collection, along with the circulation statistics. Surveying the patrons could help the TL in evaluating the physical collection as well as the service provided by the TL. I think it is important that a TL should have an open-mind and willingness in accepting any suggestions and opinion, criticism or complementaries on the collection as well as the service. Placing a suggestion box on the library counter would encourage students and staffs to provide suggestions.
Photo courtesy of http://www.mindsatwork.com.au/creativity-2/the-suggestion-box/
The 21st Century Learning Commons and Reference “Collection”
In this 21st century, the libraries, including school and public libraries, are gradually changing into learning commons. There is no question that the roles of the TL change accordingly. As the learning community focuses on inquiry-based learning, the TL is expected to work collaboratively with teachers and students. Besides being the manager of the library collection, the TL is expected to be educational leader whose goal is to build a collaborative learning community. As I browse through the web in search for image to be included in this blog post, I came across this image:
Photo courtesy of http://quartz.syr.edu/blog/?p=1600
We had been discussing about building collections and providing services, however, what make a 21st century library great is that it provides a platform to building a learning community. The above image lead me to a blog post titled with the quotes in the photo above, composed by R. David Lankes. In the blog post, Lankes stated:
“So, do good, bad, great, and ugly libraries have collections? Yes. But great libraries realize that the collection is not what sits on the stacks, but the members and their worlds. The focus is on connection development, not collection development.”
Moreover, in the same blog post, Lankes further discuss the kind of collection that a school librarian should have:
“…great school librarians have a collections of lessons they teach, student teams that assist teachers with technology, and collections of good pedagogy.”
I definitely could resonate to those statements. Please do not misunderstand. The statements do not mean that we should throw out the physical reference collection in the library, but to shift our focus from the physical to relational. The video below, which I discovered on YouTube, shows how a public librarian went over and beyond in bringing resources to build a learning community. I had learned inspirational ideas from the presenter, Pam, such as bringing in live animals and providing reference books on the animals to encourage inquiry learning. Hope that Pam’s sharing could inspire you as well.
References:
Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada.
Bishop, Kay. The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts, Practices, and Information Sources. 4th ed. Westport: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. Print.
Lamb, Annette, and Larry Johnson. “Management: Collection Evaluation.” Multimedia Seeds: Audio and Video Collections in Schools and Libraries. Web. 16 Feb. 2016. <http://eduscapes.com/seeds/management/cd4.html>
Lankes, R. David. “Beyond the Bullet Points: Bad Libraries Build Collections, Good Libraries Build Services, Great Libraries Build Communities.” Web log post. R. David Lankes. 11 Mar. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2016.
Link: http://quartz.syr.edu/blog/?p=1411
Riedling, Ann Marlow, Loretta Shake, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. Third ed. Linworth, 2013. Print.
School District No. 36 (Surrey) Teacher-Librarian Handbook. Surrey School District, 2007. Print.
“One common misconception is that in the future there will be less dependence on the physical library media center.” (Riedling, Shake & Houston, p.116)
Now as I came to the end of my study of theme one, I would agree with the above statement that it is a misconception that patrons will be less dependence on the physical library. However, at the beginning of theme one, it was my worry when I recovered the unnoticeably small, dusty section of reference materials (excluding the non-fiction section) in my school library. I questioned myself: why would I have such a worry? I have been doing inquiry project with my intermediate students in my music classes. As I could not find sufficient relevant print resources for the composers inquiry project I have assigned to my students, I have to guide my students in using online reference resources. As Riedling, Shake & Houston (2013) has stated,
“It is clear that students must have access to electronic information resources for their information needs … The number of print reference materials will certainly decrease in size, and as general reference moves online, specialized reference tools, such as Atlas of the Oceans, may moves onto the shelves.” (p. 118 – 119)
I have observed that my colleagues seem to be doing the same as I do: guiding students to online resources for information instead of the library. Hence, I asked myself: if I were the teacher-librarian, how could I advocate library resources over solely online resources? Maybe the following YouTube video that I discovered would shed a light on the issue:
I think the challenge of my school library is that the teacher-librarian is entitled to one and a half day at my school. That means, the library is “closed” for 70% of the school hours! Teachers would use the “closed” library for class inquiry projects. Students use the round tables in the library for group discussions, non-fiction books for inquiry projects, and the connected computer lab for online research. Unfortunately, the teacher-librarian is not in the picture due to the constraint of job entitlement. I wonder: Is there a way that the teacher-librarian could step into the picture? What could I do to collaborate or assist the classroom teachers and the students? The study of theme one has provided me with guidance and ideas on possible resolution to the matter.
Take Initiative to Get Involved
“You must be the one to reach out. Do not wait for teachers to come to you, and do not expect to succeed with your first suggestion. Keep the dialogue going. If one idea is ignored, wait a while and try another.” (Toor & Weisburg, 2007)
I think it is crucial for teacher-librarian to build a trustworthy relationship with colleagues and students before collaboration could happen. As teachers drop of their classes for library classes (primary grades) or book exchange (intermediate grades), or having lunch in the staff room, the teacher-librarian could start a conversation with the teachers. It is important to show respect to teachers and listen carefully to learn what the teachers are planning. The teacher-librarian could show the teachers what resources the library has, and could offer to introduce particular relevant information skills to the class.
Also, the teacher-librarian could reach out to students as they come into the library. Start a conversation and get to know more about the students’ learning would help in guiding them to the resources they need. A formal reference interview would be scary to elementary school students, however, a casual conversation could lead to an informal reference interview.
Most teachers are using the “Points of Inquiry” as a framework for the class inquiry projects, it is my goal that I could work collaboratively with teachers and students at all the points of inquiry as a teacher-librarian. It is my wish that if I were the teacher-librarian, colleagues and students would see my job title as the one shown in the cartoon below:
Photo courtesy of http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.ca/p/media-specialists-and-teacher.html
Reference Resources
As I have quoted from Riedling, Shake & Houston (2013) earlier in this post, general reference moves online in this 21st-century learning. I think reference services should move online correspondingly. School library catalog could be accessed online 24/7, however, not many staffs and students use the online catalog during after school hours. In fact, I am not certain that staffs and students are aware of the availability of the school library online catalog at home access. However, according to the Surrey School District (No. 36) Teacher-librarian handbook, the library catalog is standardized by the district learning resources service. It is not customized to the need of a particular school community. If I were a teacher-librarian, I would like to try providing a customized reference services through creating a library blog for the school. I had created a “Virtual Learning Common” website as an assignment for a UBC teacher-librarian course that I took last year. It only contains my initial ideas of a library blog, and it is still under construction. Here is a screen shot of the home page of my site:
On my site, I have included a page for suggested free online resources for students, teachers, and parents; as well as a page for classes’ inquiry projects. My goal is to offer a 24/7 access online reference service to staffs and students through a user-friendly format, and at the same time, provide a platform for sharing learning achievements.
Final thoughts
Is it the fact, or a misconception that people will less dependent on the physical library for reference service? I think it is the fact that people would rely more on the electronic reference resources than the printed resources, however, people will continuously require the expertise of the teacher-librarian to provide reference service. If patrons do not come to the library for reference service, let’s reach out and hand out the service to them. References:
Riedling, Ann Marlow, Loretta Shake, and Cynthia Houston. Reference Skills for the School Librarian: Tools and Tips. Third ed. Linworth, 2013. Print. An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC
School District No. 36 (Surrey) Teacher-Librarian Handbook. Surrey School District, 2007. Print.
The Points of Inquiry: A Framework for Information Literacy and the 21st Century Learner. British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association, 2011. Print.
Toor, Ruth, and Hilda K. Weisburg. New on the Job: A School Library Media Specialist’s Guide to Success. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007. Print.
