Context
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the reference collection and services of an elementary school library. The school currently has 277 students enrolled in grades K-7. The school library learning commons is staffed by a qualified teacher-librarian two and a half days per week. The SLLC follows a hybrid schedule, with fixed book exchange times and four flexible blocks per week for co-teaching opportunities. Most of the reference collection is housed in the non-fiction book section. There is also a small separate collection of print reference materials. Digital reference materials subscribed to by the district are available on the SLLC website from school and home.
Analysis
Students use the SLLC often (1-2 times per week) to select books to read for pleasure. They rarely use the collection for information-gathering purposes. Teachers feel that there are adequate resources in the collection to support the curriculum, but not a wide enough variety of formats available to support the learning styles of their students. Other than the web resources subscribed to by the district, there are only books in the collection. In total, there are 9,477 books in the collection. Although the book to student ratio is Exemplary, non-fiction/reference (3,602 books) make up less than 40% of the collection, which does not meet standards (Canadian Association for School Libraries, 2006).
Due to the Below Standard 0.5 staffing of the SLLC (Canadian Association for School Libraries, 2006), the school community does not have open access to reference services other than the digital resources available online. There are 13 online English databases suitable for elementary (see Appendix A). Although teachers feel there are adequate web resources available to support their teaching, they do not use them often. When asked how the collection could better support their students’ information-gathering needs, most indicated they would like more support in using the databases. Currently, the focus of co-teaching is ADST and story workshop. Classes rarely use the SLLC for research, although teachers occasionally sign out a selection of books for a topic of study.
Project Rationale
The reference collection should support the development of knowledge, skills, and understandings by providing a variety of print and non-print resources. Although the current collection adequately covers curricular content, it should “have a number of reference items covering the same content that present information in different formats, languages, or reading levels in order to meet the needs of diverse learners” (Riedling & Houston, 2019, p. 24). The digital resources available add to the variety of the collection, but classroom teachers do not feel equipped to use them with their students. According to the Canadian Library Association (2014), an established SLLC fosters information literacy when the “teacher-librarian collaborates with teachers to infuse information literacy instruction in learning experiences to ensure deep understanding of content” (p. 17). Despite dynamic co-teaching opportunities, users are not accessing the collection to develop information literacy.
Recommendations
In order to improve the reference services of the SLLC, two main courses of action are recommended:
- Diversify the current collection by adding a variety of resource formats to support different learning styles, such as realia, podcasts, maps, or audiobooks.
- Use co-teaching blocks to focus on resource-based learning to achieve curricular objectives.
To achieve the first recommendation, teachers and students should be consulted about the formats they would most like to see added to the collection. The teacher-librarian should then prioritize the budget to add these formats in alignment with the curriculum. As new resources are acquired, the teacher-librarian should alert the school community by promoting new formats during lessons, on the SLLC website, and in physical displays in prominent locations. At the end of the next budget cycle, the teacher-librarian can use an evaluation checklist (see Appendix B) to assess progress.
A shift in the focus of co-teaching blocks will require cooperation from administration and staff. The teacher-librarian and administrator should present rationale for incorporating resource-based learning to classroom teachers. The promotion of digital databases can be used to increase interest in co-teaching opportunities that involve active participation with information resources. The teacher-librarian can use the next assessment period as a goal for increasing student information literacy skills, using BC’s Digital Literacy Framework (BC Ministry of Education, 2021) as an assessment tool (see Appendix C).
This plan to improve the reference services provided by the SLLC should be re-evaluated after one year. Potential challenges will include budget limitations and resistance from classroom teachers. The support of the administrator is key to “provide the leadership, budgets and support for moving forward with library learning commons transitions and implementation of national and regional standards” (Canadian Library Association, 2014, p. 21). The end goal of the project is to ensure that the SLLC is providing the school community with the reference services they need to become lifelong learners.
Works Cited
BC Ministry of Education. (2021). BC’s Digital Literacy Framework. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy-framework.pdf
Canadian Association for School Libraries. (2006). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. (M. Asselin, J. L. Branch, & D. Oberg, Eds.) Canadian Association for School Libraries.
Canadian Library Association. (2014). Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada. Ottawa, ON.
Riedling, A. M., & Houston, C. (2019). Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
Appendix A: List of Available Digital Databases
- 4Canoes
- EBSCOhost
- Explora Primary – Canada
- KnowBC
- National Geographic Kids
- NoveList
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers
- TumbleBookLibrary
- World Book Early Learning
- World Book Kids
- World Book Discover
- World Book Student
- World Book Timelines
Appendix B: Sample Evaluation Checklist
Adapted from Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada, Canadian Association for School Libraries, 2006.
Appendix C: BC’s Digital Literacy Framework
Click here to see the complete framework.
