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AASLblog update March 25, 2009

Unfortunately, the AASL blog was attacked by a virus last night. The attack left the blog without the option to add or edit comments and has left many of the links on the blog’s main page dead. We are currently working to correct the issue.

We hope that you will continue to subscribe to AASLblog for information and issues regarding the school library media community.

The Digital Question March 25, 2009

After the first gasp, the room fell into a stunned silence. Had the Dean of a major research library really just told everyone that there would be no more books in academic libraries three years from now?

It sounds like the opening scene from a library horror story, but this is not fiction. David Lewis, Dean of the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis University Library, confidently (almost nonchalantly) delivered this statement as a simple fact. Within three years there will be pretty much no books left in his library. Bound periodical usage is under 1% of journal access, and with the rest of the collection being scanned and sent to off-site storage, the remaining physical collection will undergo a drastic change. In a 2007 article titled “A Strategy for Academic Libraries in the First Quarter of the 21st Century“, Lewis notes that although “some print materials will remain important, particularly monographs in the humanities and social sciences, in general, print materials will cease to be the primary part of working collections” [Lewis]. Without going into the larger discussion of the pros and cons of digital access to texts, one really big question emerges.

Has anyone told your sophomores that when they get to college in three years they aren’t going to find many books in the library?

Thanks to projects like Google Book Search, using physical books for purely informational/research tasks in academic libraries will diminish rapidly over the next three to five years. This does not mean that books are going away; they will still be strong contenders for pleasure reading. Devices like the Kindle, iPod Touch/iPhone, and the flexible electronic-ink displays just being released will bring some strong competition here as well, but books will still be around in five years. Just not as much for research.

Perhaps this can be best illustrated by a link on the main page of Google Book Search right now:

This takes you to a page where Google defines the reasons they provide a better service. “Can’t remember where you found that quote? Did someone grab the last copy of the book you needed from the library? Google Book Search can help!” [Google] In this case Google is banking on digital access to books as a disruptive technology. Technologies that are disruptive often emerge as a radically different and initally less effective, less effecient way of accomplishing a task. They often use new methods to deliver results cheaper and/or faster. The time and cost savings can appeal to the masses even though experts may correctly identify shortcomings in the new technology when compared to current models. The problem is that mass adoption (and the new market that opens up) leads to faster developement of the new, disruptive technology. Eventually that less effecitve, less effecient technology can overcome its shortcomings and emerge as a better solution. Along the way, however…well, let’s just say that things can be a bit messy.

At the same time, this upcoming transition from print to digital access is one of those Really Big Things (TM) that come along every once in a while. In a sense, we might have an opportunity to witness the next “invention of the printing press” first hand! So back to the question at hand: What should we in school libraries be doing to prepare our students to be successful users of acadmic libraries that are predicting a switch to mainly digital access of research information within the next three years? For our current high school students, this is an immediate concern; this transition is going to have a definite impact on their academic lives in the near future.

Some possible questions:

• In what ways might high school libraries change to reflect the growing trend towards libraries information commons in acadmic settings?
• How do the skills we teach (information seeking, analysis, comprehension, note-taking, etc.) change when information is accessed digitally?
• What needs to be done to prepare our teaching colleagues for this change? How can we collaborate with them on this?

Don’t forget to vote! March 20, 2009

Did you know that there are 8700 members of AASL?  We’re one of the largest voting blocs in ALA and we need to make sure our voices, our issues are heard in this year’s elections.

The polls opened March 17 and will close on April 24th. All voting is online, you can start your ballot, save it and log in later to finish it.   If you haven’t gotten your e-mail with voting instructions, contact ALA Membership Services: membership@ala.org, phone 800-545-2433, Press 5, or fax 312-944-2641

So, who’s on the ballot?  The all-AASL candidates are:

AASL Board

President-Elect
• Terri G. Kirk (KY)
• Nancy Everhart (FL)

Division Councilor


• Ann Dutton Ewbank (AZ)
• Sylvia K. Norton (ME)

Member-At-Large

• Catherine Marriott (NY)
• Dennis LeLoup (IN)

Regional Directors and Section Leader information can be found here

Also running:

ALA President-Elect

• Roberta A. Stevens

Council

• AASL Members
  • Bart Birdsall
  • Angela Carstensen
  • Annalisa R. Crews
  • Vicki Morris Emery
  • Carolyn Giambra
  • Christopher G. Harris
  • Jody K. Howard
  • Sara Kelly Johns
  • Johan H. Koren
  • Dennis J. LeLoup
  • Virginia (Ginny) B. Moore
  • Frances Roscello
  • Vicky Schmarr
  • Kelvin Watson
  • Glenda Willnerd
  • Nancy P. Zimmerman
• Youth Division Members
  • Kay I. Bowes
  • Irene L. Briggs
  • Frank A. Bruno
  • Heidi W. Dolamore
  • Reese Evenson
  • Mario M. Gonzalez
  • Dora T. Ho
  • Maren Ostergard
  • Suzy Szasz Palmer
  • Jennifer Pickle
  • Tracy Sumler
  • Gail Tobin

NOTE: These names are provided for informational purposes only and imply no endorsement of the candidates.

Reach Out and Touch Someone March 20, 2009

One of the wonderful perks of being a school librarian is having access to so many wonderful resources.   Recently at a conference for the James Region of VEMA, Bev Lamey, spoke on what connections we as librarians need to make outside our library.  The first connection of course has to be with the administration and faculty and staff at your school level building.  So often we are busy making sure we have all the statistics to prove what we are doing that we forget that teachers and administrators are watching and seeing the “magic” that is being created in your space.  This Magic is what draws them into the library to become a part of that scene. Next we need to connect with parents.  Let them know that in these tough economic times, books and resources are still available at the library for their children.  Contact your school board members and keep a line of communication going with them.  Invite them in to participate in activities such as Read Across America, National Library Week, etc.  Reach out and touch your local and state legislators.  Show them through e-mail and calls that you are voting members of their constituency and that you have concerns that they need to address on their level.  And finally, reach out and touch books.  Make them present in print format, electronic format, in pictures, in displays, in book talks, etc.  For some, the school may be the only place that they are being introduced to literacy and the world of the imagination.  So, my challenge for April during National Library Week and in my school district, Library Month, reach out and touch someone.  Network, advocate, and strut your stuff.  You are in heady company with all the great writers of the world.  Breathe in that heady sensation and reconnect with why you chose this field to begin with:  you love to read and share that love with others!

Video from the AASL Candidates’ Forum at the ALA Midwinter Meeting March 12, 2009

Candidates for AASL President-Elect Nancy Everhart and Terri G. Kirk were among those who spoke at the Curtis Hotel in Denver on January 25, 2009.  If you missed the forum, you can hear Everhart and Kirk via YouTube, and watch the channel for more candidate video over the next two weeks.

More information about all the candidates for AASL office appears online and transcripts of many of their speeches will be posted on the blog soon. Another resource of possible interest is the list of youth division candidates in the ALA general election.

In an attempt to digitize the election process, ballots for this year’s American Library Association elections will be distributed through email between March 17-19. For members without email addresses or those who need to update their personal information, the ALA election page links to a list of answers to frequently-asked-questions about participating in the voting process.

Advocacy Progress Planner March 9, 2009

To help advocacy groups plan long-term advocacy, the Advocacy Progress Planner: An Advocacy and Policy Change Composite Logical Model is a valuable online tool.   The Planner provides a framework and choices for the group to identify goals and impacts, audience, tactics, benchmarks, and what resources are available.

Once these elements are identified, the Planner presents an overview of the current plan and the team can analyze the results and ask questions to clarify their plan:

• Are you sure this strategy is the correct one for this goal?
• Do you need to find coalition partners to make your group stronger?
• Will your message reach your targeted audience through the methods you identified?
• Does the advocacy group have the resources to achieve their goals?

The advocacy team can add notes specific to their group and its efforts.  When the plan is finished, a PDF is available of the model or the Planner provides a URL for the advocacy group to revisit.

If your group is just beginning its advocacy efforts, this is a valuable way to learn the language and concepts involved, and to identify just what your long-term goals are and how best to reach them.

Advocacy Progress Planner

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 101: What Librarians Should Know March 8, 2009

The American Library Association has provided an outline of what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) can do to help libraries. The ALA Washington Office has created an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 101 webpage as a one-stop source with resources on how to make sure libraries benefit from the package and have the most up-to-date information on the stimulus.

Take some time to review this website to learn what the stimulus package can provide for our libraries.  Be sure to check out the state-by-state impact of the stimulus package and how to advocate for ARRA funding!

School Library Media Centers – Standards and accreditation March 8, 2009

In addition to a focus on curriculum standards, many schools and particularly high schools undergo an accreditation process (as we just did). Schools hosting an accreditation team provide documentation showing that the school meets the standards of the accrediting agency. What part does the library play in schools obtaining full accreditation? How much does the school library program matter in terms of accreditation? What if any are the “standards” a school library program must meet? Are these quantitative or qualitative? 

North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement is one accreditation agency covering many schools. Schools accredited by NCA are visited every five years. Prior to 1998 NCA accreditation standards in terms of the school library were quantitative standards.  These standards covered items such as number of items in the collection, expenditures per pupil, available seating and staffing. In some cases this resulted in libraries not weeding the collection because that would take the numbers under the “standard”. Library budgets were often tied to the minimum standard. From 1998 to 2005 NCA standards for libraries no longer included budget or seating but did include staffing. The standards did address the school library but in more general terms i.e. “The school provides access to a balanced collection of print, non-print, and electronic media that are of sufficient quality and quantity to support the curriculum.”  But the focus during these years was on the school improvement process. While principals still filed a yearly self-reported compliance, during the accreditation visit, the school library was not any set part of the process. 

In 2006-2007 NCA, under the umbrella AdvancED, developed the The AdvancED Accreditation Standards for Quality Schools  In this document, the school media program is specifically mentioned as an indicator under (Standard 3 – Teaching and Learning). In addition there is an Educational Practices Reference Guide but these are guidelines not standards. 

Standards for school library media centers were first developed in 1918 under NCA and the American Education Association. AASL published Standards for School Library Media Programs in 1969 and Media Programs: District and School in 1975 both of which included quantitative guidelines. This was followed by a new type document in 1988 Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs published by AASLand AECT which still included quantitative guidelines but began focusing on the program rather than the collection. 

A good overview can be found here and in a Knowledge Quest article, Standards—Our Earliest History (Frances Roscello; Knowledge Quest Volume 32 Number 4 March/April 2004 p6-8).

In 1998 AASL and AECT published Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning and Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning. These were standards focused on students and information literacy rather than quantitative standards for the library collection. This trend continues with Standards for the 21st Century Learner. 

A question – do we have a need for the old qualitative “guidelines” in addition to the more general learning standards? Are we better or worse off without them?

Adding Traffic Statistics to PBwiki March 8, 2009

Many of us use PBwiki for everything from pathfinders to collaborative  meetings. The premium version of 1.0 included a great traffic statistics tool that disappeared when they converted to 2.0.  It logged the hits per page, among other things, and provided considerable insight for end-of-year usage reports.

With the 2.0 conversion, you don’t necessarily have to give up usage statistics, thanks to Google Analytics. In fact, you’ll be able to access more statistical information than you will probably ever need, including page statistics, direct access, referring sites and more. And, like most Google apps, it’s free.

Here’s how you add Analytics to your PBwiki site, if you have a Premium account (the free accounts don’t support CSS and Java Script settings).

1. Go to Google Analytics and sign up for a free Google Analytics account.

2. When you sign up, you’ll enter in your wiki’s URL.  Also, you’ll get some embed code.

3. Copy the code and place it into the CSS & Javascript setting of your wiki, and click Save.

Mini-read Posters. March 5, 2009

Here is another fabulous idea to use in your library to engage your students and to personalize the books each person reads.   Check out this website for ideas and instructions for mini-read posters.   This could even be a good idea for creating gaming teams and other ways to showcase the students in your school.    http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarianinblack/2755141260/

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