Standards in practice & the Darien statement April 27, 2009
Posted by Wendy Stephens in : Standards , 2commentsLast week discussion on the AASL forum listserv turned to Empowering Learners, the program guidelines that support AASL standards for the 21st Century Learner. The initial response was positive about the direction of the guidelines, but some of the discussion called for some sort of “standards in action.” Model lessons will be available, Ruth Small reported, through Syracuse’s IMLS project http://www.informationliteracy.org/, which maps existing lesson plans to the new AASL standards.
This month yielded an example of grandiloquent librarian manifesto-production in what has become known as the Darien statement. That document appeared on John Blyberg’s blog on April 3. The work is a collaboration between Blyberg, Kathryn Greenhill , and Cindi Trainor
The Darien statement begins ambitiously enough,
“The purpose of the Library is to preserve the integrity of civilization.”
The document throws aside the practical in aspiration towards what some readers have called a “Platonic” ideal of a “Library” (note the choice of capitalization). Many readers took issue with the authors’ disregard of ethical labor practices within the library. Rather characteristically, Library Journal’s Annoyed Librarian, railed against manifesto-writing when there is real library work to be done.
Unlike the existing information literacy lessons which can be mapped to new standards, there doesn’t appear much document that applies to the day-to-day work of media specialists. Omission of any statement about information literacy was noted by academic librarians.
Yet there remains something rather compelling about meditating on the human side of our ancient profession, a profession increasingly affected by digitization and distance. Some readers praised the Darien document as Ranganathan’s laws updated for the 21st century. That analogy is probably drawn from the Darien statement’s near-mystical prescription that “librarians” (note lowercase) master soft skills like trust, protection, openness, and kindness. The scope of the group’s vision can be evaluated in Trainor’s reflection:
“the openness I want us to espouse is not only related to libraries and our profession but to all of us as human beings. I believe we are on the cusp of an historic, societal change that libraries can push forward, be a part of, and preserve.”
As school systems and state governments look to decrease expenses in light of revenue shortfalls, school librarians can’t rest with rhetoric and reflection. Borrowing from Darien’s ideal “Library,” it is imperative we engage in grass-roots activism, as well as more public, and more traditional, advocacy. To accomplish this, we must understand and articulate how AASL standards are already being met in our school library programs as well as envisioning ways to incorporate new literacies. Empowering Learners and the http://www.informationliteracy.org/ site are important tools for school media specialists in the trenches.
The Ultimate Classroom Library: Your School Media Center April 26, 2009
Posted by bhamilton in : Hot Topics , 12commentsA significant factor in getting children to read is providing access to books—mountains and mountains of books. But regular access to books is beyond the grasp of many children in America. Considering research findings from numerous studies, we could rename the achievement gap the library gap. Students in poverty have the least access to books because of poorly funded and staffed school libraries, limited public library use, and fewer books at home.
Most educators agree that students of all ages need regular access to a diverse collection of books. Thanks to the efforts of AASL and grass roots groups such as the “Washington Moms”, more attention is being given to the problem of underfunded and understaffed school libraries across the nation. Studies from Keith Curry Lance and others show a strong correlation between strong library programs and student achievement.
Miller argues that federal monies would be better spent on actual books rather than test prep materials or reading incentive programs; she poses the question, “Wouldn’t this federal windfall be better spent on providing real books, an endeavor proven to work?” Most literacy educators and school librarians would readily agree with her assertion.
However, rather than calling for these federal (or local/state) monies to be used for purchasing more library books that could be used by all students in a building, Miller would like to see these funds used for stocking classroom libraries.
Unfortunately, instead of money for books flowing into our classrooms from district, state, and federal education funds, this money frequently runs in the opposite direction—we subsidize our own [classroom] libraries. If you walk into a classroom with a well-stocked library, I guarantee that the teacher purchased most of those books with his or her own money. While the absence of political will or clear priorities deny access to books for our students, many teachers put their money where their beliefs are.
Many of us who are school librarians took time via the blog and Twitter to applaud Miller’s passion and efforts to put books into the hands of students. However, many librarians raised concerns about federal, state, or local monies being used to purchase books for classroom libraries rather than the school library; most people who commented supported the existence of classroom libraries. However, many who commented discussed why funding school library collections would be a better use of monies than funding classroom libraries. Some of these reasons include:
- As a librarian, my view is that it is more cost effective to have a well maintained library with a flexible schedule allowing classes and individual students to visit often for book selection. Perhaps I have missed it but you don’t seem to mention the role of the library in the reading program. This seems more feasible than creating 2000 volume mini-libraries in all classrooms. Also visits to the library create the opportunity to get reading advice from another reading advocate other than their own teacher. ~Debbie Hall~
- No classroom collection can duplicate the depth of a great school library collection. (In my library, if I didn’t have something, that often meant it just hadn’t been written yet.) Why do we keep trying to reinvent this wheel? Parents and teachers and kids should be up in arms when their school does not have an exemplary (or any) school library. It’s a service a school can’t function without. I’ve met lots of spectacular, dedicated teachers like you who work in schools without a functioning school library and they’re functioning under an unnecessary and harmful handicap. It’s just not right and it’s just not practical or efficient to run a school without a great library. ~Judy Freeman~
- Classroom libraries are great, but if we’re going to get the most for our limited funding, it’s best to have an exciting central location where all teachers and students can browse. They can browse with their teacher as a class – or even browse individually at any time. ~Lindy Pals~
- But I am really bugged about an investment that has no real accountability. I’m also concerned that the books put in the classroom library through methods outlined above may or may not be in alignment with district selection policies or provide a balanced and unbiased selection of materials. Do these books support all curriculum areas as well as diverse interests of students? That is what the school library offers. Are teachers ready to deal with a book challenge? Most probably are not. It’s wonderful to see so many advocates for reading out there, but please recognize the benefit of a open flexible library staffed with a trained school teacher librarian. ~Cathy Nelson~
- In addition I seriously have to question the value of filling a classroom library with half price, discounted and/ or discarded books – they are that way for a reason…..It is important to expose children to a variety of reading materials that not only support curriculum but ALSO represent all cultures and viewpoints. In addition, the children deserve a balanced collection of materials suitable for all reading abilities and interests. A school library AND a school librarian are invaluable in providing this to a school and its community. In our school we have classroom libraries, but many teachers choose to utilise library resources instead – they keep their classroom libraries fresh and interesting by changing them out for different books on a regular basis. This provides the students with lots more choice and the teachers are utilising the librarian’s skills in choosing appropriate resources. ~Leanne Windsor~
- In these times of economic struggles in education accountability is the key to effective management of resources. ~Dianne McKenzie~
- I’d also like to comment on classroom libraries. I think all of us are working towards the same goal. But, isn’t it redundant to spend money on classroom libraries when you and the students can go get books from the school library for free? ~Juliette Abate~
- I agree that surrounding students with books (library, classroom, home) is a wonderful goal. I just don’t think it should be at the expense of the school library. Teachers spending their own money for classroom libraries is THEIR CHOICE, and I applaud them for doing so. I would just be in tears if my school/district/state decided to spend money that should go toward the school library (and ultimately access to ALL student in the school) and spend it instead on classroom libraries. ~Heather Loy~
On Twitter, Elizabeth Gleeson Friese, an educator and doctoral student studying Children’s Literature at the University of Georgia, shared this concern: “The idea of a collection built from garage sales & Scholastic scares me – so many biases there. It’s limiting, paradoxically.” Anne Robinson, a librarian from the United Kingdom, reflects, “Scouring garage sales lets administrators off hook re proper funding for new books!” Many librarians, including Pamela Hill and Laura Pearle, wondered what, if any role, the school librarian played in Miller’s work as a literacy educator.
In her original post, Miller tells us about her 2000+ classroom library collection:
I am known around my school as the teacher with the huge library. With over 2,000 books, our class library holds mythic status among my students (both current and former). They often conduct tours, leading friends and younger siblings through the stacks, proudly showing off our books and making recommendations. These tours usually end with our guests filling out library cards and checking out books to read. My willingness to share our books with any child who wants to read them is well-known, too.
In response, I asked her if this was not the exact same mission as her school library. While I respect her passion and willingness to share her materials, I would think that managing this collection would be time-consuming. If the school library is well stocked, why not point parents and students to the school library? What school librarian would not jump at a chance to show off the collection and check out books to patrons hungry for books?
On April 25, Miller responded to concerns raised by the librarians on her blog. While she stated she did have a “well stocked” school library and certified library staff, she restated her value of her classroom library, asserting, “When four children want to read the same book and share it with their friends, when a child wants to check out six books in a series so he can read them all in a weekend, when a teacher needs to pass a book to a parent or sibling in order to promote family reading– classroom libraries can fulfill this role.” I ask, “Why can’t the school library provide the same service?”
While Miller is not proposing federal/state/local monies designated for school library books be diverted for purchasing classroom library books, she doesn’t seem to understand that is exactly what will happen if those monies are used to buy classroom books. Those monies that could have been used to bolster school library collections would be used in a piecemeal fashion for classrooms, limiting who would have access to those books.
I believe the comments on Miller’s blog reflect a common interest in providing students as much access as possible to books. However, I’m not sure if classroom teachers understand that school libraries around the country are fighting for their lives and that the fight for funding is one that affect an entire school, not just the school librarian. Pamela Hill shared similar sentiments on my Facebook while, maintaining, “There are still many places that are in danger of losing their school libraries and/ or librarians- any outcry for funding should be to KEEP those libraries. If a teacher chooses to buy 2000 books for her classroom – fine – I’m all for that, I just don’t think we should start diverting public funds there.” Jeff Johnson, Technology Coordinator for the Glendale-River Hills District in Glendale, Wisconsin, asks, “Imagine what your school would be like without your school library?”
The absence of a conversation from classroom teachers regarding collaboration with their school librarian is also troubling to me. Collaboration is one of the hallmarks of 21st century learning; we should no longer be in the mindset of “them” or “us”; our paradigm should be “we” in which all educators are working together to maximize the resources and access to those resources for all students. In this instance, it seems logical that buying more books for the school library will reach more students than books in a single classroom. Through collaboration, school librarians can find out what classroom teachers need for their readers and provide those materials through flexible and open access.
Miller concludes her April 25 comments with these statements:
By all means, continue your outcry to promote funding for school libraries– I agree with you. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that more books in more places serves kids best.
In my mind, the outcry should not just be from school librarians—every stakeholder—teacher, student, administrator, librarian, parent—should be taking up this banner and fighting for school libraries.
What do you think? Should federal, state, and/or local funds be used to fund classroom libraries? What strategies have you used to support the literacy needs of your classroom teachers? How can we as school libraries somehow be in more places within our buildings? How do foster a collaborative relationship and environment within our schools so that teachers and media specialists are working together rather than seeing each other’s efforts as separate endeavors? How do we help teachers perceive the library whose mission is to help all stakeholders and as an essential component of the school that belongs to everyone? How do we better position libraries as the “information and learning commons” within our schools?
Buffy Hamilton, Media Specialist
Creekview High School, Canton, Georgia
Victory in Washington for School Libraries April 21, 2009
Posted by jfreeman in : Advocacy, Spokane Moms , add a commentSchool Library Journal posted an article today about the inclusion of language including media specialists and library materials as an official part of Washington State’s definition of basic education for “prototypical” schools, as passed by the state legislature yesterday.
This unprecedented recognition of school libraries as essential to basic education is the result of difficult, time-consuming work by the Spokane Moms, Lisa Layera Brunkan, Denette Hill and Susan McBurney, as well as the efforts of Washington teacher-librarians to lobby the state legislature for this language.
Read more at School Library Journal online:
Washington Makes School Library History
PLN Anxiety April 17, 2009
Posted by abranyon in : Check this out! , add a commentSince many of us want to stay connected and want to stay abreast of all the new things that are happening in the library these days, we are participants in many social networks such as blogs, nings, plinkys, and twitter. Joyce Valenza truly turned many of us on to the whole concept of the importance of networking or at least she turned me on to it. Yet do you find yourself longing for the days when you could be unplugged! When information wasn’t coming so fast at you that you felt bombarded. My co-librarian just told me that she felt like she had so many balloons in her head that she was afraid she was going to forget to check on one thing or do one thing and like any good balloon, it would float off into the sky never to be retrieved. Joyce Valenza just wrote an article on just this feeling. Being PLNtrenched. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334.html#1900042990 It addresses just these thoughts and idea. If you have ideas for how to stay connected and sane, let me know. We rookies at being socially networked need to stick together!!!
AASL Webinar — Teaching Responsibilities April 15, 2009
Posted by gdickinson in : Check this out! , 1 comment so farJust finished an exciting and stimulating webinar for AASL on the RESPONSIBILITIES of the AASL Learning Standards. People had such great ideas. We were a group of librarians from elementary, middle, and high schools plus district and regional library supervisors, some state ed people, and even a university professor or two.
Teaching responsibilities start with the first day of Kindergarten, when we remind students to respect library materials, to check them out, and then to bring them back. We teach responsibility when we remind students to cite their sources, when we teach website evaluation, and when we insist that “Googling” may not provide a complete answer to any of our questions.
When I looked at the Responsibilities in the AASL Learning Standards, it seemed to me that they could be divided into three categories:
As a group, we went through each category. We found most of us were very comfortable teaching about following the rules, since most of the responsibilities that we teach fell in that category. The second category contained a lot of group process skills, and we had a lot of discussion about how to create rubrics to assess the degree to which students are showing respect for diverse points of view, for encouraging the group process, and other such skills.
The third group of Responsibilities, plan for a responsible future, was a bit harder. We could not find as many examples of what we are teaching, nor could we come with great ways to assess responsibilities such as connecting understanding to the real work, or creating products that apply to authentic, real-world products. We could all describe what the product would look like, but it will take more thinking to be able to design assessments that will tell us the degree to which individual students are learning the above.
We all had next steps we are going to do, including making the teaching of responsibilities more explicit. In other words, making this part of the Learning Standards a learning goal, not just an extra assumption to the lesson.
Great participants make great webinars! Thank you to those who took the time to be there!
Gail Dickinson
Ebooks: Are we there yet? April 15, 2009
Posted by Wendy Stephens in : Technology , 2commentsThe Kindle held potential as a workable consumer ebook for a lot of bibliophiles and gadget junkies. As traditional print publications change format and schedules, there is a sense readers will all have to get used to news and other information delivered in online-only manner. After all, Chris Harris blogged here last month about universities envisioning libraries without books, and several media specialists at the high school level have recently described their reference collections as entirely electronic.
Turns out, iPhone owners never had to invest in dedicated hardware to read the largest available electronic selection of ebooks. The Kindle for iPhone allowed an exponential number of users to access Amazon’s unparalleled catalog of titles.
The Kindle interface allows you to “bend” corners of the screens that make up the “pages” to mark them for later consultation. That feature is particularly important because the text offered no pagination. And while the reader can magnify the text size, the plate sizes were fixed, making some illustrations unintelligible.
But the most serious limitations of the Kindle for iPhone stem from its minimal formatting. The end of the book contained a keyword index without referencing any page numbers, and, since the words aren’t hyperlinked and, unlike some other ereaders, the whole text’s not searchable. Thus, the index is little more than an alphabetical list of concepts contained somewhere within the 800-odd pages without any way to get back to them. When the reader is used to more evolved computer application, the Kindle version is hardly useful for scholarship.
Emily Walshe, writing in the The Christian Science Monitor a publication which The New York Times reports will be cutting back to online-only editions this month, cautions
“
You can’t resell or share your books – because you don’t own them. You can download only from Amazon’s store, making it difficult to read anything that is not routed through Amazon first. You’re not buying a book; you’re buying access to a book. No, it’s not like borrowing a book from a library, because there is no public investment. It’s like taking an interest-only mortgage out on intellectual property
The Kindle model favors access at the expense of ownership. When the reader finishes a book, they cannot share it. And a phone, even more than a Kindle, is a uniquely personal device.
ProQuest Encourages Library Advocacy During National Library Week April 12, 2009
Posted by jfreeman in : Advocacy , 1 comment so farThe Ann Arbor database publisher ProQuest LLC is celebrating National Library Week by encouraging libraries to take advantage of the company’s popular advocacy program.
The program includes tools and services that help librarians connect with their user communities, free database access and scholarship support for library students, and awards to recognize outstanding library school educators and those who protect intellectual freedom.
Link to K-12 School Library Toolkit:
http://www.proquest.com/en-US/utilities/toolkits/tk-schools.shtml
See the rest of the article from WWJ Newsradio for links and more information:
http://www.wwj.com/ProQuest-Encourages-Library-Advocacy-During-Nation/4186893
AASL Webinar on the Skills of the Standards April 8, 2009
Posted by kfont in : Check this out! , 1 comment so farHi – I’m Kristin Fontichiaro, and I just concluded leading the AASL Webinar focusing on the Skills portion of the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, taking over for Cassandra Barnett, who created the session.
In many ways, the Skills are the easiest part of the Standards to get our heads around. They’re what kids DO! But while some of the Skills transfer over from our past work, there are some key differences. Here are some of the things we talked about today:
- Think about the Common Beliefs as a starting point to build a conversation with your media department, with teachers, or with administration. If you don’t have consensus on the Common Beliefs, it may not be time to move onto the Standards that build upon them.
- The Skills focus on inquiry, not information literacy. With the exception of a mention in the Common Beliefs, you don’t find “information literacy” in the Standards. But what you will find is a deep commitment to the inquiry process. And that can help you build a bridge with other subject area teachers who also believe in inquiry and help you work from a common definition (think especially of science teachers!). Think of this as an opportunity to dig deeper into the instructional process with teachers, beyond, “Once you fill in your graphic organizer, you can go.” How can you help students move beyond FINDING information to USING information? How can you help them construct new knowledge?
- Think about the opportunities for metacognition and awakening prior knowledge. Remember – new information rarely endures unless it connects with a student’s prior knowledge. How can we help awaken and/or build that foundation for students before they start with research?
- The Standards mesh nicely with the ideas in the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills Framework and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS*S).
- Think of the Standards like a pick-a-mix candy stand. You don’t have to match a Standard 1 skill with a Standard 1 Disposition with a Standard 1 Self-Assessment to create a lesson. Pull from the Standards the pieces you need to create great learning, regardless of which standard number they go with.
- We all know teachers who love doing what David Loertscher classically christened “bird units,” where students fill in the blanks with superficial information, then copy that information into a “report.” Jamie McKenzie calls this “word-moving,” and it was an image that really hit home to teachers in my building. We want to make sure that we are assessing students’ cognition, NOT their ability to follow directions! Consider small tweaks that can drastically deepen student learning. In our Webinar, we had the example of students watching a video and transcribing information about the three branches of government. How could we deepen the learning beyond transcription? We brainstormed many ways to suggest one small change that would have a big impact.
- We also talked about challenges and opportunities that the new Standards present. Challenges: students used to being “spoonfed” or out of practice with deeper thinking, teachers uncomfortable with inquiry, time. Opportunities: a chance to work more closely with the curriculum director, a chance to deepen metacognition, and a chance to really put our beliefs into practice.
Much more was said, thanks to the contributions of the many participants. (Hope you all will chime in with comments!) Thanks to AASL for hosting this Webinar and to Learning Times for producing the session and taking care of all the behind-the-scenes mechanics.
If you missed today’s Webinar, there are still three more to come each Wednesday this month, one each on Dispositions, Responsibilities, and Self-Assessment Strategies. Learn more here.
And if you haven’t ever hosted a Webinar, consider giving it a try. (You, too, could lead PD while your towels dry!) New free streaming services like Ustream.tv let you host your own video-streamed PD for free, and paid services give you even more features (like the polls, PowerPoint displays, and discussion windows that Learning Times’ use of AdobeConnect provided). You can sure learn a lot while the dryer is going!
Kristin Fontichiaro
http://blog.schoollibrarymedia.com
A little Spring Break fun April 7, 2009
Posted by Laura Pearle in : Check this out! , add a commentA week or so ago, Buffy Gunther Hamilton tweeted a request for a few words that describe what a librarian is; the results (in Wordle form) are
Now, take a look at Brady Johnson’s drawings over on Blue Skunk Blog.
Friends of the School Library April 6, 2009
Posted by jfreeman in : Advocacy , 1 comment so farEven as advocates for our programs, we often struggle when we think about opening up our libraries and programs to others. We invite volunteers to help us shelve books, but do we involve parents and families integrally in the library program and in the process educate them about the importance of our programs and staff?
One method used successfully by many public libraries is creating a Friends of the Library group. School librarians are beginning to see the value of having an organized Friends group to support and advocate for their program.
To begin a Friends of the School Library group, first determine the purpose. Possible ideas include:
- to increase family and community involvement in the library and in the school
- to plan and assist in fundraising (book fair, book sales, etc.)
- to sponsor or host special events or after school (book clubs, Battle of the Books, etc.)
- to advise on collection development and programming (author visits, book reviews, etc.)
- to start a publicity campaign to promote the library and your services
Then, identify and recruit possible interested members:
- students
- parents
- grandparents
- staff members
- principals or administrators
- community members
It may be uncomfortable to incorporate all the purposes if you have not had this level of involvement in your library before. If so, just choose one and then expand later. In case of a crisis, a ready-made group will be available to advocate for your program with inside information and personal knowledge.
A possible plan of action is available in this fact sheet from the Friends of Libraries U.S.A.
If you have a successful Friends of the School Library group, please put a link to it in the comments section.
