Final Thoughts: New Beginnings

As LIBE 465 comes to an end and we wrap up the course with presentations, I am so encouraged by the type of learning that has occurred. As teachers, we all hope to create experiences that engage or students, push them, and result in meaningful, relevant learning. Watching fellow teachers present on how they have transformed both physical and virtual library spaces to improve user access has been really inspirational and left me with more ideas of how I can continue developing the project I began in this class. Some ideas I gleaned from the presentations and hope to incorporate into my web page include:

• linking the library homepage to the local public library web site
• incorporating a space for student reviews
• using Xtranormal videos to introduce librarytopics
• providing links to free online graphic novels 
• posting a new book slide-show
• linking to teacher blogs

I also felt very challenged by our class discussion of the David Walbert's Best Practices in Library Design to continue exploring what factors constitute a strong virtual library space. Exploring his article led me to an interesting slide share, Using your LibraryWebsite in Instruction, that has provoked me to begin viewing my web page as an instructional tool, which certainly will influence my future selection of resources for this space. This slide share ends with a lengthy list of resources that look very helpful in helping me find ways to improve the library web page; some more fun summer reading to do after the course ends. But so it should be with learning- inquiry should lead to more inquiry- the process is cyclical not linear!

Dreaming Big



Photo ©Albert Vecerka/Estop

Have some fun, and take a minute to imagine what the school library of your dreams would look like? Some great examples of “cool”, contemporary, kid friendly spaces can be found in Margaret Sullivan’s article, “Divine Design: How to create the 21st-century school library of your dreams." The libraries shown in this article are located in some of New York City's poorest neighborhoods, and were created as part of an initiative by the Robin Hood Foundation-a leader in school library design-and the New York City Department of Education” (Sullivan, 2011). From ceilings painted to look like skies with soaring book lights hanging from them to the mid-century modern retro inspired furniture, these are all inspirational spaces that push the boundaries of what a school library could look like.

Sullivan’s tips for designing spaces are helpful too. Allowing for flexible instructional spaces seems key to successful collaboration and teaching. Sullivan also suggests “Merchandising” books like “Barnes & Noble” making “…your books and magazines more attractive (and more visible!) to students by taking advantage of displays, mobile fixtures, signage, and lighting” (Sullivan, 2011). Insisting on a strong infrastructure and making sure your library is well-powered, will ensure the facility can keep up with technological advances. Sullivan also strongly suggests that the planning of the facility must reflect its vision. She writes: “Start planning your library by listing and prioritizing important activities and desired student outcomes, and be able to clearly articulate the culture you want people to see when they walk into your library. Whatever you do, don’t let the furniture become the main topic of conversation or dictate the space’s culture” (Sullivan, 2011). Finally, I love, love, love Sullivan’s idea inspired by “…child-advocate Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods (Algonquin, 2005), which argues that contemporary children are increasingly cut off from nature and that “[c]reating a secure environment outdoors for students to gather, read, perform, or just relax in expands your space significantly" (Sullivan , 2011). Why couldn’t outdoor spaces be part of the expanding walls of the 21^st century library?

I am left with lots to “dream” about; I will worry about money and time later!

Main Entry= ME

Name Access Point (NAP), Subject Acess Point (SAP),  Title Access Point (TAP) are all examples of access points to finding the information we want. With library catalogs computerized, patrons have mutiples access points, unlike in the days of old when Main Entry in the card catalog was the solo route. But as I continue to learn about the organization of the library in all its forms, from the computerized catalog to the physical space, I realize that there is still one very crucial Main Entry- me! The library doesn't magically organize itself- trained teacher librarian's at at the heart of effecient school libraries. The ultimate goal in all of this being providing the best possibe access for U the User. To play on words, at the heart of ME is U.

I was really challenged to consider the user during an exercise in LIBE 465 that had us respond to an image by searching for key words related to it in our school library catalogs. Placing myself in the shoes of a user made me realize the limitations of the catalog. My instinct was to respond to the image of a First Nations man wearning an elaborate head-dress by typing First Nations as my SAP- no results. I had done some research the day prior for resources on the First Nations legend of Zunuqua, so I remembered that the term Native American had resulted in some success. Sure enough, using this term did bring up results. This is classic example of the changing nature of language and its context being an obstacle to the effective use of catalog determined by a centralized rules system (in my school's case the Sears method of cataloging).

So in this example, for my users the computerized catalog did not meet all their needs. So how can I respond?

Me= main entry. I can teach my students how to use different search terms to find what they are looking for, in hopes of better results. I can anicipate search terms my users may attempt, and change the MARC record to reflect those, offering another SAP. I can guide users to the physical place in the library that would house books on the topics, allowing them to peruse them. I could re-organize the physical space to house books on a particularly popular and relevent topic in an easily accessible location or manner; for example, all on one shelf, on a spinner, or in tubs (al of which would be clearlt labelled, of course). I also can organize the virtual space by adding resources on relevant topics, adding multiple tags, and a search function on the web page. The role of teacher librarian in access is vital- we truly are the Main Entry as we ensure all the access points to information meet the users needs!

Metadata and Search Engines

The Internet Traffic Map above gives a visual of the activity that happens on the web. In LIBE 465 we discussed spiders or web-crawlers, bringing a whole new meaning to me of why we often call the internet the web.We learned that major search engines such as Google send out these web crawlers to gather information in order to determine how they order search results. Human-powered directories, on the other hand, use humans to determine the listings. How does knowing about this help me as an organizer of information? How does this help me teach information literacy skills?

The first thing this knowledge does is validate the important role of Teacher Librarian's. As students find themselves "...awash in a sea of information, not all of which is reliable" (BCTLA, 2010), the role of TL is critical. First of all, its important to help staff and students understand the value of human powered directories such as the databases available through the library webpage. It's important to help them see that these are designed by humans for educational purposes and that these humans have thoughtfully taken time to determine the worth of this information. A visual that comes to mind in explaining this is an overflowing garbage can which contains a few hundred dollar bills. With human powered search engines someone has sifted through the garbage for you determining, through a thoughtful process, the items of worth; with crawler-powered engines you have to do this yourself.  Databases save their users time by pointing them to credible sources. The key for TL's here becomes teaching users how to access these databases, so they can take of advantage of the work others have done for them in the search process.

But does this mean we should discourage students from using crawler-based search engines such as Google? Certainly not, as they can provide access to materials not included in human-powered databases. But the key here is to teach students to be discriminate about the information they are accessing; to teach them to determine what makes a site credible on their own. For this I would use Joyce Valenza's CARRDSS method: Credibility, Accuracy, Reliability, Relevance, Date, Sources Behind the Text, Scope (Valenza, 2004, p.65). As the BCLTA's Points of Inquiry expresses we want to encourage students to be "... reflective and critical thinkers who acquire the skills for independent learning" (BCTLA, 2011).

Works Cited:

British Columbia Teacher-Librarian's Association. (2010). BCTLA Position Statement: School Library Programs, Teacher-Librarians and Effective Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/index.html

British Columbia Teacher-Librarian's Association. (2011). The Points of Inquiry: A Framework fro Information Literacy and the 21st Century Learner. Retrieved from http://bctf.ca/bctla/pub/index.html

Maritime Museum of British Columbia, Internet Traffic Map. (2007). Retrieved February 11, 2012, from: http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp

Valenza, J. (2004). Power Tools Recharged. Chicago, IL: American Library Association

Big Questions

My Teacher Library Journey continues with the start of a new course, Organization of Library Resources. LIBE 465 began with some big questions to ponder:

If you say someone is organized what does this means?
What does an organized person do?
What are the goals of being organized in a school library?

I would confidently describe myself as an organized person. As a teacher, I plan ahead by preparing yearly overviews, I maintain a detailed day book, file unit lessons in binders or computer folders by topic, and keep daily to do lists. As a mom of 3 kids under the age of 5 (with a set ot twins in the mix), I have a great fear that if I let go of the reigns of organization a coup de etat will occur, so routines and scheduling are my best friends. I meal plan, have routines for house hold chores, and have set play, nap, and bed-time routines for my children. I value the ability to be organized and find it an essential skill in maintaining my sanity as I balance being a mom, teacher, and student.

The first class discussion we had, however, challenged the stereotypes I held of what it means to be an organized person, including being neat, uncluttered, and using systematic, logical methods. There are different means of accomplishing the same goals and these will vary in different contexts. I also came away with an expanded notion of what organization means within the context of the school library; it's about more than how we catalogue books, but also about how we organize the physical space, the schedule, the virtual library, the budget, our volunteers, and more. However, what resonated the most with me after the first class was the notion of user-centred organization. Organization in the school library must be driven by needs of its users and ultimately result in maximum access to resources in all forms: physical, intellectual, and digital.

Comparing examples of national standards in documents such as Students' Information Literacy Needs in the 21st Century: Competencies for Teacher-Librarians and The Surrey Teacher Librarian Handbook was a helpful exercise in gaining a vision for organization in the school library. These are some words that echoed in both documents describing the role of TL: leadership, relationships, curriculum, understands students, promotes, manages, evaluates, sees big picture, communication, life-long learner, program excellence. The role of a TL truly is a juggling act as we try to honor the varied and important aspects of the job. My greatest take away about organization from this exercise is the line: "The Teacher Librarian plans, prioritizes, and focuses on what is critical" (ATLC & CSLA, 1997). As we juggle it all, we must we must keep our eyes on what matters most- the people who make the library matter.

Works Cited:

Image Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

“Students’ Information Literacy Needs in the 21st Century: Competencies for Teacher-Librarians.” November 1997. Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada (ATLC) and Canadian School Library Association (CSLA). 2 May2007. <http://www.cla.ca/casl/literacyneeds.html>