From Lesson #2 - Information Literacy

Why is it so difficult to get your teaching colleagues to buy into the idea or construct of "information literacy"?

Do you think a "scope and sequence curriculum" works in the school library setting?

The idea or construct of "information literacy" may be a difficult sell because these skills have been taken for granted and have not been the focus in our educational past. I agree with many that it is not directly part of the classroom teacher's curriculum and therefore they may find it difficult to include it in their busy schedule. I think it is important for the librarian to incorporate these skills and encourage teachers to work together in order to strengthen student research skills. Yes students are now more technologically advanced but their skills are still limited and the focus of their knowledge base is not educational. I think that the deeper comprehension and evaluating skills necessary to be information literate definitely needs to be reinforced with students. Skills like: where to locate the best resources available, how to use these sources (including how to find the information you need using the tools in your resource), how to refer to your chosen resource using the proper citing methods (quoting, paraphrasing, bibliographies, etc.) and how to incorporate technology in presenting your findings in unique and interesting ways. These are time consuming skills that teachers may find difficult to focus on and many times over-look when concerned about covering curriculum. They need to realize that their TL’s have strategies at their finger tips to assist teachers and their students in learning these essential skills and saving them valuable time.

I was not familiar with the term scope and sequence curriculum. I did a little research and came to the conclusion that it is following a systematic guide in teaching skills sequentially, like following learning outcomes in the regular classroom or scaffolding learning.
I think it may be an asset to the library setting. A general guide to the types of library skills students should have at a certain grade level would be beneficial. This guide may prove to show that students are not at the level they should be in order to be prepared for high school and then on to college or university. It may even help school boards actually realize how important these skills are to lifelong learning and to student achievement.

From Lesson #3 - Riedling’s Approach to Evaluation

Like many of you I have not had the opportunity of working with the selection, evaluation and maintenance of the reference section. Although I had the pleasure of helping a fellow librarian weed her newly acquired library of encyclopedias form the 1970's...I kept a couple for art projects...talk about the library not being an archive!

I like Riedling's approach her layout is quite clear and concise. The only issue I may have is that some categories would not be useful in the elementary school library. For example bibliographies would be a section that possibly the librarian would have more use of and teachers and students would not have the time to search out materials using this source. And the library itself may not have the selections listed within the bibliographies as well.
Bibliographies created form your own library database form Destiny would be useful for patrons...especially one organized by subject headings which is possible within Destiny and has been quite useful to myself when working with student research projects on certain subject areas within the curriculum. I found this helped students to be more independent in locating their own resources using a user friendly system that they were already familiar with.

I also love all the resources and websites she includes for each category at the end of each chapter, they are quite useful and informative!

Also the weeding process has always been a difficult issue with me. Unless the resources are blatantly out-dated it would be difficult for me to discard these costly references especially when many are considered out-dated after 5 years. Much consideration and evaluation would need to be done and I agree with Riedling when she says, "no two school library media specialists (and collections) are alike...and...the process is a highly individual one...student needs differ form school to school." (Riedling, pg.22)
And I also agree with the fact that the TL must have an excellent knowledge of the collection and its use by all patrons before selection decisions are made.

From Lesson #3 - Selection Tools

There's no doubt that selection tools are massively important when creating the reference area (both literally and electronically) and electronically in the school library.

Riedling gives a good overview of some of the most frequently used tools. However, as information professionals in Canadian schools what do you use to evaluate and select the "right" Canadian reference materials? What are the issues (right now) with Canadian selection tools?

The most challenging aspect is to find Canadian selection tools for good reference material. I did some searching on-line and it is difficult! I do know about Quill and Quire and Canadian Library Journal but I could not find anything specific on reference materials. Most of the selection tools I found were geared toward the fiction and non-fictions sections such as Canadian Children’s Literature, Resource Links, Language Arts, The Reading Teacher and the Horn Book. There is a great review of these selection tools on the following web site: http://books.google.ca/books?id=iNlb8vp8VKAC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=canadian+library+selection+tools+issues&source=bl&ots=Z-7YpT1Htc&sig=LAIcZRgBon-ypRVg-uRdP0X03Vk&hl=en&ei=apvUTMDcJty4jAft_5zKCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=canadian%20library%20selection%20tools%20issues&f=false (sorry for the long URL!)

One other websites I found useful as a Canadian reference resource were:

Best of the Web (Canada)

http://www.bestoftheweb.ca/canada.htm

This site included links to all types of Canadian reference material from the Atlas of Canada, Canadian Encyclopedia, Canadian Geographic, Images Canada, and Statistics Canada to sites on current events, history, government, famous Canadians. There was a wealth of information here.

When working as a librarian I liked to shop at United Library Services. They were a great resource and liked to be up on Canadian content. Unfortunately I never purchased or had the time to review the reference sections within the libraries I worked in but they served the needs of the students when we needed them. I previously worked in an English/French emersion school library and the French resources are also so limited.
I would definitely consult other librarians and visit to see their collections and talk to the district librarian on their policies surrounding reference materials and what publishers are commonly used and trusted.
Again Riedling has some good references for selection but they are mainly American-based. As mentioned and included in The Best of the Web site Canadian Encyclopedia (part of the Historica-Dominion Institute) and Canadian Geographic (which has links to atlases, mapping and gazetteers) are excellent electronic resources.

To conclude, the main issue surrounding Canadian reference selection tools is selection itself with Canadian content, the balance between electronic sources and print materials and of course cost is always a continuing factor, especially for print materials and subscriptions to on-line databases and indexes. I hope to gain more insight into creating a balance and choosing the best reference materials possible as I continue with my TL career.

Article Review #1

Sullivan, Margaret. (2010) "Are School Libraries at a Tipping Point?" Teacher Librarian, 37, no5, Je 2010, p.84-85. Retrieved from Wilson Web Full Text database.

Within Margaret Sullivan’s article, “Are School Libraries at a Tipping Point?” she begins by expressing critical concerns about the future of our school libraries. Questions like:

Do libraries need to occupy a physical space?

Will e-books and digital information be their replacement?

Can districts continue to fund them?

Will Teacher-Librarians eventually be replaced by paraprofessionals or technicians?

Taken from the title of Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “The Tipping Point” Sullivan uses his business model and theories on the three rules of change where “he equates change to an ‘epidemic’ because of the speed at which an idea can spread globally if the right factors are in place.” (Sullivan, 2010, p.84) Sullivan uses these same principles to show how we, as Teacher-Librarians, can create a positive change in our school libraries.

Quickly to summarize the three factors that will create a positive “epidemic” in our school libraries…

The First is:

1) “Law of the Few”

There is a need for three types of people:

Connectors who will make connections with people who can help create a change. Spread the word amongst administrators, superintendents, school board trustees etc.

Mavens who will set the example and promote the way they work with teachers and students in their schools and create excitement about current projects and developments within their school communities.

Salespeople who will talk at TL conferences, meetings and to parents in order to sell the ideas of how to enrich library programs.

2) “Stickiness Factor”

The need for a ‘brand’ that is memorable in order to promote the role of TL’s in curriculum development and to have a program that warrants support and funding. (Sullivan, 2010, p.85) Sullivan originated the branding name of “Learning 4 Life” which outlines specific guidelines and standards for the 21^st Century Learner. For those interested you can download a free brochure at:

www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/index.cfm

3) “Power of Context”

Sullivan believes that “information literacy” is a powerful catalyst for change because of the growing amount of information both print and on-line and the use of new electronic tools in order to create new and exciting learning environments. This “clearly is a context for change.” (Sullivan, 2010, p.85)

Sullivan ends her article by asking librarians some important questions:

What does information literacy look like to your school administrators and parents?

Can you articulate the difference between their views and what you know are necessary for true information literacy?

Have you created an environment that welcomes change and will launch a learning epidemic?

This article strengthens the view that change is occurring in our libraries and in order to move forward into the 21^st century in our school libraries we must embrace this change because it is happening whether we accept it or not. We need to use tools that will enhance and challenge the students’ learning environment in order to give them the skills they need to want to continue learning and growing not only as students but as individuals within society.

It is also important not to follow specific trends in technology just because they are the next best things. This is another difficult task because there will always be new programs and formats for organizing information. We need to be up-to-date and current yet our programs also need to have consistency, organization and flow. New concepts and ideas can be brought in slowly so that TL’s, teachers and students are not overwhelmed by the choices available to them.

Sullivan touched on the idea that TL’s have to be involved in curriculum development and I believe that this will definitely strengthen the positions of teacher-librarians. We need to have IRP’s, learning outcomes and expectations for the students incorporated into the curriculum that apply to all school library programs. With this there is also the difficulty of all school libraries having the same access to resources both print and electronic, computers in the library, software and programs and technical support in order to deliver, relatively, the same kind of library program to all of our students.

There is a big task ahead for TL’s, I’m hoping that there will be more support for our school libraries and we need to continue to work with our teachers, students and administrators and enrich our library programs and create awareness of how our contributions will enhance the learning environment within our schools. Librarians also have to come together in order to strengthen our position within our schools and the community…show your presence and lets promote ourselves!