Does your district recognize the need for evolving school libraries?
As I've written before, I believe school libraries are more relevant today than ever before... IF they are evolving to meet the needs of 21st Century students. I love this quote from the Mediamorphosis website, "The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. School librarians, as we once knew them, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian. For the first time in history we are moving from a time of information scarcity to one of information abundance." I could not agree more.
I also love this article about school libraries from the National Association of Independent Schools, especially the "What's Hot, What's Not" table. I feel like many of today's library debates turn into a finger pointing game. Some librarians want to blame districts for a lack of support, and some districts see librarians as unwilling to change what they've always done. I think it's important that neither side "win" the fight. Students should be the winners here, and that means everyone is going to have to bend a little.
For districts, that means librarians are going to need time for collaboration with teachers, time (and funding) for meaningful and relevant professional development, and up-to-date technology tools. For librarians, we have to forget about the way things were done in the past and be willing to change our instruction to help students navigate an information world that is constantly changing. This may seem like an uphill battle, but it is truly the key to school library success in the world we live in today.
5 Simple ways to make your library the heart of the school
1. Communicate regularly with students and parents. If you have a special event coming up, make sure everyone knows about it! You can send a note home, put it on the school website and/or social media pages, or use an automated call system. I share some ideas about communicating with parents in this post.
2. Find time for collaboration, even if it's passing by another teacher in the hall. Check out this post for more ideas.
3. Make an effort to involve your administration in library-related activities. Did your students create a cool Prezi or FlipSnack? Invite your principal in to watch the presentation! Better yet, involve your principal in fun reading incentives, like one where students were given a piece of tape for meeting a reading goal and used it to tape the principal to a wall! Local news outlets love these stories, which could give your school library some free positive publicity!
4. Keep displays current, and think outside the library! Find out if there's an unused bulletin board out in the school building, or if that's not possible, decorate the outside library door. These displays remind students of the library even when they're not inside it.
5. Help students stay motivated by offering various incentives throughout the school year. You could offer 10 minutes of extra recess to the class with the fewest late library books, or popsicles for the class with the best behavior for the week. Check out this post for more ideas on behavior management in the library. I like to offer incentives because it reminds students of the library even when they're not there.
Lesley says
Annually my school hosts a BIG BOOK BUY - at which parents are asked to purchase a book for the library - Every year they purchase at least 200 new books - ASK!
Julie Barthelemy says
Hello. I oversee two small elementary schools from ages 3 through 6th grade. The schools, originally, were from special education schools. How would I begin a small library at one or both. The last principal began acquiring books, but recently left to take another position elsewhere. The school and staff are amazing! I have a large classroom that I can designate. Just need help and ideas.
Kathryn says
Boy, would I love to forward this page on to our school librarian! She has successfully made our library a place no one wants to visit. The students (We are a K-8 school.) are afraid of her, and the teachers are sick of her negative attitude.
This woman yells at students who, in her opinion, don't have enough AR points and restricts the students' choices to, what she believes, are the levels they should be reading. She never smiles, doesn't get new books shelved in a timely manner, and won't allow anyone to assist her. She never sponsors fun activities or library-related events. When she is absent, our library is simply closed...no one is allowed in. (The library is the only classroom that is keyed differently from the master that all staff is issued.) The teachers are each assigned a 30 minute weekly time slot for their students to visit the library, and we are not allowed to send students during any other time. If we do, the librarian will make rude comments to the students about "teachers who can't follow directions," and she will treat the students with disdain and act grumpy.
Why she is still employed is beyond me! All of our previous librarians were wonderful and made the library a great place to be. Sigh!
Kathleen Johnson says
Woah! Sounds like the "Library Dragon." A book I read to the kids in my Library. When anyone walks into my library they always comment on what a comfortable & relaxing place it is. My goal is to make sure kids feel comfortable and relaxed about reading. They need to get rid of that Librarian. She is not helping the children.
Linda says
I am wondering if you are able to do all these wonderful things and teach a fixed schedule of 8 or 9 classes a day and give grades? Please respond and let me know what your schedules are like and whether you have to give grades on the report card. Thanks so much for the great work you are all doing in our profession.
Gen says
I'm in the same situation. I teach computer science classes to 27 students in each class all day with one early morning 40 minute planning time. I'm barely surviving, and have no time for cute ideas. I use that planning time to catch up on all the grading and try to keep the library functional for a 1000 student population.
Michelle says
I know this schedule all too well.
Kathryn T says
I love that you note that collaboration can be as simple as talking to a teacher in the hall! I've been on the hunt for a job closer to home and during the interviews, the principals always ask about collaboration. I feel like when I say "I talk to teachers in the hall" or "I send emails with ideas" that they don't feel like that's true collaboration. They make it seem like you must sit down for a prearranged amount of time and there must be some type of paperwork to make it "official!" But us media coordinators know that a lot of times these meetings in the hallways is all the time a teacher has to spare! I see my job as to help make the lives of teachers easier, not make them attend more meetings!
Connie Wilson says
I created my schedule around the different grade level lunches, and eat with a different grade level team each day. I enjoy getting to know the teachers and try to ask before I leave what resources I can help them find, whether books or electronic.