Google Site for Virtual Manual
I did choose to keep a few of the original links, as I couldn't find anything comparable to what was already listed.
https://sites.google.com/site/schoolibrarymanual/
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Librarians as a Teacher and a Learner
Does the school library media specialist ever stop teaching
and learning? I am beginning to think
that the role of the SLMS is a 24/7 job.
Because if they aren’t keeping up with Common Core, new technology, or
applications to use from the internet, then they are teaching all of these plus
a whole lot more.
“Teaching for Learning” in Empowering Learners discusses that the SLMS is a “teacher,
instructional partner, and information specialist.” (19) It is their job to be aware of what the
curriculum is that is taught to the students and the different teaching and learning
styles that happen in the classrooms.
The library takes on the feel of a circus big top. It is a three ring circus in which with a
first look it appears to be chaos, but upon further inspection teaching and learning
is happening in each ring. Here you will
see an entire class working on a project, a group of students come to the
library to study for a test, or maybe just a student is working on their
English presentation on the computer.
There are several ways that the SLMS is helping to teach for
learning. The SLMS promotes collaboration
with the teachers and students and continually push for leaners to lean on and
build upon their own understanding.
Teaching for Learning also states that the SLMS “promotes reading as a
foundational skill for learning, personal growth, and enjoyment.” (19) This is the first common belief in the Standards for the 21st-Century
Learner. The SLMS teaches reading
strategies and provides fun and quality reading material in print or other
formats. They expose teachers and
learners to multiple literacies.
Information, media, visual, and technology literacies are constantly
changing and require the SLMS is to make sure that learners are knowledgeable
about how to use the information that they find. Students benefit from the collaboration of
the teacher and the SLMS to show them that instead of “learning from a right or
wrong answer to the process of learning and investigation” will help to create
independent life-long learners. (AASL, 25)
One of the best ways for the SLMS to learn to be a more effective support
system for the school is to regularly evaluate their program and if it is
meeting the needs of the school population.
In the collaboration process, the SLMS and the teacher will provide
opportunities by student self-assessments, the student is observed in how
he/she works in the classroom with the teacher/SLMS and their progress during
the unit of study, by the teacher and SLMS to make adjustments to improve the
unit of study, and by the SLMS to make improvements in their own program. The SLMS is constantly working to improve
their SLMP to provide the best services for the school.
Not only does the school library want to be a welcome space
for users, but it must also supply the needs of the users. According to Empowering Learners, “open access to the school library media
center’s information resources is essential to student learning.” The
best way for the user’s needs to be met is to provide flexible scheduling for
teachers and students. By creating a
flexible schedule, the SLMS has a created more opportunity to be available for
the needs of the majority. I know that
at our high school, it seems that there are many times that we must close up
shop for large group testing. This seems
to always be at the worst time of the year when students need to access
computers to finish projects, or just need to come to a place to study. Luckily this doesn’t happen too often, but I
know that our librarian hates closing the library for this necessary evil. Another way to provide library access is
through the virtual library, otherwise known as the school library
Website. Here students have access to
24/7 library access. Teachers can have
their unit activity pathfinders added to the site, as well as all the sites
that the SLMS has linked to the library Website. Students utilize all the tools that the SLMS
provides for such things as: card catalog, citation engines, Website
evaluations, databases, classroom pathfinders (as previously mentioned), public
library links, and many more things that allow them to get the job done.
How can the school library media program provide the needs
of the learners if the SLMS does not provide a strong collection of various
media types for the learners? “Building
the Learning Environment” in Empowering
Learners states that the “collection and information access in the school
library media center support teaching and learning by providing diverse sources
of information that match curricular needs … and are high interest to
students.” (39) The SLMS does not do
this alone, nor does he/she not do her homework when making their
selections. It is important to have
input from teachers and students.
Understanding the curriculum needs of teachers and of the school’s focus
is also important. Keeping a current
collection by not only purchasing new materials, but weeding material that is
no longer up-to-date is equally necessary.
The SLMS is constantly reviewing the collection to make sure that the
SLMP is meeting the needs of all library patrons.
Chapter 8, “On the Job: Managing Access to Information” in The School Library Media Manager by
Wools takes a look at how the SLMS controls the information that the library
takes in and the information the students use in the library. The SLMS must always protect the privacy and
rights of the library user. The SLMS has
to battle web filters and the technology team to provide learners access to
information. It is frustrating to have
so many options on the internet and have them blocked. Also, another frustrating aspect is having
sites filtered because they may contain language that are target words. I understand that some stuff on the internet
is not good at all, but these filters don’t register content but only words. Understanding copyright laws is important to
teach, as students pull so much material off the internet and use in their
projects. Not only do you need to
understand copyright, but also fair use, creative commons, and royalty
free. Copyright has become muddied for
the user to understand. Technology is
another part of information access that the SLMS must choose wisely to provide
the best system for all library users. A
very large part of information access is the print and non-print materials that
students and teachers will use. The SLMS
encourages input from teachers and students about what they would like and/or
need in the library, which makes building and maintaining a library collection
an ongoing process. The SLMS must also
have a selection policy in place for both print and non-print materials. This would include books, databases, music, eBooks,
magazines, and audiobooks. Adding to the
collection also requires books to be weeded.
The internet is not a collection, but students need to be able to choose
credible sites that will enhance the books and databases that are available for
the students. How do you acquire your
materials and equipment? Many prefer to
use a jobber, such as Follett. They provide the books, the cataloguing,
binding, and an upload of all books to your card catalog. Woolls also suggests that “creating rapport
with the business manager is as important as making friends with the administrators
in the building and with the custodial staff.” (139) This will make your job and their job easier
when placing the order. Lastly, being
able to access the information in a logical and marketable manner takes thought
and openness to change. This includes
the physical and virtual library.
Chapter 10, “On the Job: Managing Services” by Woolls states
that “services are planned with full knowledge of the curriculum, teaching
methods, assignments given by teachers, planned activities in the classrooms
that require media center support, and activities in the media center itself”
(162) The SLMS must understand the
curriculum that is in the school. Woolls
mentions housing textbooks in the library in order to be more familiar with the
curriculum, as well as the curriculum guides.
I think that most schools house these on the school Website for anyone
to access. According to Woolls that not
always using the textbook “allows media specialists to plan experiences that
will help teachers both expand curriculum experiences across the school and to
encourage their use of more individualized and group activities that will meet
the needs of students.” (165) Students
become more actively engaged in their own learning. The SLMS provides services in the library and
in the classroom. In the classroom, the
SLMS takes on more of the role of a teacher.
This may not be the ideal situation for the SLMS, but is doable. Of course the library is the best choice
where students can have instant access to all the services that the library has
to offer. There are some services that
may be required by the state or district library coordinator, but other
services that are offered in the library should meet the needs of the students
and teachers. To make that possible, the
SLMS must understand those needs. Some
ways in learning their needs to ask for their input in what they want or
need. This is especially true for
teachers. An important service that the
SLMS can provide for the teachers is in-service training. This can be accomplished by the SLMS or an
outside party. Here the SLMS can
introduce teachers to new concepts and Websites that can be useful to their
curriculum. These new concepts must be
practical to the teacher’s and the school’s needs. Woolls suggest that the SLMS could introduce
a pilot program before reaching out to all the staff. The SLMS must be diligent in convincing teachers
and students that these concepts and services are good for their classrooms,
and as Woolls says, “enticing users into the media center remains a major
management task.” (176)
“What is the Future of Teaching?” by Josh Catone addresses
online education in the future of learning, and that through a study conducted
by the US Department of Education found that “online learning environments
actually led to higher tested performance than face-to-face learning
environments.” One thing he made clear
was that these results didn’t necessarily show that the classroom was a less
effective source of learning. Catone
also talked about three types of education that happen online. There is expository education, in which the
learner can only receive information.
Active education allows the learner to acquire knowledge by using the
online tools. Lastly, interactive
education creates learning through collaboration with others. “It comes down to knowing how to best use
these tools at your disposal to maximize the impact of education for
students.” This is the responsibility of
the SLMS to guide these learners through the maze of online tools and show them
how to make the most of these tools to be effective learners.
“’Library Skills’ = Information Literacy Skills = Common
Core Skills” by Sara Kelly Johns is emphatic that the SLMS needs to take this
now opportunity in “promoting and marketing our role as absolutely necessary
for implementing the Common Core in our schools.” Johns also states that “school librarians
teach Common Core skills.” Common Core
wants students to “conduct…research projects”, gather information, and “draw
evidence…to support analysis, reflection, and research.” These are all skills that we teach students
through the library. We are the
teacher’s partner to understanding and using the Common Core skills. This is what we do. We are there from planning through
evaluation. It has to be a team effort
in order to accomplish the requirements at hand. It is the job of the SLMS to know the Common
Core Standards thoroughly in order to provide for the teachers and
students. Luckily, much of the Standards
for the 21st-Century Learner and the Common Core Standards are
similarly worded. Johns believes that
Common Core is here to stay for quite a while and is a great way to prove the
need to always have an SLMS to guide the school through these Common Core
Standards.
In Joyce Valenza’s blog , “Tell Me, What Do You Teach?” Los
Angeles Unified School District has had many battles in the past, and this will
not be the last, but to place librarians on “trial” to determine their worth is
to say the least an insult. Why didn’t
they just walk into the library to watch and learn? Wouldn’t
that have been a better method to
find out what they do? Valenza asks,
“how do we get others to understand what we actually do/teach?” It seems that this is what the SLMS is always
striving to accomplish in their job. She
has created a poster that describes all the things that she does in her library. This is reproducible and could easily be
changed to make it what you want.
Crescent Heights J.H & H.S. YouTube video is a great way
to showcase the learning and teaching that happens in the learning
commons. The interviews are testimonies
of what truly happens between the students, teachers, and the SLMS. “I value the Library” and “it isn’t just
about the diploma exams and achievement tests, it’s about the excitement of
learning that can happen when we’re all working together,” by Rick Lane the principal
at CHHS makes such a proud statement about the SLMP at their school and how
none of this is possible without their librarians. Also, how many times do you get to hear a
principal make a statement that places learning above state testing? It seems so often that this is the school
focus and not about making learning fun and the priority. I really could hear all the interaction going
on in the background during the interviews and you could tell that the learning
commons was filled with activity. What a
different way to approach book talks, by creating “best of the best” books in
the library. In fact it looked like the
students got to help with developing the “best of the best” books. Crescent Heights would be a good learning
commons to look into to see how they have put their program together.
We are all teachers and learners in the library, whether you
are the teacher, student, or SLMS. The
SLMS works hard to make this a seamless process for the teachers and students. The SLMS doesn’t do all this for recognition,
but unfortunately they have to constantly prove their position, such as the
video by Crescent Heights, the large poster created by Joyce Valenza, or even
the LAUSD librarians fighting to prove that they do teach and provide more than
books to read.
1. Do you
see your school librarian constantly battling the need to prove her
position? And what are some of those
ways that they use to prove their position?
2. What are some things that you would add to your
own poster, like the one Joyce Valenza created?
Or, what are some things that you wish you were able to add to your own
poster?
3. Has your school begun to discuss and/or
implement Common Core into the curriculum and has there been discussion as to
how the SLMS fits into the plan?
Works Cited:
AASL, Empowering
Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: AASL,
2009. Print.
Catone, Josh. “What Is the Future of Teaching?” Mashable
31 Aug. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
Johns, Sara Kelly. “’Library Skills’=Information
Literacy Skills=Common Core Skills.” Make
Some
Noise. 23 March
2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
Librarycommons. "CHHS Learning Commons Part
2." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Apr.
2011. Web. 04
Nov. 2012.
Valenza, Joyce. “Tell Me, What Do You Teach?” NeverEndingSearch.
26 May 2011. Web. 30 Oct.
2012.
Woolls, Blanche. The School Library Media Manager. Westport:
Libraries, 2008. Print.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Three Year Long Range Plan
Current Status
The library at Raytown High School is approximately thirty
years old, and is in need of updating. Last year the library checkout over 43,000
books and expect to see that number go even higher because of Common Core’s
focus on nonfiction reading and the implementation of close to 20
Differentiated Reading classes. Our
school population has increased 100+ students this year, and is expected to
grow by at least that much next year.
Our library needs to reflect these changes with updating technology and
focus more on collaborative learning. We
also need to create an environment that students are welcome to the library and
we support learning and leisure reading inside the library.
Chairs and tables are large, heavy, and not easily moved
around. I would like to update the look
to incorporate more collaborative seating, with tables and chairs that move
easily and are more in line with what teens would like to use in their
library. We are making some strides in
technology, but are greatly limited in what we can do with computers. I would like to introduce ClassSpot and make
the nonfiction section of the library an interactive classroom for the students
and teacher.
Our OPAC system lacks definition and needs its own
distinctive look. Far too many times do
students try to use the OPAC machines for internet use. I would like to see the OPAC machines on
their own kiosk, as well as introduce a library self-checkout system.
Lastly, there is wasted space in the library that would make
a nice area for students to read and study without being in the way of
classes. I would like to see students
sitting at some booths working on homework, as well as create a cozy area for
reading. Some nice task lighting and
curtains to soften the wall of glass windows would add an additional atmosphere
of relaxation and privacy.
Three year Long Range Plan
Year 1
v GOAL
1
To provide a
library book self-checkout for students in order to create more independence
for students using the library and to allow library staff more opportunities to
help students utilize the library more effectively.
Objective 1
The library will install a self-checkout system before the first day of
school 2013.
|
Description
|
Timeline
|
Resources
required $ est.
|
|
Meet
with Technology to develop plan of action to obtain printer and installation
of software.
|
January
2013
|
$0.00
or minimal cost
|
|
Purchase
printer.
|
March
2013
|
Approx.
$300.00
|
|
Install
open-source software
|
June
2013
|
$0.00
|
|
Training
for library personnel
|
August
2013
|
$0.00
|
Evaluation of
self-checkout station
Once the self-checkout station is up and running, we will begin to
gather statistics to show that more students are checking out books to verify
that this will increase circulation.v GOAL 2
To provide
a separation of the OPAC and self-checkout stations from the student computers.
Objective
2
By the first
day of school 2013, the library will purchase a kiosk for each OPAC and
self-checkout stations. This furniture
will look different from the furniture that the other computers use. This new furniture will be less bulky and
take up less room.
Action Plan for
kiosks for OPAC and self-checkout stations
|
Description
|
Timeline
|
Resources Required $ est.
|
|
Create
a committee for all future purchases for the library
|
Jan.
2013
|
Cost
?
|
|
Give
presentation to support reasons why need to purchase 3 kiosks for OPAC
stations.
|
|
|
|
Determine
course of action for funding of purchases
|
On
going
|
No
cost
|
|
Meet
with principal to discuss funding options at school level for $1359.90 for 3
kiosks.
|
Jan.
2013
|
No
Cost
|
Evaluation of installation of kiosks
With the installation of the kiosks for the two OPAC and one self-checkout stations, students will be observed by staff to see if students have less trouble finding the OPAC stations for library look-up during the Freshman library orientation classes, as well as less confusion by students when they want to use other computers for their studies. The students will be able to easily identify the electronic card catalog area.
Ø
Furniture and software needed for Year 1
goal
|
Item
|
Individual Cost
|
No. needed
|
Total Cost
|
Link
|
|
|
PAC station
|
418.95
|
2
|
837.90
|
||
|
Self-checkout kiosk
|
522.00
|
1
|
522.00
|
||
|
Grand total (1)
|
1359.90
|
||||
|
Item
|
Individual Cost
|
No. needed
|
Total Cost
|
Link
|
|
|
Self-Checkout station
|
|
|
|
||
|
Scanner - have
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Touchscreen Monitor - have
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Receipt printer w/ parallel interface
|
284.00
|
1
|
284.00
|
||
|
Open source software
|
|
|
|
||
|
CPU (w/ mouse & kybd) recycled
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Grand total (2)
|
796.71
|
||||
|
Total 1 + 2
|
2156.61
|
||||
Year 2
v
Goal 1
To create
a student work and reading area by the bank of windows at the front of the
library.
Objective 1
Four booth
seats, with tables, will be installed along the long wall for students to work
collaboratively with other students. Two
lounge chairs, with tables, will also be added along the short wall, to allow
students to read leisurely. This will be
accomplished by May 2015.
|
Description
|
Timeline
|
Resources required $ est.
|
|
Continue course of action for
funding of purchases
|
On going
|
No cost
|
|
Provide explanation for the need of
a lounge area for students.
|
Spring 2013
|
No cost
|
|
Present long range plan to school
board to justify need and focus in on funding of furniture
|
Spring 2013
|
No cost
|
|
Order Furniture through preferred
vendor
|
January 2015
|
$5800.00
approximate cost
|
Evaluation for new lounge seating
As this is
a longer range goal, the funding process will be followed carefully to verify that
the library will receive funding for all renovations in the three year long
range plan. Once the library receives
the lounge seating, students will be observed using the booths for studying and
reading and socializing in the lounge chairs.
|
Item
|
Individual Cost
|
No. needed
|
Total Cost
|
Link
|
|
Single Booth seating
|
589.99
|
4
|
2359.96
|
|
|
Booth tables
|
279.99
|
2
|
559.98
|
|
|
Lounge chairs
|
893.95
|
2
|
1787.90
|
|
|
Cylinder table
|
316
|
1
|
316
|
|
|
Lounge table
|
555
|
1
|
555
|
|
|
Grand Total
|
5578.84
|
Year 3
v
Goal 1
To provide collaborative seating to create
interactive learning. The tables and
seating will be mobile.
By August
2016, the library will have 12 new tables and 48 new chairs to create a
collaborative learning area. These
chairs and tables will be placed in our current nonfiction seating area.
Action Plan for Collaborative Furniture
|
Description
|
Timeline
|
Resources
required $ est.
|
|
Continue course of action for
funding of purchases
|
On going
|
No cost
|
|
Create report explaining need for
collaborative teaching in library and why need new seating for this focus.
|
Spring 2013
|
No cost
|
|
Present long range plan to school
board to justify need and focus in on funding of furniture
|
Spring 2013
|
No cost
|
|
Order furniture through preferred
vendor
|
Spring 2016
|
$8000.00
approximate cost
|
Evaluation for collaborative seating
As this is a longer range goal, the funding process will be followed carefully to verify that the library will receive funding for all renovations in the three year long range plan. Once the tables and seating are in the library, it will be observed that classrooms can arrange the tables and seating in any configuration that will maximize learning. The teacher can separate the class into groups for projects, yet pull them back as a group quickly because the chairs and tables are mobile.
v
Goal 2
To provide
interactive learning with new software that links all the laptops to a central
computer that can be displayed on a large screen or whiteboard.
Objective 2
By August
2016, ClassSpot software will be installed on all library laptops and all
teacher laptops. Any hardware will also
be installed in the current nonfiction seating area.
Action Plan for ClassSpot
|
Description
|
Timeline
|
Resources Required $ est.
|
|
Create
report explaining need for collaborative teaching in library and how
ClassSpot will enhance teaching and learning.
|
Spring 2013
|
No cost?
|
|
Present
long range plan to school board to justify need and focus in on funding of
ClassSpot
|
Spring 2013
|
No cost
|
|
Meet with Technology to begin process
|
Fall 2013
|
No cost
|
|
Begin search for grant money
|
Winter 2014
|
No cost?
|
|
Choose 3-4 grants
|
Spring 2014
|
No cost
|
|
Begin grant writing process
|
June 2014
|
Cost?
|
|
Submit grants
|
Fall 2014
|
No cost
|
|
Order ClassSpot through Tidebreak or vendor
|
December 2015
|
$25,000 approximate cost
|
|
Install ClassSpot
|
Spring 2016
|
Unknown cost, but installed by technology
|
|
Training for library staff and school staff
|
August 2016
|
No cost
|
Evaluation of ClassSpot
ClassSpot
will be dependent on grant writing and this is a long process, especially as it
is a very costly undertaking. The
timeline is dependent on how hard it is to obtain a grant to purchase the
software and any hardware required for installation. Once ClassSpot is up and running, teachers
will be observed using ClassSpot to build collaboration skills.
|
Item
|
Individual Cost
|
No. needed
|
Total Cost
|
Link
|
|
ClassSpot Software/hardware
|
|
25,000.00
|
||
|
|
|
Grand Total
|
25,000.00
|
|
|
Item
|
Individual Cost
|
No. needed
|
Total Cost
|
Link
|
|
Collaborative tables
|
425.00
|
12
|
5100.00
|
|
|
Chairs
|
54.99
|
48
|
2639.52
|
|
|
Grand Total
|
7739.52
|
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