Discussion Reflection: Jobbers

Kayla mentioned some really good reasons why sometimes it’s good to get books into the hands of kids quickly. When a student is reading a series or wants to read a popular book it could dampen their enthusiasm to make them wait. Likely there are other people who also want to read it too. I am so glad that my district centrally catalogues books for us. Having a good organizational system would be really important to the TL. Trying to keep up with the interests of the users will help get the resources out to the users in the quickest way possible. I also think being flexible is a must. Sometimes a need for a resource will just pop up and I think we need to let go of having things perfectly catalogued and organized. Having a sign out paper and cataloguing it later might be worthwhile.

Discussion Reflection: Having a website for the Library

On the discussion board we had an interesting and thought provoking discussion about websites for the library. It was agreed by many that websites are important for libraries although some thought that it wasn’t essential for elementary schools. I feel that it is important for our school to have a webpage even though it is elementary because it is a great way to connect users with literature and all the great things happening in the library. One of the things that came up was the time it takes to create a website. Jody greed with me that it should be a process not just something that is created as an end product. It is something that will take a lot of time to develop and will grow gradually, bit by bit. Lisa brought up the question about how do you create time for all of the tasks required in the library. Do you build it into your work day or do it after school? I would like to devote most of my free time during the day to collaborative work but have to keep in mind that really there should also be some time built in for prep and admin work, such as ordering, organizing, and weeding books. I tend to work too hard and I think a balance needs to be maintained in the schedule so that things don’t get ignored due to lack of time. However, I would hate to miss out on the opportunity to work collaboratively because of administrative work. I know that I will do most of the administrative work (including working on the website) after school.

I agree with Christa that having a website for the school library is essential no matter what grade level the school is. She mentioned that we are living in a digital world of 21^st century learners. I think that 21^st century learners are becoming so comfortable going online that a website just seems like a logical step for a library in the facilitation of information. I think it is a great way to stay connected to your users. She mentioned that having a webpage is a great way to encourage parents to be involved in their child’s education and I think making sure to have links which foster academic success will be important!

I agree that the library website is a great way to facilitate research skills. It is a great way to promote the use of the online resources the school district has to offer. The library website has the potential to lead students in the direction of finding useful resources in their quest for information. The librarian has the knowledge of what the students of all ages are learning and so who better to maintain a website than the TL?

A website is an extremely time consuming thing to create but very worthwhile. I liked the advice she discovered about starting small. It is extremely important to think of it as a process, rather than a finished product. The website should and will grow and evolve over time and I think it is important to start off with manageable pieces. I wouldn’t want to rush it and load it up with links that are less than ideal. I would rather have a few really useful and relevant links than a bunch of links that looks impressive but not really useful.

Reflection: Discussion about Physical Changes The Danger of Failing to meet the Needs of the 21st Century Learner

When we were discussing how physical changes can impact access in the library I mentioned that our library has only one computer for the students to use. I remarked that having a library which such little access to technology does not draw students in and does not meet the needs of the 21st century learner. We want the library to be the hub of the school and having access to technology to access our OPAC and online resources is a necessity. I thought Brenda really made a great point about the danger of having a library that is out of touch with the needs of our learners in response to my comments,

"Having one computer in the library is quite below standard.  I agree with you that that needs to change.... not only for the students to be getting the 21st century library space they deserve ( and want) but also to protect the necessity and integrity of our role as media specialist.   There will come a time very soon when libraries without digital literacy will be deemed "redundant" and prehistoric.... we need to make sure that our libraries stay alive and that means to keep up with the trends and ( if I may be so bold)  to set some trends of our own! Otherwise we risk being labeled "prehistoric".  Libraries cannot afford to function as book warehouses, ones that do I am afraid to say are existing on borrowed time."

I thought this was extremely well put. It is definitely an argument I will keep in mind when soliciting funding for new technology for the library.

Reflection: The Times They Are a Changing!

We had an interesting discussion today on the discussion board about technology and what types to use in the library. Sylvia mentioned that the TL in her school is not necessarily tech oriented and so the decisions about what types of technology that have been placed in the library might reflect this. I mentioned that it must be difficult for TL's who are not tech savvy. I am very interested in learning more about technology and still have a long way to go. In addition to instilling a love of reading in children, using technology to advance literacy skills is another aspect of the job that I am really looking forward to when I become a TL. Technology has really become important in the role of the TL nowadays and it is helpful when the TL is knowledgeable. My heart feels for those TL's out there who have been doing an awesome job but now find themselves thrust into this foreign world of technology! But I guess this is the way it is with teaching! The times they are always a changing! It is so nice when there is a teacher on staff who is willing to be a mentor in this area.

Physical Changes in My Own School LIbrary

I am not currently a TL but I have a very experienced TL who works in our school. She has worked in our school library for over 10 years and she had developed a very good collection of resources. She has nice displays and the library looks attractive. She has a very artistic eye and I’ve always admired the bulletin board displays she does. She has kept up with diligent and regular weeding and the collection is current. Our TL knows the collection like the back of her hand. However, despite her expertise, she does report that no one uses the library. One of the reasons she feels that this is the case is because she is busy providing prep relief for the primary grades and this leaves little time for collaboration.  Clearly there are changes that need to be made to improve access. I feel that it is important to be open to making physical changes to improve access to learning resources. I think that one of the reasons why the library is not being used is because there is nothing to draw the students in. We have no access to technology in the library which makes our library seem out of touch with 21^st century learners. We have only one computer terminal in the library for students to access our OPAC and so it never gets used. To be honest, I don’t even know if the students even know how to use our OPAC! It wasn’t until taking this course that I really looked at our OPAC and realized how great it is! I was embarrassed that I didn’t know that our OPAC retrieves lists of websites sorted by age readability level. I sheepishly started asking other teachers if they knew this and not one teacher did. Our library needs to be the hub of the school. I think this change is very possible, although it will require a considerable expenditure to create this. I think it is important to purchase 6 laptops for the library so that students and teachers can access our OPAC and online resources. I would arrange these around a hexagonal computer desk so that students can sit together to collaborate. I would also like to bring in a projector and screen so that classes could come down to the library to use it as a gathering place to participate in presentations. I would also like to purchase two comfortable loveseats and an armchair so that students can sit in a cozy and inviting environment. These changes would require a large expenditure of funding (approximately $9000) and so they would need to take place over time, improvements being added bit by bit. Our TL has so many years of experience and wisdom to share and she has built up an excellent collection of resources and it is a shame that it is so underused. However, these changes will help bring it up to the needs of the 21^st century learner and bring students in so that they can access all these wonderful resources!