Assignment 1: Self - Assessment

I feel that I have learned a tremendous amount about organization and access in the library through this course. I feel the posts in my blog show evidence of my learning. I have discussed various aspects of my learning that I have gleaned from the readings, course work, and from the discussions, using quotes and specific examples. I feel I have shown excellent participation in the discussions and have learned much from them. In many cases I have carried these discussions into my school and I have had very meaningful dialogues with staff members. I feel the learning I have gained will contribute greatly to my work as a teacher and will help me in communicating with administration, colleagues, students, and parents. In this reflection I will briefly summarize the points that I feel have been most important to me in my learning as evidenced in my blog.

What I already knew when I began this course:

To be honest, when I started taking this course I didn’t know a whole lot about the organization and access of the library because I teach grade one. I knew, of course, that the TL has a direct impact on the access to learning resources and the behaviours of the TL can affect access in positive and negative ways. I had no idea what a great resource our OPAC was until I had to explore it because of this course. I knew that resources are becoming more accessible online and that these tools can be really handy and dynamic. I knew that the library should be a place where students can go to access resources and produce products of their learning and share this with others. The learning has been fast and furious for me in this course, and I am excited about all the new knowledge I have gained. I hope to take this knowledge with me and apply it to a library when I become a TL one day.

What I have learned:

1.)    I have learned that the organization of learning resources in a school library has a direct impact on student learning.

All the various readings and discussions around organization and access in the library really helped shape my thoughts. For example, the following statement made by Loertscher really impacted my thinking about organization in the library, “What has to happen for school libraries to become relevant? If we want to connect with the latest generation of learners and teachers, we have to totally redesign the library from the vantage point of our users—our thinking has to do a 180-degree flip.” (Loertscher, 2008). I have learned a lot about the way resources are organized in the library to facilitate access. Learning about the life of Melvil Dewey and how his contributions shaped libraries of today was fascinating. I learned many wonderful ideas for teaching the Dewey decimals system to students. I have learned that organization is much more than the Dewey Decimal system. The way resources are organized in the library can have a direct impact on student learning. Through our discussions I have learned that sometimes reorganizing where an item is located on the shelves will facilitate easier access for students. However, if one gets too creative about the way resources are organized this can actually end up hindering access if one is not careful.  The physical organization of the library can also impact access in the library. A setting that is inviting will draw students in. Also, having access to technology and digital resources is important to the 21^st century learner. Organizing access to resources on a library web page can also positively affect organization and access to resources.

2.)    I have learned a lot about organizational systems and standards and why they are important.

Learning about our school’s OPAC and understanding how MARC records are created has helped me to understand how catalogued information is made accessible by using as many data points as possible. I am aware of tools that exist which can help expedite the process of creating MARC records such as the OCLC and Worldcat and how records in the catalogue can be enhanced to increase their accessibility. I have learned some helpful tools and strategies which I can teach to students to help them when they are trying to access information. One example is teaching students how to use effective terminology for effective subject searches, such as searching for the term “bears” instead of “animals”.

3.)    I have learned that even though resources are becoming increasingly accessible through the internet, this does not diminish the need for the TL.

As more and more information becomes digital finding information will become even more complex. Because of this the TL is becoming even more important in helping students access, analyze, and use this information even though the physical resources may be disappearing. Having good technology skills is becoming increasingly more important for the TL. For example, the work done on my digital library, creating the website, and the readings that I have done have immersed me into the world of digital resources and illustrated the need for the effective organization of them.

4.)    I have also learned about the importance of informing students and teachers about the powerful capabilities of our OPAC and online resources and how they can be used.

It is important for the TL to make it a regular habit to share information about resources with staff. For example, through my discussions with staff, I discovered that teachers are vastly unaware of how powerful our OPAC and online resources are. Through our discussions I have learned that some TL’s take a few minutes at every staff meeting to share resources or other important points. Others pass along useful information to staff through email. Others use websites or Wikis to share information. Some create displays. Some use a bit of all of these methods. Creating a website can be a powerful way to share information about resources with others.

Synthesizing the various resources I have used:

There were many resources that I used to learn about organization and access in a library and will continue to consult when I become a TL. Some of the resources that I feel had the biggest impact on my learning were:

ODLIS - this resource is very useful for helping to understand terminology http://www.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_h.aspx

Library of Congress Site (Introduction to MARC records) - this resource is very helpful when creating MARC records http://www.loc.gov/marc/umb/um01to06.html

Accessing Information:Cataloguing Guidelines for Manitoba and Saskatchewan School Library Personnel. http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/Accessing-Information

Dewey Decimal System Links to Sites for Students: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/listthedeweli.html

OCLC - is a consortia of libraries who co-op and collaborate to make service economical http://www.oclc.org/ca/en/services/a-to-z.htm

AMICUS - an excellent resource for Canadian resources http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/amicus/006002-122-e.html

Library of Congress - source for MARC records http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/amicus/006002-122-e.html

Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources: A Guide (B.C. Ministry of Education) http://www.bcerac.ca/docs/ERAC_WB.pdf

Follett's Titlewave - a source for school library media services  http://www.flr.follett.com/index.html


United Library Services - Canadian Wholesaler http://www.uls.com/

What I still want to learn:

I feel that I have a good understanding of the organization of the library in both its physical and virtual forms. I would like to continue to learn more about making the library accessible to the 21^st century learner. I would like to explore the notion of a Learning Commons further. I see the value in creating a digital library and would also like to continue to learn more about creating a website as a way for students, parents, and staff to access information.

Loertscher , David .(2008). School libraries need a revolution, not evolution . School Library Journal, 11(1), p. 1.