Devising a collection management policy (CMP) has been a step into the big picture. I better grasp the role of the library, the collection, and the teacher librarian (TL) and the potential they have to fulfill the teaching and learning needs of the school community.
Initially, daunted by the task, I was faced with a library that had no CMP and a TL and principal who didn’t know what one was.
By following a variety of collection and user-centred techniques for collecting qualitative and quantitative data (Arizona State Library, 2008: Bishop, 2007; National Library) a tangible snapshot of the collection was revealed. Talking to all stakeholders and looking at school policies helped me gain an understanding of the needs of the learning community and what role the collection did, was expected to and could play. This is something that had never been done before. It became very clear that the better the quality of the evaluation, the more effective the CMP would be.
Something I noticed was the discrepancy between the ideal and reality. The principal believed the role of the collection was to inspire teaching and learning, excite and engage the students, lead the uptake of IL and higher order thinking in the school…all good stuff! But then I assessed the collection and saw that the library had no budget, the collection was dated and had no digital collection, the untrained TL was allocated only 1 hour to do all management, the system had been down for 6 months with no resolution…not good stuff! It brought home the importance of the advocacy role of the TL in a school climate of decreasing funding and competing financial demands. I think the CMP is a valuable tool, not least to help gain the principal’s crucial support.
My favorite line in my CMP has to be “the library exists to…foster a lifelong connection to the power of story”. On reading of numerous CMPs I was surprised by the lack of any mention of connection to story or its ability to move, inspire, evoke, comfort and enlighten. Story is in our bones. It gives us the power of connection to others and to self, helps us visualize what’s possible, lets us see other perspectives and understand the world. As poet Murial Rukeyser said “the universe is made of stories, not atoms” (Song & Beaver, 2010). As the tradition of storytelling moved from an oral to a written one the library took over from the elder as the keeper of stories. As the heart of the library it is the TLs job to put the right story in the right hands at the right time. Grow the word story to include information and digital tools, and “putting the right resource, in the right hands, at the right time” seems to aptly encapsulate the role of the library, the collection and the TL. The digital/information age is great at getting kids to connect with their heads. Let’s not forget the role of story to get kids to connect with their hearts. Let’s not forget the role of library as keeper of the stories, in whatever format!
References
Arizona State Library. (2008). Collection assessment and mapping. Retrieved from http://www.lib.az.us/cdt/collass.aspx
Bishop, K. (2007). Evaluation of the collection. In The collection program in
schools : concepts, practices and information sources (4th ed.) (pp. 141-
159). Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited.
Lee, J. (2009). The power of story – What’s old is new again. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/4382940
National Library of Australia. (2004). A Guide to the collection assessment process. Retrieved from www.nla.gov.au/libraries/help/guide.html
Song, T., & Beaver, M. (2010). Whispers of the Ancients: Native tales for teaching and healing in our time. Michigan: The Universitiy of Michigan Press
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Collection Management Policy
Devising a collection management policy has been a step into the big picture for me.
I more fully grasp the role of the library, the collection, and the librarian and how they (potentially) fulfill the teaching and learning needs of the school community.
I quite like what I see!
I more fully grasp the role of the library, the collection, and the librarian and how they (potentially) fulfill the teaching and learning needs of the school community.
I quite like what I see!
Archive or hub?
After reading the Uni of Sydney article http://tinyurl.com/43qawfw
as well as the link provided to the Uni of NSW article about changes and job cuts in tertiary libraries and a number of responses
http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/bring-me-the-head-of-seth-godin/ to the recent Seth Godin article, I have these thoughts.
To me the library should be less a place for passing on knowledge and more a place to access, share and create information and ideas.
The first hints at a place of passivity, a shhh kind of place, an archive, a last century place and one that I'm not surprised in the current (lack of) funding age is crumbling.
The second hints at a place of collaboration, ideas and engagement and dare I say fun, a hub, a 21st century place. A cafe in such a place doesn't seem at all out of place to me. It sounds kind of enticing.
Let's make the library the go to place not just to get info but to link info with ideas. In the age of social networking why does encouraging face to face social networking in the library, with information easily accessible, and other people to share it with,
rework it and use it to create something new, sound unappealing.
Providing and managing the collection is no longer enough - Librarians need to engage users with the collection.
Of course users would rather access journals online - it's quicker and easier. At some point print copies that are not used anymore are wasting space. Just because they've always been there is no good reason why they should always stay there.
The articles don't explain why less print copies and more online access leads to such large job cuts. If the print copies were hardly used, the management of them should have been minimal.
Is any change just a good excuse for the above mentioned (lack of) funding age to yield its whip?
as well as the link provided to the Uni of NSW article about changes and job cuts in tertiary libraries and a number of responses
http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/bring-me-the-head-of-seth-godin/ to the recent Seth Godin article, I have these thoughts.
To me the library should be less a place for passing on knowledge and more a place to access, share and create information and ideas.
The first hints at a place of passivity, a shhh kind of place, an archive, a last century place and one that I'm not surprised in the current (lack of) funding age is crumbling.
The second hints at a place of collaboration, ideas and engagement and dare I say fun, a hub, a 21st century place. A cafe in such a place doesn't seem at all out of place to me. It sounds kind of enticing.
Let's make the library the go to place not just to get info but to link info with ideas. In the age of social networking why does encouraging face to face social networking in the library, with information easily accessible, and other people to share it with,
rework it and use it to create something new, sound unappealing.
Providing and managing the collection is no longer enough - Librarians need to engage users with the collection.
Of course users would rather access journals online - it's quicker and easier. At some point print copies that are not used anymore are wasting space. Just because they've always been there is no good reason why they should always stay there.
The articles don't explain why less print copies and more online access leads to such large job cuts. If the print copies were hardly used, the management of them should have been minimal.
Is any change just a good excuse for the above mentioned (lack of) funding age to yield its whip?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
link to verb cloud for 21st century learning
title="Wordle: Verb Cloud for 21st Century Learning (Griffith Uni 1074EBL 2011)">
alt="Wordle: Verb Cloud for 21st Century Learning (Griffith Uni 1074EBL 2011)"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">
Reference: Andrew Dalgliesh
OZTL teacher librarian list community
http://www.csu.edu.au/cstl/oztl_net/
14th March 2011
alt="Wordle: Verb Cloud for 21st Century Learning (Griffith Uni 1074EBL 2011)"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">
Reference: Andrew Dalgliesh
OZTL teacher librarian list community
http://www.csu.edu.au/cstl/oztl_net/
14th March 2011
Why?
As a tech novice, I feel I have a huge learning curve ahead of me.
I think I'm getting a better understanding of web 2.0 tools but it is the mindset of the web 2.0 user that I'm trying to understand. I think this is the key to embracing web 2.0 technology with relevance.
The idea that the library has to be "there", ie everywhere the user is, to be relevant to the user, at first seemed a gross over reach of the library role.
My immediate response is "why?".
It appears that this is because kids are always "connected". To friends, to networks, to technology. The space they operate in is an open space, where input from "trusted" sources is always welcome and/or solicited and where they are constantly inputting their take on life. Getting/giving opinions, feedback, recommendations, ideas, reviews, and comments. It is a sharing space. Connectivity, community, engagement and interplay of ideas are welcomed and indeed actively pursued. I see lots of positive outcomes from such a world.
Hence, the library needs to be operating in this space to connect/engage the user and also be relevant to them. Not much good advertising on a billboard on the highway if everyone is using public transport.
But is education just about giving the user what they want or is it also about giving them what they need. Who decides need .........?
My thoughts run to this. The Web 2.0 world provides more active involvement of kids -which has to be better than the passive involvement of TV/listening to teacher talk. However, does this amount of "engagement", of doing, necessitated by the web 2.0 mindset, make more foreign to kids the concept of being?
Being in the moment, as the be-er (it's interesting that there is no such noun!), seems rather absent. Where there are no labels, nothing to do ie review, report, comment, advise, input, share,play, seek, critique, interact or any other verb that seems to so readily attune with the "social networked", there is space.
Space, not to be filled, or used - but to be.
PS I have the feeling that my posts might appear quaint, even to me. They are certainly not very literary. I find it hard to really think deeply about something and yet cross reference, cite and provide links, at the same time. One seems to work in a different headspace to the other. I don't think it's a web 2.0 headspace.
PPS Maybe schools should provide daily meditation sessions - and teach kids a skill that is beneficial to everyone but seems even more necessary for a web 2.0 mind. And philosophy, to encourage deep thinking and to get kids not just to ponder how, when, where and what ( to review, report, comment, advise, input, share,play, seek, critique, interact), but also why?
I think I'm getting a better understanding of web 2.0 tools but it is the mindset of the web 2.0 user that I'm trying to understand. I think this is the key to embracing web 2.0 technology with relevance.
The idea that the library has to be "there", ie everywhere the user is, to be relevant to the user, at first seemed a gross over reach of the library role.
My immediate response is "why?".
It appears that this is because kids are always "connected". To friends, to networks, to technology. The space they operate in is an open space, where input from "trusted" sources is always welcome and/or solicited and where they are constantly inputting their take on life. Getting/giving opinions, feedback, recommendations, ideas, reviews, and comments. It is a sharing space. Connectivity, community, engagement and interplay of ideas are welcomed and indeed actively pursued. I see lots of positive outcomes from such a world.
Hence, the library needs to be operating in this space to connect/engage the user and also be relevant to them. Not much good advertising on a billboard on the highway if everyone is using public transport.
But is education just about giving the user what they want or is it also about giving them what they need. Who decides need .........?
My thoughts run to this. The Web 2.0 world provides more active involvement of kids -which has to be better than the passive involvement of TV/listening to teacher talk. However, does this amount of "engagement", of doing, necessitated by the web 2.0 mindset, make more foreign to kids the concept of being?
Being in the moment, as the be-er (it's interesting that there is no such noun!), seems rather absent. Where there are no labels, nothing to do ie review, report, comment, advise, input, share,play, seek, critique, interact or any other verb that seems to so readily attune with the "social networked", there is space.
Space, not to be filled, or used - but to be.
PS I have the feeling that my posts might appear quaint, even to me. They are certainly not very literary. I find it hard to really think deeply about something and yet cross reference, cite and provide links, at the same time. One seems to work in a different headspace to the other. I don't think it's a web 2.0 headspace.
PPS Maybe schools should provide daily meditation sessions - and teach kids a skill that is beneficial to everyone but seems even more necessary for a web 2.0 mind. And philosophy, to encourage deep thinking and to get kids not just to ponder how, when, where and what ( to review, report, comment, advise, input, share,play, seek, critique, interact), but also why?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Be Blessed young Gamer!
My 10 year old son wants me to be a "gamer" like him! The fact that he identifies as a gamer scares me silly!! It has lots of very negative connotations for me.
I love it when he collects skinks and makes a terrarium, I love it that he's a voracious reader, I love that he practices the piano about 10 times a day, I love it that he likes Lego, I love it that he's so onto doing his school assignments and managing them, I love that he wants a pen knife for camping, I love it that he loves playing cricket and tennis and I love it that he's not that interested in watching much TV.
But I don't love it when he spends time in his room watching Good Game Spawn Point over and over on his Ipod, I don't love it that he wants an ipod touch and I hate it when he nags me to have more than his two sessions of 1 1/2 hours on his Wii each week.
I don't mind when he wants to go on the computer and do stuff like explore new tools ie prezzie, game building sites, Scratch and lots of other cool stuff I get off OZTL - much!
I don't want my son hanging indoors on a beautiful day watching a screen. But i don't even like it that much when it's raining! I think I'm suffering from severe technological distrust. (I was gonna give it an acronym but it seemed inappropriate!)
The more i read about being a teacher librarian the more I wonder if I've chosen the right profession.
Somethings give me hope. In the Module 1 reading "Libraries for a post - literate society", Johnson (2010) talks about a return to storytelling, debating and dramatisation since digital media can capture and store these modes as easily as writing. There is a wealth of possibilities there for teacher librarians! Imagine having digital resources created by one group of students ie a debate, stored and accessible to be used by another group of students. Imagine having students in small groups having access digitally to the teacher (or author!) reading aloud their story. The list of ideas is endless.
I wouldn't like to compare myself to Plato but I love the quote of his misgivings about writing at the end of the reading, and am hoping that this particular fear of mine becomes a blessing.
I love it when he collects skinks and makes a terrarium, I love it that he's a voracious reader, I love that he practices the piano about 10 times a day, I love it that he likes Lego, I love it that he's so onto doing his school assignments and managing them, I love that he wants a pen knife for camping, I love it that he loves playing cricket and tennis and I love it that he's not that interested in watching much TV.
But I don't love it when he spends time in his room watching Good Game Spawn Point over and over on his Ipod, I don't love it that he wants an ipod touch and I hate it when he nags me to have more than his two sessions of 1 1/2 hours on his Wii each week.
I don't mind when he wants to go on the computer and do stuff like explore new tools ie prezzie, game building sites, Scratch and lots of other cool stuff I get off OZTL - much!
I don't want my son hanging indoors on a beautiful day watching a screen. But i don't even like it that much when it's raining! I think I'm suffering from severe technological distrust. (I was gonna give it an acronym but it seemed inappropriate!)
The more i read about being a teacher librarian the more I wonder if I've chosen the right profession.
Somethings give me hope. In the Module 1 reading "Libraries for a post - literate society", Johnson (2010) talks about a return to storytelling, debating and dramatisation since digital media can capture and store these modes as easily as writing. There is a wealth of possibilities there for teacher librarians! Imagine having digital resources created by one group of students ie a debate, stored and accessible to be used by another group of students. Imagine having students in small groups having access digitally to the teacher (or author!) reading aloud their story. The list of ideas is endless.
I wouldn't like to compare myself to Plato but I love the quote of his misgivings about writing at the end of the reading, and am hoping that this particular fear of mine becomes a blessing.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Critical Synthesis
My learning curve on my view of the role of the teacher librarian (TL) has been huge!
I really had no idea what a TLs role involved beyond my own experience of the TL at primary school, which was as a resource manager and advocate of children's literature within the school community, my love of which led me to this course. When asked what masters degree I was doing, my reply of “TL” was almost given apologetically, as if it was a pretty lame choice!
My early blogs, “Farewell Technophobe” (Ealand, 2010, July 4) and “Kid’s View” (Ealand, 2010, July 20b) in which I mention my daughter’s comment that “you don’t love IT, you love books. You should go to the library not be a librarian”, highlight my initial dismay at finding the role may not be as I’d thought and I must confess to wondering if I hadn’t made a mistake in my choice of masters degree.
A few posts on came the self-explanatory “Rapidly Expanding View” (Ealand, 2010, August 3). Reading Haycock (2003), and later Lonsdale (2003) and School Libraries Work (2008), and realising the extensive research that positively correlated the library and TL with student learning outcomes was an aha moment for me. This was the dawning of an understanding about the central and important nature of the TLs role within the school community and the potential that it holds. I was excited and enthused by this realization (para. 3).
There were a few key facets of the TLs role that seemed to be jumping out at me. One was connectedness. The possibility of the library as a central “hub” or heart of the school with branches reaching out to all parts - teachers, students, administration, principal, parents as well as the professional community - really resonated with me. Another was collaboration (Haycock, 2007). The idea of the TL as a member of the teaching team, providing curriculum support to teachers in planning, resourcing and teaching was new to me. Still another was agent of change. “How exciting that the TL can be an agent of change for the whole school and help create an information literate school community“ (Ealand, 2010, Aug 3). This concept seemed provide the opportunity to synthesise all my growing understandings of the TL role into their contribution to a school’s mission to create the best possible environment for the mastery of student and teacher information literacy (IL) (Henri cited in Henri, 2005).
Resource-based learning, inquiry learning and constructivist theory were all new to me, having not taught in the school system for many years. Exploring recent and evolving pedagogies of teaching and learning inspired the dormant teacher in me, and realising that the teacher part of a TL was so integral to the role (Hay, 2009) was very satisfying and has been one of my most enjoyable and inspiring realizations about the role.
My own IL was brought into question throughout the course, (Ealand, August 25) and I was reassured by reading the forums that other students were struggling in the same way (Hartigan, 2010). The relevance of this to my developing view of the TL was highlighted with particular reference to Kuhlthau’s (2004) ISP and the affective dimensions of the inquiry process, which seem such a valuable contribution to the understanding of this process by both the student and TL.
As my learning curve continued to arch, other facets of the role asserted themselves. Leadership, as articulated in the Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians (ALIA/ASLA, 2005), so necessary to facilitate the agent of change role (Farwell, cited in Haycock, 2003), seems vital. Getting the principal on board (Henri, Hay & Oberg, 2002 and Hartzell, 2002) seems ironically to be both a consequence of, as well as a prerequisite for, the enabling of TLs to fully realize their role. Also, professional development, important with any profession, seems even more so for TLs with the evolving and dynamic nature of ICTs. Furthermore, the outcomes based focus of the role and the importance of evidence-based practice to insure both an understanding and addressing of the evolving needs of the school community also contributed to my growing understanding of the TLs role.
It seems neat to finish with Covey (1990). His idea that good can be the enemy of best struck a chord with me very early on in the subject (Ealand, 2010, July 20a). I have since come to understand that the role of TL is a complex and demanding one. A challenge for TLs in striving for excellence must be to not let what they do well, (troubleshooting ICT problems, chasing overdue loans, covering books…) hinder the realisation of their unique contribution, (challenging current pedagogical practices, promoting and nurturing an ILSC, improving the literacy learning outcomes of all students, empowering others to become lifelong learners, capturing the hearts and minds of students by fostering a love of story…).
I really had no idea what a TLs role involved beyond my own experience of the TL at primary school, which was as a resource manager and advocate of children's literature within the school community, my love of which led me to this course. When asked what masters degree I was doing, my reply of “TL” was almost given apologetically, as if it was a pretty lame choice!
My early blogs, “Farewell Technophobe” (Ealand, 2010, July 4) and “Kid’s View” (Ealand, 2010, July 20b) in which I mention my daughter’s comment that “you don’t love IT, you love books. You should go to the library not be a librarian”, highlight my initial dismay at finding the role may not be as I’d thought and I must confess to wondering if I hadn’t made a mistake in my choice of masters degree.
A few posts on came the self-explanatory “Rapidly Expanding View” (Ealand, 2010, August 3). Reading Haycock (2003), and later Lonsdale (2003) and School Libraries Work (2008), and realising the extensive research that positively correlated the library and TL with student learning outcomes was an aha moment for me. This was the dawning of an understanding about the central and important nature of the TLs role within the school community and the potential that it holds. I was excited and enthused by this realization (para. 3).
There were a few key facets of the TLs role that seemed to be jumping out at me. One was connectedness. The possibility of the library as a central “hub” or heart of the school with branches reaching out to all parts - teachers, students, administration, principal, parents as well as the professional community - really resonated with me. Another was collaboration (Haycock, 2007). The idea of the TL as a member of the teaching team, providing curriculum support to teachers in planning, resourcing and teaching was new to me. Still another was agent of change. “How exciting that the TL can be an agent of change for the whole school and help create an information literate school community“ (Ealand, 2010, Aug 3). This concept seemed provide the opportunity to synthesise all my growing understandings of the TL role into their contribution to a school’s mission to create the best possible environment for the mastery of student and teacher information literacy (IL) (Henri cited in Henri, 2005).
Resource-based learning, inquiry learning and constructivist theory were all new to me, having not taught in the school system for many years. Exploring recent and evolving pedagogies of teaching and learning inspired the dormant teacher in me, and realising that the teacher part of a TL was so integral to the role (Hay, 2009) was very satisfying and has been one of my most enjoyable and inspiring realizations about the role.
My own IL was brought into question throughout the course, (Ealand, August 25) and I was reassured by reading the forums that other students were struggling in the same way (Hartigan, 2010). The relevance of this to my developing view of the TL was highlighted with particular reference to Kuhlthau’s (2004) ISP and the affective dimensions of the inquiry process, which seem such a valuable contribution to the understanding of this process by both the student and TL.
As my learning curve continued to arch, other facets of the role asserted themselves. Leadership, as articulated in the Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians (ALIA/ASLA, 2005), so necessary to facilitate the agent of change role (Farwell, cited in Haycock, 2003), seems vital. Getting the principal on board (Henri, Hay & Oberg, 2002 and Hartzell, 2002) seems ironically to be both a consequence of, as well as a prerequisite for, the enabling of TLs to fully realize their role. Also, professional development, important with any profession, seems even more so for TLs with the evolving and dynamic nature of ICTs. Furthermore, the outcomes based focus of the role and the importance of evidence-based practice to insure both an understanding and addressing of the evolving needs of the school community also contributed to my growing understanding of the TLs role.
It seems neat to finish with Covey (1990). His idea that good can be the enemy of best struck a chord with me very early on in the subject (Ealand, 2010, July 20a). I have since come to understand that the role of TL is a complex and demanding one. A challenge for TLs in striving for excellence must be to not let what they do well, (troubleshooting ICT problems, chasing overdue loans, covering books…) hinder the realisation of their unique contribution, (challenging current pedagogical practices, promoting and nurturing an ILSC, improving the literacy learning outcomes of all students, empowering others to become lifelong learners, capturing the hearts and minds of students by fostering a love of story…).
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