Does a 21st-Century School Need a Library? Issues & Options

Does a 21st-Century School Need a Library? Issues & Options - A modern high-tech school doesn't need a library of the past. We need to explore responsible options for school library collections, but having a certified School Librarian is still critical for meeting the academic needs of today's youth. #NoSweatLibraryThe controversy about whether high-tech schools need a library continues to be a hot educational debate. If LM_NET posts are any indication, that debate, along with arguments about size, configuration, furniture, and collections are ongoing. This becomes a critical issue when planning a new—or renovated—school. To my mind, the primary consideration, whether elementary, middle, or high school is this:

What will best serve the students and curriculum in this school?

Reflecting on my years as the ‘surrogate’ librarian teaching in an at-risk alternative high school through my years as a certified Middle School Librarian, I’ve had my share of quandaries about what a school needs for a library. I’m not alone, so here are some of the issues and options I and others have encountered.

OPTION: SCHOOL AS LIBRARY

My first issue was in the alternative school: we had several-hundred books in a very small, never-used “library” room which were never used—in fact, most of the teachers didn’t even realize we had them! As a solution I wanted to disperse books to relevant classrooms where students & teachers could use them directly.

The library director was concerned about how we’d keep track of where books were and how we’d check them out. I responded that our alternative students never take school materials home, so would only use books in the classrooms. The district library automation system had a secondary field for location—the first being school name—and I could add the classroom number and teacher name where each book was located.

I was granted permission to implement my plan. Teachers and students were thrilled, and the books were used constantly. We called it “School As Library.” Alas, two years after I left to become a middle school librarian, the library director had all the books put back in the “library” room—to the chagrin of faculty and kids—and books once again faded into oblivion. About 10 years later I heard the “library” had been moved to a larger room with an updated collection, but when I visited the school, it languished in obscurity just as the prior one had.

My takeaway from this is, regardless of the library, there must be a “librarian”—real or surrogate—to care for the library collection and advocate its use to teachers & students.

OPTION: MOBILE SATELLITE LIBRARIES

Wisdom is about asking the right questions.Interestingly, it seems School as Library may become the next “hot” topic. In a recent LM_NET discussion, an elementary School Librarian, on a committee to plan for new and renovated libraries, wrote:

We are being told that the future of libraries is to reduce the space of the actual library and have books in mini satellite stations around the school. We are also being told that book cases should all be on wheels so the collection is more portable.

She asked for input, and among the responses here are the most relevant issues:

  • Satellite stations of books cut off full access to students. The library of the future is the Learning Commons which doesn’t involve reducing library space or moving books outside of the library.
  • Mobile book shelves are great to create spaces within the library for different uses, but for an entire school, mobile tables and chairs would better serve as collaborative mini satellite stations.

I related my positive experience at the alternative school and suggested two solutions:

  1. Put the satellite libraries into classrooms where they could be monitored by teachers, placing mostly curricular-related materials in their bookcases.
  2. Devise a quick, perhaps technological, way for students to check out books to track who had them.

ISSUE: LIBRARY BLUNDERS BY THE UNINFORMED

The above LM_NET post also prompted librarians to reveal design problems with new or proposed libraries. Non-library professionals don’t understand what the school library…and the School Librarian…does, and here are some of the problems:

  • A brand new building wasn’t given enough bookshelves, so they have to use portable round wire racks.
  • In a new high school building the shelves are too short. There are huge display cabinets, but shelves for books would have been much more useful.
  • Architects, unaware that library shelving comes in three-foot-wide sections, ignored the need for certain linear feet of shelving. They also drew less furniture “so it looks open and spacious,” ignoring the need to accommodate normal class sizes in group seating areas.
  • An architect couldn’t grasp that a section of the checkout counter needed to be lower for patrons in wheelchairs.
  • Electrical outlets were mounted at floor level instead of high enough to be used by charging stations.

Barbara Braxton, a retired School Librarian in Australia (one of my gurus) had this to say:

School Library Design: If we are not invited to contribute, we have to speak up anyway. If we want the best for our students, being silent is not an option.Certainly the concept of libraries as having more flexible spaces is a driving force in design and the tale of architects not consulting those who use them is common. Don’t assume that administrators, let alone architects, have any idea about best practice in 21st century libraries—we are the experts and we need to tell them. (edited for brevity)

The consensus is to campaign for an architect/designer who has experience designing libraries:

  • Identify the essentials and why, particularly for work safety, work flow, and user access;
  • measure and create a floor plan; and
  • keep standing your ground—it pays off in the end.

ISSUE: TROUBLESOME BOOKCASE HEIGHTS

I am bewildered by elementary libraries with 7-foot high shelving. I’ve suggested to elementary librarians complaining about lack of shelf space, to scatter professional teacher & classroom materials on the top shelves above their associated Dewey numbers of the student books (to have topical materials together). This opens up the lower shelves of those bookcases for the itty-bitties’ books.

As this photo shows, high school libraries with short bookcases can stack one atop another & bolt them together to make a more convenient experience for students.

One HS’s solution: short bookcases stacked & bolted together.

I am likewise puzzled by a high school library with 3-foot high shelving. While some high school librarians love their shorter mobile shelves (which are extremely heavy when loaded with books), for those who don’t I suggest they remove wheels from some of the bookcases and stack one atop another in a permanent location, attaching bolts or flat brackets to secure them together.

I have plenty of 5-foot high bookcases in my middle school library and it’s the perfect height for these students. I don’t need to use the bottom shelf for books, so I added leftover slanted shelves to display new arrivals or thematic reads. This draws attention down so students also “see” books on the shelf below waist height.

Slanted shelves added to bottom shelf of bookcases to display new arrivals or thematic books.

Slanted bottom shelves display new arrivals…which disappear fast!

The 5-foot height is ideal for displaying classroom projects and other interesting artifacts during the school year. The cases are low enough to allow easy viewing, but high enough to discourage students from handling the displays.

Store classroom materials on top of library bookcases for summer to alleviate the need for extra library storage that sits empty during the school year.

My 5′ high bookcases are also a convenient place to store items returned from classrooms for summer break so I don’t need extra storage space in the library that sits empty during the school year. It’s easy to put stuff up there and to pull down and send back to classrooms when school begins. I have a bin for each classroom with the room number and teacher name on it so it’s also easy to organize.

ISSUE: PHYSICAL PRINT VS. DIGITAL ONLINE

Does Technology Make School Libraries Obsolete? - To have or not have a School Library? If we have one, do we need books? So many questions, and I have a few answers. Read on... #NoSweatLibraryMy first stumbling block as a middle school librarian was about purchasing online subscription reference databases. Our 2-yr-old middle school was a prototype high-tech school with a 1-to-3 computer-to-student ratio. The small print collection couldn’t meet student research needs and online access should have been a given, but because we didn’t have the state-recommended books-per-student ratio, I was told I could purchase only print books with district library funds. Fortunately my principal had helped design the school as a model of technology and saw the absurdity of using old-school library standards for a modern, high-tech school. He provided the funds for me to purchase online services that would support our curriculum.

As an avid Star Trekker, I don’t remember a print reference resource on any TV shows or movies. There were incidents where books were read, but for reference they always used COMPUTER. In the original series “Court Martial” episode, the law books Cogley piled up in Kirk’s quarters seemed to glorify books over computers, but it was the dilution & homogenization of information put on the computer that was criticized—much as we lament the poor quality of information on the Internet. And at the end of that episode, it’s the skillful use of the computer as a reference resource—not Cogley’s books—that finds the real culprit. (I wonder: if Lexis-Nexis had been digitized in the 60s, would Spock have convinced Cogley that it was far easier to search L-N than to wade through his hundreds of books?)

For years the “What will they do when they get to college?” argument tried to justify print reference, but colleges and universities have been online-resource rich since the 90s. As the number and variety of online subscription services has multiplied, the claim that “It’s faster to find information in a good reference book than on the Internet” is invalid.

Most School Librarians have drastically reduced print reference materials in favor of online subscription services. We still tell students that ‘not everything is on the Internet’, but as a reason for using our high-quality online resources.  students now need to be more proficient at choosing and using online reference services than print reference sources.

The struggle now is getting teachers to assign online subscription resources and topical e-books instead of print. A corporate boss isn’t likely to say, “Joe, we need you to compile some information for the annual report, and we want you to use an encyclopedia, a book, and a newspaper, but only one website.” Yet teachers persist in giving these kinds of directions for assignments…or in the supreme case of laxity, just let students search for and submit information from any site on the Internet.

What about Fiction & Leisure Reading?
As students move from elementary to middle school to high school, leisure reading declines due to increased academic demands. Print is still preferred for elementary, but the print Fiction section of a high-tech secondary school library might smaller than prior standards. Purchasing lower-cost paperbacks can keep it current and inviting for students who say they prefer “a real book.” Using E-readers, tablets, or smartphones for reading is now popular for many secondary schools, and though that tired old refrain of the difficulty of ‘curling up with a computer’ persists, I actually prefer doing my leisure reading on my device, as do many of my students!

TO HAVE OR NOT HAVE … A SCHOOL LIBRARY

A quote by David Warlick: "What they have to say will be without value, because nobody will read it...it will not successfully compete for attention. Unless they can communicate in other mediums... nobody will hear it."In a podcast many years ago, David Warlick said students need a place to go in order to find, synthesize, and produce information, and the School Library is the logical place for an Information Production Center. He admonishes that students must have the opportunity to develop as effective communicators in print, video, audio, and digital formats, or their “voices” will simply not be heard. Now THAT is a powerful argument for having a School Library—to have no such place in a school would be irresponsible.

I continue to believe that curriculum needs and student demographics ought to determine a School Library’s resources. We need to make strong assertions about providing students with information from a variety of high-quality resources, about teaching Information Literacy Skills for any kind of assignment, and about the one person in the school who can bring curriculum, technology, and communication together: a certified Teacher-Librarian. 

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3 Strategies for a First-Time School Librarian

3 Strategies for a First-Time School Librarian - To succeed as a first-time School Librarian—or as a veteran in a new library position—we need to learn everything about our library and school, listen to everyone and ask questions, and leave everything alone until we're sure what needs to change! #NoSweatLibraryAugust. I’m a new School Librarian. I’m still a Teacher, but I now have a huge classroom with a mind-boggling array of resources. I need to provide lessons to every student in the school at every grade level but I have no curriculum guide and no class schedule. How do I begin?

If you are a new School Librarian, perhaps you feel as overwhelmed as I did when I first walked into my School Library. With my memories as a new librarian, ideas from library courses, and my innate need for organization, I offer 3 strategies for a first-time School Librarian:

  • learn everything,
  • listen to everyone,
  • leave things as they are (for awhile).

LEARN EVERYTHING ABOUT THE LIBRARY

Image of my School Library Layout - Making detailed diagrams of everything in the School Library is the smartest "first step" I did as a new School Librarian.I’m a “stuff” person. I need to know what I have and where it’s located so I can get it when I need it. Thus, my first task was to learn what was on every shelf and inside every cupboard and drawer in the library. I knew I wouldn’t remember it all, so I used a clipboard of blank paper to draw diagrams. I began in the librarian’s office, moved to the circulation desk, then to the workroom, on to adjoining rooms, and then to the main library space. It took a couple days to compile an extensive set of diagrams about the physical library facility. I took the sheets home and created library maps—labeled & color-coded—on spreadsheets, and I continue to use and modify that same document. It was the smartest “first step” I could have taken as a new School Librarian because I knew:

  • what was barcoded and what wasn’t, but needed to be – a task for my TO DO checklist
  • purchase orders sent but items not yet received or processed – another task for my TO DO checklist
  • resource and technology items likely to be checked out by teachers at the start of school – task for TO DO checklist
  • available library supplies for various needs – how the previous librarian managed things & what I need to purchase
  • the extent of Fiction, Dewey, and Reference resources in the collection – where to focus my new purchases
  • collaborated library lessons given by the previous librarian – who are “library-friendly” teachers & probable lesson requests
  • ideas and materials I could use to establish my own teaching and management style – a “Possibilities” checklist

My next step was to explore all the files and applications on the librarian computer workstations to see what the previous librarian had done—which extended my knowledge of her management and lessons—and I rearranged files into folders according to my own organizational style.

As a new faculty member I’d been given a map of the school, so after obtaining permission and a master key from the principal I went through the school—with my trusty clipboard—to identify all the technology and resources that were “library barcoded” in each room. In one unused classroom I found technology items that had been delivered to the school but were still in boxes and hadn’t been processed, along with library items in classrooms that weren’t checked out. During my school “tour” I also identified subordinate technology hubs to the main tech hub in the library workroom. Having such extensive knowledge of every part of the school is a real advantage:

  • technicians entering the school are sent to the library so I’m always aware of tech issues or implementations and I can plan new tech lessons for students and colleagues;
  • district workers carry my name back to their departments as the “go-to” person at my school;
  • I can answer building questions no one else can so I’m invited to be on planning committees;
  • before classroom purchases are made, teachers, principal, and secretary check with me to see if we already have the same or similar items, thus saving time and money.

Knowing exactly what I had in the library and the school gave me so much confidence! I’d have an answer for any question or request, and I could maximize my time and money. In short, during my first week I was already becoming an “indispensable” School Librarian!

LISTEN TO EVERYONE & ASK QUESTIONS 

New School Librarian: Listen & Learn - As a new School Librarian, listen to the school secretary, the head custodian, and the food services manager who know how the school functions. Respect District personnel & visitors to the library and they'll spread a good impression that benefits the library & school. #NoSweatLibraryMy one suggestion to an incoming new School Librarian is, “Become a trusted colleague of the School Secretary, the Head Custodian, and the Food Services Manager!” These folks are a key source of information about the way the school functions, and if we treat them with the respect they so rightly deserve, they will answer our questions and help us become even better at our job, often doing something for us that they don’t do for anyone else. Just remember to return the favors!

As the school year progresses, welcome district personnel and visitors into the library and, if possible, give them respectful and undivided attention, asking as many questions about their situation as possible. A good impression carries throughout a community and suddenly one day, someone you’ve never met greets you, knows who you are, and wants to help you accomplish something to benefit your students!

Our main purpose as a School Librarian is to support classroom instruction, so we must communicate and collaborate with teachers. On the first PD day in the library at the start of school, I was introduced as the new School Librarian, and I asked my colleagues 2 questions:

  1. Is the School Library meeting your needs for classroom instruction?
  2. What can I do as a School Librarian to help you with classroom instruction?

I’d placed brightly-colored 3×5 index cards on the tables to have colleagues write down one suggestion for the School Library and one suggestion for the School Librarian. By the end of that day I knew what had been working, what hadn’t been working, and some new directions to take the School Library, all of which I added to my “Possibilities” checklist. That initial appeal for cooperation led many teachers to seek my input on library visits and lessons throughout the rest of the school year, and my continued willingness to ask questions and listen to suggestions helped build a solid reputation as a valuable collaborative partner!

LEAVE THE LIBRARY AS IT IS (FOR NOW)

Underneath the anxiety, a new School Librarian feels adventurous, itching to implement exciting ideas from library courses! I had my “Possibilities” checklist, but I was wise enough to decide, Don’t Change Anything Yet:

  • A physical arrangement may not make sense until a large group is moving around.
  • Seemingly frivolous policies and procedures may actually facilitate best use of the library.
  • Environment or activities may be crucial to lessons or established teacher and student expectations.
  • Real needs can’t be anticipated in a vacuum—the library must be “in use” to know what works and what doesn’t.

School Librarians are so excited to work in our first library, but we need to quell the desire for changes until we learn how students interact with the facility, the collection, and with us. | No Sweat LibraryA School Library really belongs to the students and we need to experience the “school culture” of students, to discover their attitudes and needs for their school library. I arranged library visits with ELA teachers for the second week of school and interacted with students as much as possible. By the end of that week I could see how the facility functions for individual students and for classes & teachers, as well as how I functioned within it.

I had to modify my “Possibilities” checklist many times as I worked with teachers and students during scheduled and informal library visits. As I developed a clearer picture of needs, I could slowly begin making changes to improve library use, such as swapping the location of Fiction and Reference and creating new descriptive signage. In January I persuaded ELA teachers to visit the library for a ‘review’ library orientation and everyone loved the changes I’d made.

LEARN THE LIBRARY COLLECTION

In my district we were expected to spend 1/2 our library book budget by the middle of December. Since I was a newbie librarian, I was able to obtain permission to wait until January to purchase books, and I’m so glad I did. Here is what I did—and what you can do—during the 1st semester to maximize the value of book purchases for students, teachers, and classrooms:

  • Shelve returned books every day to become intimately familiar with the library collection.
  • Run circulation reports every month to see what’s popular with each grade level.
  • Note how the location of books affects students browsing and choosing.
  • Run collection comparison reports with other same-grade-level schools to learn what’s popular in the community.
  • Throughout the semester generate “To Purchase” lists for Fiction, Dewey, Biography, and teacher materials.

My POs were finally sent out, and a couple months later, two pallets stacked high with boxes of books appeared outside the library doors. Our entire school was buzzing with excitement to come visit the library, and as fast as I unpacked boxes, students checked out the new books! My circulation statistics soared and I could always put a great book into a student’s hands.

WHAT I KNOW NOW …

I’ve had jobs in and outside education during my adulthood, and I’ve met many new employees who think they’ve been hired to revolutionize the industry; they come in like gangbusters, trying to change everything without really putting in the time to learn anything. I thank my Dad for his never-forgotten advice: Begin every new position by asking questions, listening to others, and learning as much as possible before offering any suggestions for change. That attitude helped me become a valued employee at every job I’ve had, including being a School Librarian. If I could have a do-over, I wouldn’t do anything differently.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you may also like my follow up: 3 (more) Strategies for a New School Librarian

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