MA School Library Transforms into New Learning Commons
Article by Debra Lau Whelan School Library Journal 12.10.2008
An article was published in school library journal which caught my eye. It it was concerning a Teacher Librarian who transformed her Library at Chelmsford High School in Massachusetts. It was a run down library but....the kids kept coming back. The Librarian Valerie Diggs, as the High School Media Specialist, knew a thing or two about the value of a good library.
Even though the library looked like a prison (it had iron bars) , the teachers still visited with their classes and kids took advantage of its listening lunches, coffee gatherings and other great programs.
Now the library is even better due to a major makeover and has been transformed into a Learning Commons, a true virtual and physical 21st Century learning space.
Diggs received $150,000 from her town to refurbish her 6000square foot library complete with a Java Room coffee bar, 38 new desktop computers, a 58" flat panel TV, new furniture, flooring and paint.
A Learning Commons according to David Loertscher, a professor at San Jose State Uni and coauthor of The New Learning Commons Where Learners Win:Reinventing School Libraries and Computer Labs, 2008, states that it is "a collaborative space created by users that turns the library into the 'centre, the network, of social, cultural and learning in the school."
On returning from a visit to this Library Loertscher commented that this library has "achieved
much of the open commons idea.....................the parade of good things, the culture of student productions in its listening lunches, its popularity as both a social and an intellectual space is evident."
Circulation has risen by 20% since the new library opened its doors.
Wow!!!!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Times Article
Read the full article in the Timesonline and have included key points:
The Times
April 23, 2009
Shh, this is a digital library
The modern librarian is an online facilitator with an MA
"Once upon a time a love of books and reading was considered a key requirement for an aspiring librarian. Today, with the advent of digitalisation and moves towards the virtual library, such an interest is no longer enough. Librarians must master sophisticated IT and information management skills as well as the traditional techniques.....
Even Oxford University's venerable Bodleian Library is moving into the 21st century with plans to allow more online access to materials and electronic document delivery. And a significant proportion of Oxford's 19th-century out-of-copyright holdings, including Jane Austen's Emma and the first edition of Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species, have been digitalised to allow online access......
So what does it take to be a librarian in the digital age? Well, you can start work in a library with GCSEs, A levels or a first degree in information sciences. However, a postgraduate qualification - an MA or MSc - is necessary in certain sectors where there is a bar to promotion for anyone without a professional qualification. This is the case in schools, colleges and universities, and government and local authorities.
What kind of qualities does a librarian need? Vanda Broughton, MA programme director for library and information studies at University College London, cites an interest in information, curiosity and, for those going into the technical areas of IT or cataloguing, an interest in detail and a methodical approach.
For librarians dealing with readers, people skills are important in helping users to find information, use databases and negotiate online resources.
Traditional librarianship skills of managing information, compiling collections, selecting and organising material and making it available to readers are still important but they are exercised in an increasingly digital context.
Bibliographic databases have replaced print-based services. Scholarly journals are now delivered electronically. E-text books are increasingly prevalent and rare texts such as the Gutenberg Bible and the Beowulf manuscript have been digitalised to allow public access."
The Times
April 23, 2009
Shh, this is a digital library
The modern librarian is an online facilitator with an MA
"Once upon a time a love of books and reading was considered a key requirement for an aspiring librarian. Today, with the advent of digitalisation and moves towards the virtual library, such an interest is no longer enough. Librarians must master sophisticated IT and information management skills as well as the traditional techniques.....
Even Oxford University's venerable Bodleian Library is moving into the 21st century with plans to allow more online access to materials and electronic document delivery. And a significant proportion of Oxford's 19th-century out-of-copyright holdings, including Jane Austen's Emma and the first edition of Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species, have been digitalised to allow online access......
So what does it take to be a librarian in the digital age? Well, you can start work in a library with GCSEs, A levels or a first degree in information sciences. However, a postgraduate qualification - an MA or MSc - is necessary in certain sectors where there is a bar to promotion for anyone without a professional qualification. This is the case in schools, colleges and universities, and government and local authorities.
What kind of qualities does a librarian need? Vanda Broughton, MA programme director for library and information studies at University College London, cites an interest in information, curiosity and, for those going into the technical areas of IT or cataloguing, an interest in detail and a methodical approach.
For librarians dealing with readers, people skills are important in helping users to find information, use databases and negotiate online resources.
Traditional librarianship skills of managing information, compiling collections, selecting and organising material and making it available to readers are still important but they are exercised in an increasingly digital context.
Bibliographic databases have replaced print-based services. Scholarly journals are now delivered electronically. E-text books are increasingly prevalent and rare texts such as the Gutenberg Bible and the Beowulf manuscript have been digitalised to allow public access."
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The TL Role from The Hub
Found some great reading today to assist me in defining the role of the TL.
"Teacher librarianship isn’t a simple job to explain. It’s about encouraging a love of reading by matching the right books to readers, but it’s also about providing access to a wealth of information, and teaching our students HOW to define what it is they want to find out, and the best way to discover the answers. We don’t feed students, we teach them to fish." 6.4.2008. Behind the Blog. The Hub: Campaign for Quality School Libraries in Australia. http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/tag/tl-role/
"A little known fact about having a teacher librarian in your school is that she/he is more than one person. A great teacher librarian is networked with TLs throughout Australia online and involved in regular local gatherings. So when your school employs a teacher librarian, they are really tapping into the collective knowledge and experience of hundreds of school library professionals, who have amply demonstrated over the years the strength and loyalty of their collegiality, born in the pre-internet days of inter-library loans. It’s kind of like the Borg*, but with more comfortable shoes, and much less evil intent." 8.1.2001 Secret Library Business. The Hub: Campaign for Quality School Libraries in Australia. http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/tag/tl-role/
"Teacher librarianship isn’t a simple job to explain. It’s about encouraging a love of reading by matching the right books to readers, but it’s also about providing access to a wealth of information, and teaching our students HOW to define what it is they want to find out, and the best way to discover the answers. We don’t feed students, we teach them to fish." 6.4.2008. Behind the Blog. The Hub: Campaign for Quality School Libraries in Australia. http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/tag/tl-role/
"A little known fact about having a teacher librarian in your school is that she/he is more than one person. A great teacher librarian is networked with TLs throughout Australia online and involved in regular local gatherings. So when your school employs a teacher librarian, they are really tapping into the collective knowledge and experience of hundreds of school library professionals, who have amply demonstrated over the years the strength and loyalty of their collegiality, born in the pre-internet days of inter-library loans. It’s kind of like the Borg*, but with more comfortable shoes, and much less evil intent." 8.1.2001 Secret Library Business. The Hub: Campaign for Quality School Libraries in Australia. http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/tag/tl-role/
Monday, May 4, 2009
Helpful Resource
Today I was asked by a friend to find some helpful resources so that she could teach Romeo and Juliet to her Stage 5 English Learning Support Group. I thought I would apply some of the things I had learned from this course so far in particularly the use of technologies. I came across an excellent resource that can be used for any English Unit From Read, Write, Think:
Modern-Day Interpretation Projects
1. Headline News Story Choose a modern-day event that mirrors an event that occurred in the text. Create a headline news Web page and two or three related links based on the event for a Web-based news site. To get an idea of length, format, and the kinds of links typically included in such stories, visit news sites on the Web.
2. Instant Messages or Text Messages Rewrite a dialogue between two characters from the text in modern-day format as if it took place online through instant messages or on cell phones or another tool using text messages.
3. Blogging Rewrite a monologue from the text (e.g., the speech of one person) as a blog entry or a series of blog entries. Include appropriate links to other Web pages, and comments that other characters from the text might leave on the blog entries.
4. Podcasting Rewrite a monologue or dialogue from the text as a podcast (a self-published, syndicated "radio shows"). Record your project as an audio file or create the transcript of the show that you might post online with the audio file. Be sure to include details on background sounds and music if you write a transcript for your project.
5. What if? Find a scene in the text that you believe would have been radically different given the existence of a certain piece of advanced high-tech equipment. Name the item and describe how and why the scene would have been different, and how it would have affected the outcome of the play.
6. Digital Artifacts Imagine that you find portable disk next to the computer of one of the characters from the play. It might be a floppy disk, Zip disk, USB keychain disk, or another device. This storage disk contains personal documents—letters, “to do” lists, data, and poems written by the character for his or her eyes only. Decide on four or five documents, recreate them, invent file names for each, and create a (fake) printout of the disk directory. Put all these together in a packet about the character.
7. Playlist Choose one of the characters from the text and create a playlist that that character would have on his or her iPod or MP3 player. Invent the name for the playlist, and create a list of the names of the songs, artists, the albums the songs came from, and other relevant details in your word processor. Alternately, if you have the resources available, you can burn a CD of the character’s playlist and create a CD label with the appropriate details.
8. Reality TV Show Imagine that the characters from the text are part of a reality TV show. Rewrite a scene from the text as it would have been caught from the surveillance cameras of the show. Film your scene using a video camera, or write a transcript of the scene (including details on background sounds, setting, and props).
9. Technology Product Endorsement Have a character in the text endorse a technology product—design a letter or short narrative where the character tells readers why they should purchase or support the product.
10. PowerPoint Presentation Rewrite a monologue from the text as a PowerPoint presentation. Imagine that the character is presenting the information to a modern audience using text, images, and other features available in PowerPoint (or another online presentation tool).Create the PowerPoint presentation that the character would use.
Modern-Day Interpretation Projects
1. Headline News Story Choose a modern-day event that mirrors an event that occurred in the text. Create a headline news Web page and two or three related links based on the event for a Web-based news site. To get an idea of length, format, and the kinds of links typically included in such stories, visit news sites on the Web.
2. Instant Messages or Text Messages Rewrite a dialogue between two characters from the text in modern-day format as if it took place online through instant messages or on cell phones or another tool using text messages.
3. Blogging Rewrite a monologue from the text (e.g., the speech of one person) as a blog entry or a series of blog entries. Include appropriate links to other Web pages, and comments that other characters from the text might leave on the blog entries.
4. Podcasting Rewrite a monologue or dialogue from the text as a podcast (a self-published, syndicated "radio shows"). Record your project as an audio file or create the transcript of the show that you might post online with the audio file. Be sure to include details on background sounds and music if you write a transcript for your project.
5. What if? Find a scene in the text that you believe would have been radically different given the existence of a certain piece of advanced high-tech equipment. Name the item and describe how and why the scene would have been different, and how it would have affected the outcome of the play.
6. Digital Artifacts Imagine that you find portable disk next to the computer of one of the characters from the play. It might be a floppy disk, Zip disk, USB keychain disk, or another device. This storage disk contains personal documents—letters, “to do” lists, data, and poems written by the character for his or her eyes only. Decide on four or five documents, recreate them, invent file names for each, and create a (fake) printout of the disk directory. Put all these together in a packet about the character.
7. Playlist Choose one of the characters from the text and create a playlist that that character would have on his or her iPod or MP3 player. Invent the name for the playlist, and create a list of the names of the songs, artists, the albums the songs came from, and other relevant details in your word processor. Alternately, if you have the resources available, you can burn a CD of the character’s playlist and create a CD label with the appropriate details.
8. Reality TV Show Imagine that the characters from the text are part of a reality TV show. Rewrite a scene from the text as it would have been caught from the surveillance cameras of the show. Film your scene using a video camera, or write a transcript of the scene (including details on background sounds, setting, and props).
9. Technology Product Endorsement Have a character in the text endorse a technology product—design a letter or short narrative where the character tells readers why they should purchase or support the product.
10. PowerPoint Presentation Rewrite a monologue from the text as a PowerPoint presentation. Imagine that the character is presenting the information to a modern audience using text, images, and other features available in PowerPoint (or another online presentation tool).Create the PowerPoint presentation that the character would use.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Internet expands
Here is an interesting extract from The SMH 23rd April, 2009:
Internet's web to get wider and wider
April 23, 2009 - 7:47AM Sydney Morning Herald
While the internet has dramatically changed lives around the world, its full impact will only be realised when far more people and information go online, its founders said on Wednesday.
"The web as I envisaged it, we have not seen it yet. The future is still so much bigger than the past," said Tim Berners-Lee, one of the inventors of the World Wide Web, at a seminar on its future.
Just 23% of the globe's population currently uses the internet, according to the United Nation's International Telecommunications Union. By contrast, just 5% of Africans surf the web, reported in March.But that level is expected to rise, said internet co-founder Vinton Cerf.
The number of websites has since ballooned from just 500 as recently as 1994 to over 80 million currently, with growing numbers of sites consisting of user-generated content like blogs.
…..So what does this mean for Teacher Librarians?
Even more information available at our fingertips?
I believe that this will mean an “explosion” of information available and even more need than ever before for students to learn skills that teach them how to locate and decipher the dependability and reliability of a web source.
It is an exciting time for us all and we as: TL’s in training, are the future.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ideas and thoughts for the Teacher Librarian
Blind Date with a book - To celebrate Valentine's Day: New books wrapped in brown paper with a red love-heart card and a chocolate Freddo.
"Literacy includes but also exceeds books."
Stephanie Rosali - connecting kids with books and learning.
FUN
F - Finding
U - Understanding
kN - knowing
Buy only quality resources that are interesting.
The Library should be the centre of the school.
Be a Facilitator not a Controller.
"Literacy includes but also exceeds books."
Stephanie Rosali - connecting kids with books and learning.
FUN
F - Finding
U - Understanding
kN - knowing
Buy only quality resources that are interesting.
The Library should be the centre of the school.
Be a Facilitator not a Controller.
My visit to our local Library
I visited my local Library today to firstly reacquaint myself(having not ventured into this Library for some 12 years) with its facilities and secondly to get some ideas for my role as Teacher Librarian. I was amazed to see how many people were utilising the Library and the Librarians. Each computer was busy and people were scattered throughout the Library. Surprisingly there were just as many people in the Fiction as Reference areas and I was pleased with how many digital resources were available. I am going to make this a weekly outing for my family on Saturday Mornings.
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