Monday, October 7, 2013
Friday, November 30, 2012
Virtual School
Library Media Center Management Manual
by
Marjorie L. Pappas
Marjorie L. Pappas, Ph.
D., is an Associate Professor at the School Library and Information Technology
Online Learning, Mansfield University of
Pennsylvania. E-mail: mpappas@mansfield.edu
School library media specialists often post
messages on LM_NET and other state listservs I monitor, requesting examples of
information that I used to maintain in a management manual when I was a school
library media specialist. I started my manual when I was a student in the
organization and administration course we all take in library science programs
and I kept it current with information gleaned from conferences, workshops, and
networking with other school library media specialists. Manuals are easier to
maintain today because of networking through listservs and the Internet. In
thinking about the requests for information related to policies, job descriptions,
cataloging, resource acquisition, etc., I decided a virtual version of this
traditional paper manual might be an interesting and useful concept.
Setting Up My Virtual Manual
My concept of virtual is paperless. Virtual
manuals can be maintained without the challenge of adding pages and adjusting
page numbers. Virtual manuals can include hyperlinks to information located on
the Web. Before starting the development of my manual, I thought about who
might access the manual besides the school library media specialist. Library
assistants, volunteers, and, occasionally, substitutes should all be able to
access this manual. Also, the library media specialist should be able to access
the manual when working at home. The best way to achieve that flexibility is to
post the manual on the library media center's website or on the school's
network, assuming the network is Internet accessible. If a library media center
website or network is not available, the concept is still feasible, but a
little more challenging, because new versions would need to be loaded on
separate computers. Once this decision has been made, the next step is to scan
and/or key-in the existing information related to the specific library media
center. Following are sections and weblinks to include.
Policies
Some policies need to be written to fit the
unique needs of a specific library media center, for example, circulation
policies that establish the time periods books circulate and the cost for
replacing lost books. Other policies, like copyright, are based on federal
legislation. Links to Web-based copyright information will be useful to
supplement local policies.
Policy weblinks:
·
Complete Copyright. ALA. A collection of documents related to
copyright issues and libraries on the American Library Association website.
Carlisle Place Free Union
School District; Carlisle Place, New York. An example of a comprehensive
acceptable use policy for computer and Internet use by students and faculty.
Margaret Lincoln. Lakeview
High School Library. A concise chart of copyright guidelines for schools.
The School Board of Broward
County, Florida.
PDF.
Mesa County Valley School
District 51; Grand Junction, Colorado. A comprehensive collection of policies
for school library media centers.
Personnel
The school library media specialist's job
description should be posted, but it also would be useful to link to job
descriptions for student and parent volunteers. The Web provides examples of
job descriptions for this section.
Examples of job descriptions:
·
Certified
School Librarians: Duties and Responsibilities.School District of
Philadelphia, 1991. Includes administrative and educational functions.
·
Job
Description: Library Clerk. The School Board of Broward County,
Florida.
·
Job
Description: Media Specialist . The School Board of Broward County,
Florida.
·
Librarian
and Media Staff Job Descriptions. Chris Smith. Shambles. A
collection of job descriptions for school library media center positions.
·
Media Assistant Interview Rubric.
Mindy Doler. Lawrence High School; Lawrence, Kansas.
Collection Development and Acquisitions
The purchase of resources and technology for
the library requires access to information about producers and jobbers.
Useful websites:
·
Acquisitions,
Collection Maintenance and Electronic Access . Della Curtis.
Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland. Includes sample policies,
procedures, and resources.
·
AcqWEB. Publisher
and vendor information.
·
The Librarian's
Yellow Pages. Publisher, periodical, jobber, and vendor links.
·
School Library
Collection Development. Media Services @ your library. Department of
Educational and Administrative Technology. Fayette County Public Schools;
Lexington, Kentucky. Includes guidelines for selection and purchasing of
resources, hardware, and technology.
Forms
Examples can help school library media
specialists develop the forms for use in the library media center. This is a
section that can be developed over time.
Examples of forms:
·
Audio
Visual Review Committee Report. Learning Resources Department,
Broward County Public Schools, Florida.
·
Collaborative Planning. Indiana
Learns. Office of Learning Resources, Indiana Department of
Education. A collection of forms to enable collaboration between classroom
teachers and school library media specialists.
·
Elementary
Library Services. Charlotte Lesser. Monadnack Regional School
District, 2004. A collection of forms including supply order list, teacher
request form, end-of-year library media center closing checklist, etc.
·
Full-length
Feature Films to be Used for Classroom Instruction. Learning
Resources Department, Broward County Public Schools, Florida.
·
Faculty
Recommendation for Library Materials. Baltimore County Public
Schools, Maryland.
·
Library Monthly
Update. PDF. Kevin Finkle. Baltimore County Public Schools,
Maryland. Form to gather information from teachers about future units and
lessons.
·
Teacher/Librarian
Collaborative Unit: Planning. DOC. School District of Texas.
District Portal as Manuals
School library media services in larger
school districts have developed excellent portal pages. These portals provide
school library media specialists with both instructional and management
resources and tools.
Examples of portals:
·
Indiana Learns. Office
of Learning Resources, Indiana Department of Education. This website was
developed as a companion to the book Indiana Learns by David Loertscher with
Connie Champlin (Stenhouse Publishers, 2002).
·
Maine School Libraries Facilities
Handbook. Maine Association of School Libraries. Comprehensive
guidelines for managing a school library media center.
These virtual manuals and portals enable
parents, community members, and other school library professionals to view how
school library media specialists manage media centers and teach students to gather
and use information. Now all we need is a portal page to the portals.
Disaster Preparedness plans
Example of plans:
·
Disaster Preparedness
Plan - William Madison Randall Library Disaster Preparedness Plan.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Librarians Live!
·
Teaching for Learning – Empowering Learners: Chapter 2
The school librarian has taken the
lead in teaching, learning the curriculum, knowing the various learning styles
of students, and collaborating with teachers to take students into 21st
century learning. Working together, teachers and librarians will be able to
teach students how to learn.
I.
The first thing a librarian must do is to create
a partnership with teachers. Teachers and librarians should work together to
build lesson plans, getting input from students, administration, parents, and
the community. All involved should be
open minded and open to new ideas.
II.
Another thing a librarian must do is to promote
reading. Reading is the core of learning and can be done through 21st
Century skills along with traditional means. It is important that students
understand what they read so they can use what they know and build upon that to
be able to pose questions, learn about new information, and make predictions. Librarians must also teach students how to
analyze and evaluate using interdisciplinary materials. Libraries serve as a
central location for learning for everyone.
III.
The librarian should make sure there are a
variety of formats. Students are now able to use multiple technologies that guide
them through the learning process. Librarians should make sure students use
ethical practices when using technology.
IV.
Inquiry-based curriculum is most important now
that helps students take what they know, ask questions and do research to find
out new information through learning and investigation. Librarians and teachers
should partner up to help students achieve this practice. It is important that
students are motivated, engaged, and have activated their prior knowledge. It
helps when students assess themselves as well as using peer and teacher
assessments. Testing students on what they have learned should be created so
that students with different learning styles can show what they have learned by
being able to use their best skills and interests.
V.
Teachers and librarians should assess their
lessons often to make sure they are promoting a higher level of learning. They
should also change as learner’s needs change. They can do these things through
student’s self-assessment, assessing student progress, improving instruction,
and determining how to improve the achievements of students. There are two ways
that formative assessment is good: it give the student feedback and give the
teacher/librarian a chance to change the lesson as student progress. Summative assessment
is used at the very end. This is usually done through a test or quiz. As
teachers and librarians collect evidence of successful learning and teaching,
they are able to find the strengths and weaknesses.
·
The Learning Space & Collection and
Information Aces – Empowering Learners:
Chapter 3
The Learning Space – Flexible access to the
library is important. This way, students feel like they can come in at any
time. The physical space is used for
collaboration, communicating, reading, browsing, and using multimedia. There
are areas for group work, individual work, presentations, wireless access,
workstations, etc. Virtual space is used to students can access the library’s
catalog, databases, and to resources and sites that can help with student work.
Collection and Information Access – The
library’s collection should include items that support the curriculum. Figuring
out which items to purchase in print or digital will be tough. The librarian
also needs to figure out which resources to subscribe to that would be best to
match the curriculum and student needs and professional development. The
librarian should also try to obtain items for students who may not have
Internet access and for special needs students. Policies must be in place to
protect student’s right to read. Librarians must continually evaluate the
collection and make changes as needed.
·
On the Job: Managing Access to Information –
Woolls, Chapter 8
Right to Privacy - Libraries should protect
the patron’s right to read by adopting policies that keep records confidential.
Employees should also keep information confidential unless there is a warrant. Libraries
will need to check with their attorneys to make sure they are not violating any
laws with their record-keeping.
Defending the Right to Access Information –
Online filters were meant to keep students from accessing inappropriate
materials from the Internet. The problem is that they filter out too much
information and students are sometimes able to access inappropriate things
anyway. The best way to handle it is to have students and parents sign an
Internet User agreement.
Copyright – Increased access to information
due to the Internet has caused a surge in copyright infringement. Librarians
must keep current with laws that concern copyright and fair use and they should
post the current policies in places where students, teachers, and
administration will see it.
Technology Decisions – Getting approval for
new technology will require the need for careful explanation and justification
for the cost. If approved, the librarian must then decide which vendor to use and
how much money to spend. Storage capacity is another consideration.
Integrated Library Systems – This is a system that shows the library’s
catalog in real-time. Things to consider
when choosing an ILS is customer support, updates, and training.
Building and Maintaining the Resource
Collection –
Circulation of Materials – Circulation will decrease due to outside
activities and Internet access. Librarians will need to remove as many
obstacles as possible.
Selecting Materials and Equipment: Format Decisions –CD-ROMS are cheaper
but require more space. Online resources usually require a subscription but
have more up-to-date information.
Selecting Materials – Materials should be selected with guidelines from
the library’s policies. Policies cover everything from accepting gifts, selecting
items for the collection, to items that are questioned. Policies also provide goals
and objectives. When choosing materials, age and grade levels should be taken
into consideration as well as the needs of patrons. Printed reviews and online
resources are available to aid in the material selection. Teachers and other staff could also help with
selection.
Selecting Information from the Internet – When a media specialist
provides links to other web sites that students and teachers can access, those
links become part of the collection. User agreements should be in place.
Librarians should help teachers and students with online searches to find the
best information possible.
Selecting Equipment – The media specialist should take into consideration
the “equipment’s quality, compatibility, warranty, maintenance, and repair” (Woolls
137)
as well as keeping in mind the user.
Acquiring Materials and Equipment – The first step is to select a source.
Many use book jobbers who select the materials for you.
De-Selection of Materials (Weeding) – It is important to discard or weed
out unused, damaged, or outdated materials from the collection. Librarians will
need the shelf space for new materials. A good time to weed is when curriculum
changes, items are damaged, shelves are looking too full, items are no longer
useful, and to make sure only the best is available to patrons. This must be
done often. Reference materials should be weeded more often than the rest. Newspapers,
magazines, pamphlets, equipment should also be weeded taking into consideration
storage space, out dated information, broken equipment, etc.
Options for Cataloging – The collection should be organized for ease of
access. Some materials are already with bar codes and can be downloaded into
the OPAC so libraries don’t have to take a lot of time doing their own
cataloging. Some methods are more costly than others.
Housing the Collection – Print materials are housed on shelves in the
library but online resources are housed on the Internet. In any case, materials
should be available and to be located/used with ease.
·
On the Job: Managing Services – Woolls, Chapter
10
Deciding which services to offer depends on
the staff and the facilities. (Woolls 161)
The most important part of providing services is to make sure they integrate
with the curriculum.
Understanding Curriculum – Media specialists
must be aware of current curriculum through collaborating with teachers. They
must provide resources that integrate with lessons and units. The first thing a
librarian must do is to “create a professional reference collection of all
textbooks used in the building.” (Woolls 162) The librarian must
keep abreast of these items throughout the year. The second thing should be a
reference collection of curriculum guides. It helps to serve on textbook and
curriculum committees. This will make it easier to assist in recommending
materials.
Analyzing Teaching Methods – Using a
variety of teaching methods is the way to go today, rather than using a
textbook and lecture, and helps teach to every type of learner. Making plans
along with the teacher creates a higher level of and more meaningful learning. If
media is used correctly, there can be an improvement in learning. To use correctly,
media must be accessible, have designed extensive planning, and working closely
with teachers.
Assistance with Classroom Assignments –
Librarians should offer the opportunity to create assignments using media. Media
specialists should also encourage proper citation and bibliographic reference.
Teaching the New Kinds of Literacy –
Librarians can help students become information literate by helping teachers
help students to “assess, evaluate, and use information.” (Woolls 167) After inquiry and
posing questions, evaluating information is the second step. This process
includes self-evaluation, peer and teacher evaluation. Kahlthau’s steps include
“(1) the teacher’s initiation of the unit of study; (2) the students’ selection
of a topic; (3) exploration to find a focus; (4) formulation of a focus for the
research; (5) collection of information; (6) presentation; and (7) assessment
with self-reflection.” (Woolls 168) The media
specialists can help with this by helping the student find the materials or
resources they need, helping students assess themselves, and helping determine
what worked and what didn’t work concerning the lesson.
The Media Specialist in the Classroom –
Problems arise when the media specialist has to leave the library to go into
the classroom. It is best to schedule class time in the media center and/or to
have online connections.
The Media Center as Classroom – The media
specialist will have to set priorities when scheduling the media center. First,
should come the media specialist, then teachers who want to bring their
classroom in, and then other non-media related things. Some media should be
portable and to cordon off areas to not disturb other areas would be good.
Media Center Activities – The media
specialist must create a good media program that meets the needs and desires of
the school community. Some criteria may be determined by the state, district,
community, etc. on what must be taught in the library. The librarian could take
a poll to determine what takes priority or to find out what patrons expect.
Conducting In-Service Training Sessions – The
media specialist can be very helpful in implementing the professional learning
attributes such as, “Supportive and shared leadership, Shared values and
vision, Supportive conditions, Shared personal practice, Collective creativity”
(Woolls 173) .
They can provide programs that support the goals. Professional time is when
teachers can collaborate with each other and the librarian can plan programs
for when there are no professional learning communities. The media specialist
can train them on using the equipment and technologies that are available. The
media specialist can also be in charge of bringing in presenters from outside
the school to teach the teachers new skills. The presenter should be an expert,
if not, bring in outside help. Evaluations of the presentations will also be
helpful in future presentations.
·
What Is the Future of Teaching? – Josh Catone
A recent study put on by the US Department
of Education shows that students scored higher when taught through online
courses than the same courses taught face-to-face. They believe that this
result was because of the additional materials and time the online students
had. This shows that using online resources in addition to the classroom will
enhance learning. What will this do to teachers? They will have more materials
to use in the classroom and it will enhance learning if they know how to apply
them properly.
·
Library Skills=Information Literacy
Skills=Common Core Skills –Sara Kelly Johns
Common Core Standards show that libraries and
librarians are needed to help teachers co-teach. But, media specialists must
prove to administrators that they can be an integral part of teaching Common
Core Standards.
·
CHHS Learning Commons Part 2 – Librarycommons
One of the areas that a Learning commons
can help is with distance learners. Learning commons also provides the space
and access to team-teach with teachers. It is about working and collaborating
with teachers and students at various learning levels and grade levels to
enrich learning that creates a whole-school environment. It is also about
teaching and learning new tools that can help enhance learning and presenting.
·
Tell Me, What Do You Teach? - Joyce Valenza
There have been several teacher/librarians
having to prove their worth only to save their jobs in recent times. Even
people who support libraries really have no idea what we really do. It is up to
us to make people aware of what librarians do and teach.
Works Cited
American Association of School Librarians. Empowering
Learners. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009. Print.
Catone, Josh. "What is the Future of
Teaching?" 31 Aug. 2009. Mashable.
http://mashable.com/2009/08/31/online-education-teachers. 2 Nov. 2012.
Johns, Sara Kelly. "Library Skills'=Information
Literacy Skills=Common Core Skills." 23 March 2012. Make Some Noise.
http://blogs.slj.com/make-some-noise/2012/03/23/library-skills-information-literacy-skills-common-core-skills/#comment-31.
3 Nov. 2012.
Librarycommons. "CHHS Learning Commons Part
2." 11 Apr 2011. YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVipfjDk6A8. 3 Nov. 2012.
Valenza, Joyce. "Tell Me, What Do You
Teach?" 26 May 2011. NeverEndingSearch.
http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/neverendingsearch/2011/05/26/if-they-come-for-you-what-will-you-do.
3 Nov. 2012.
Woolls, Blanche. The School Library Media Manager
Fourth Edition. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. Print.
Questions:
1) How will a media specialist
know how much print vs. how much digital items to purchase?
2) If a teacher does not want to
collaborate, how does the media specialist open that door?
3) Where do librarians go to learn
new online tools and get the expertise needed to teach them to teachers and
students?
Monday, October 8, 2012
Library Space, the Non-Final Frontier
1.
Staffing and Learning Space
There must be at least one
full-time certified or licensed librarian on staff at the library during the
school day. Depending on the size of the school and school needs, depends on
how much more staffing or volunteering there needs to be. The certified
librarian delegates work and plans activities. They must also train staff and
give feedback and evaluate them. (American
Association of School Librarians, 2009, p. 32) The library must be
accessible to everyone, be flexible in scheduling, have the space (physical and
virtual) and resources needed for every type of learner. (American Association of School Librarians, 2009, pp.
33-34)
2.
Woolls: Chapter 6 – “On the Job: Managing the
Facility”
If the librarian ever gets the
privilege of designing a new facility, they must design one that makes a good
first impression and has plenty of space for people, equipment, and resources. With
the surge in technology, libraries have had to redesign their space to
accommodate that in recent years. Librarians must also consider attendance
patterns, age of students, and student learning needs of the student body.
When remodeling, it helps to
follow these steps. Measure the library; use a grid; show where doors, exits,
windows, etc. are; review and make changes; figure the costs; analyze. When
finished with these steps, go over it with the advisory committee to see if it
will be efficient. Make sure there are sufficient electrical outlets,
connections, and ventilation for computers, fax machine, and other electronic
equipment. Keeping records and before-and-after photos is a must. If the library needs to expand, it might be
better to move it to another location. Remodeling doesn’t have to be expensive
but the librarian must check on permits and inspections. Shelves should not be
wider than three feet wide and eight to twelve inches in depth (oversized items
should be ten to twelve inches).
When designing a new library, the
librarian should include space for the staff including offices. Librarians
should visit other libraries to see what works and what doesn’t for them. Getting
input from teachers and students could be helpful. There should be designated
areas for different things such as recreational reading areas, quiet areas for
studying, and reference areas for example. When working with architects, they
need to know every detail concerning the needs of the school and how things
need to mesh. Some things to consider are shelves with backing, enough shelves
to house collections for the next several years, sufficient electrical voltages
and outlets, communications links, appropriate furniture, and have only
temporary partitions.
When moving a media center, the
librarian should keep good inventory. They should dispose of old and broken
materials. If some of the collection is to be stored, the media specialist
needs to decide which items will be stored and which items will be available.
Moving a library should be planned at least one year in advance. (Woolls,
2008, pp. 93-108)
3.
Woolls: Chapter 7 – “On the Job: Managing
Personnel”
Management skills are a necessity
when dealing with volunteers and paid staff and are important in order to have
a successful operation. The media specialist must have good communication
skills and be the one responsible for personnel management. The librarian
should be the one that defines job duties, trains staff, and help staff solve
problems to improve tasks. In most states the official job title or a librarian
is, school library media specialist. Unlike a regular teacher, a lot of
librarians have the duty of hiring and firing. Another difference is that a
librarian might have to train teachers on new technology. A media specialist
must assign jobs, supervise, and evaluate staff. A librarian might need to
create job descriptions of various staff positions which each position needs to
be analyzed carefully and thoroughly.
The media specialist plays many
roles; the role of staffing, the role of teaching, and the role of leader are a
few. Staffing “consists of defining personnel needs, securing qualified
personnel, developing staff competencies to perform essential tasks,
establishing standards of performance, and evaluating personnel performance.” (Woolls,
2008, p. 112)
In the role of teaching, the librarian leads in curriculum planning. In the
role of leader, librarians took the bull by the horns when it came to
technology. The media specialist helps others use technology, and especially
online, in the most efficient way possible as future jobs for students will
depend on it.
When hiring qualified personnel,
an advisory committee should help do the interviews but the media specialists
may or may not be asked to recruit them. When assigning job duties, the best scenario
for a small library is for everyone to share all of the duties. This way, if
someone is out, others can take over the duties in their absence. Regular
meetings are helpful in motivating staff and to for discussing of duties. The
media specialist should always regard all tasks with importance and to make
sure the staff feels the same way. They should make sure the staff also feels
important because they are. It is up to the media specialist to make sure
everyone is trained properly for their job duties and if it means paying for outside
training, if the funds are available, then it will be money well spent.
The best way to get maximum
performance from staff and volunteers is to not monitor behavior but to believe
that they are capable and responsible of completing tasks. It is good to hold
meetings to discuss mutual goals and progress. “Job satisfaction exists in the
library media center when (1) the facility is appealing, (2) staff appears to
understand their jobs and they are doing them, (3) an efficient operation is in
place, and (4) the library media center director is not a boss but a
facilitator.” (Woolls, 2008, p. 117) Evaluation forms may
be available from state library media organizations but the best way to
evaluate is direct observation. It is best to keep records throughout the year
to reflect on when evaluation time comes.
Media specialists must create and
maintain good relationships with their administrators. They need to work
together when planning the costs of materials and the media specialist needs to
keep the administrator informed of activities and curriculum aspects. The
librarian should give detailed reports of stats and activities and include
future goals. With teachers, the idea is to make available services and
materials to enhance classroom learning. The best way to make sure the library
is used for what it was designed to do is to have an in-service day to show
teachers what is available and to make sure they understand it is not a dumping
ground. The librarian should also volunteer to help other teachers. When
managing students, letting them know what is to be expected is key. Traffic
flow, furniture arrangement, and shelf placement helps with discipline. Good
lesson plans with a variety of activities also help. With parents and
volunteers, the librarian does not need to monitor them but must make sure no
student confidentialities are violated. Parents and volunteers should never be
left alone with students. (Woolls, 2008)
4.
The Changing Role of the School Library’s Physical
Space by Tom Corbett.
In the future, it looks like
students will be relying solely on electronic resources. A lot of people
currently use the Internet to find resources but most do not realize that good
resources are not free. There are a lot of arguments on whether libraries should
make the switch to digital but for now it seems best that they house both print
and digital formats. Digital space should start with a good school library
software platform. Another good digital format to have is e-textbooks. Both of
these digital formats should be easy for students to use and should be easy for
them to locate what they are looking for. To pay for eBooks and e-textbooks,
schools are going with pay-as-you-go type services where the school only pays
for the books that are actually used. Academic eBooks are delivered to laptops
and eReaders. As libraries move toward more digital content, there will be less
need for physical space to house books. Libraries are moving toward spaces that
accommodate groups who are collaborating. (Corbett, 2011)
5.
Calgary LC 2012 by Sherri Bryan
One of the first things they
mention are their goals which are to engage students with real-world learning
that uses inquiry driven curriculum. They want students to learn how to use
technology effectively to gain a deeper understanding and to be able to think
critically as well as creatively. They want students to be able to work
collaboratively. They then explain how they are going to meet these goals with
their strategic plan that includes commitment and modern equipment and
technology. A flexible schedule works best so teachers and students can come at
their convenience. The furniture should also be flexible to accommodate large
groups, small groups, meetings, and individuals. The space should allow for collaborative
work. Electronic devices along with wireless connections should also be
available. There should also be space for performances for poetry and such. The
Library Learning Commons should display activities and student experiences to
show others what truly happens in that space.
To create space for a learning commons area, it would help to do such
things as weed out printed material, have furniture on wheels, and display
activities virtually. (Bryan)
6.
The Learning Commons by Jessica Hansen
In previous libraries, they were
designed to be an information warehouse. In learning commons, they have moved
to exploratory learning and open commons. The old way to research was to search
and summarize. Now, students are encouraged to explore and experiment.
Technology used to be taught as a separate class, now students learn technology
while learning other subjects. Instead
of a quiet place to study, learning commons are moving toward a social place to
gather. Teachers coach and mentor now rather than boss students. (Hansen)
7.
The Learning Commons: Physical Learning Commons,
Virtual Learning Commons
A learning commons must have two
types of space, the physical space and the virtual space. The physical space should
have a lot of room and the ability to move furniture around to accommodate their
current needs. This space should be a space where students can create. Large
screens such as smart boards, projectors, and LCD’s can offer collaboration,
book trailers, and advertising for activities or events. Having wireless
capabilities is essential so students can have access on whatever device they
carry around with them. Virtual space is an online space that is created
collaboratively between the media specialist, teachers, and students. Four
areas of this space are reading culture, school culture, knowledge building
center, and experimental learning center. (The Learning Commons: Physical Learning Commons,
Virtual Learning Commons)
8.
The Unquiet Library Virtual Orientation 101 by
Buffy Hamilton
The entrance to the Unquiet
Library has several options for students to migrate to. There is the desk,
lounge area, and computers. There is space for class visits as well as for
individuals. In these areas are magazines, new books, and fiction section. The
circulation desk is available for those who have questions or need help. The
instructional area has a projector for group projects and presentations, etc.
The unquiet library has a crafts area and comfy seating areas to sit and read.
There is a computer lab, videos, audiobooks, professional development, and
equipment. There is an area to laminate and for die-cuts. All of these areas
provide collaborative and creative design and have room for instruction and
professional development. Buffy also shows us what to expect in the future with
3D printing, ePublishing, Digital Composition, Product making, Fine Arts,
Crafts, Music, and Multimedia. (Hamilton, 2012)
9.
Our 21st Century Learning Commons
Journey Begins by Michael Welton
The Forest Hills School Library
takes us through the transformation of taking their library space and creating
a Library Learning Commons. They started out with “a cold and uninviting ‘warehouse’
space with out of date resources.” (Whelton, 2012) They had a vision of a warm and welcoming
area where students could create and learn. They took out a lot of shelving
which created more efficient space and painted it in school colors to keep with
school culture. They created areas to display student work and art that can be
changed throughout the school year. They added a game area so students can play
board games or educational video games. Students will be able to create their
own comic books, videos, a media area, and have areas to collaborate on
projects. The furniture will be flexible to they can create the type of space
they currently need. They are purchasing a pay-as-you-go software to allow
students access to resources from school or home. (Whelton, 2012)
Questions:
1.
With all of the different areas that a media
specialist must create such as a performance area and a quiet area for reading,
how will they be able to see and keep track of students especially during
emergencies?
2.
If my school is going to transform a library
into a library learning commons and we are supposed to get input from various
people, how do you show them the vision and concept of a learning commons?
3.
With the learning commons moving toward a social
place, how do you make sure students are working on school work and not just
messing around?
Works Cited
American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering
Learners. Chicago: American Library Association.
Bryan, S. (n.d.). Calgary LC 2012. Retrieved
Oct. 6, 2012, from Calgary LC 2012:
http://sites.google.com/site/calgarylc2012/home
Corbett, T. (2011, April). The Changing Role of
the School Library's Physical Space. Retrieved Oct 6, 2012, from School
Library Monthly:
http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Corbett2011-v27n7p5.html
Hamilton, B. (2012, Aug. 3). The Unquiet Library
Virtual Orientation 101: 2012-2013 Edition: What is the Unquiet Library?
Retrieved Oct. 6, 2012, from The Unquiet Librarian:
http://theunquietlibrary.libguides.com/content.php?pid=359923&sid=2948758
Hansen, J. (n.d.). The Learning Commons.
Retrieved Oct. 6, 2012, from Screencast.com. TechSmith: http://bit/ly/Kv4aeF
The Learning Commons: Physical Learning Commons,
Virtual Learning Commons. (n.d.).
Retrieved Oct. 6, 2012, from Screencast.com. TechSmith: http://bit.ly/Kc4Y38
Whelton, M. (2012, Apr. 18). Our 21st Century Learning
Commons Journey Begins... Retrieved Oct. 6, 2012, from Michael Welton:
http://michaelwhelton.com/2012/04/18/our-21st-century-learning-commons-journey-begins/
Woolls, B. (2008). he School Library Media Manager
Fourth Edition. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
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