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.
