Virtual Library

ETL533 Assessment 4: Part D – Critical Reflection

Leave a comment

My understanding of digital literature has grown significantly over the last few months. From my early definitions to the creation of my own narrative, I’ve gained a solid understanding of what digital literature is, why it’s beneficial and how it can be implemented to support my school.

My preliminary definitions of digital literature focused on the distinction between the digital and the digitised (Lysaught, 2022, July 19; Lysaught, 2022, July 25). As my research progressed I consolidated these distinctions by combining Unsworth’s (2006, p.2-3) and Allan’s (2017, p.22-23) categories (Lysaught, 2022, August 7). Like my peers (Curtis, 2022, July 19), I believe digital literature should be quality and meet community needs, which led me to consider what makes quality digital literature (Lysaught, 2022, August 14) and to design my own evaluation criteria where I determined three key aspects: multimodality, interactivity, and connectivity (Lysaught, 2022, August 28). Self-evaluations and peer feedback reveals – despite the amateur multimodal features – mine’s an effective, quality text suitable for its intended purpose and audience:

Evaluation of The Shakespeare Chronicles

However, defining digital literature is arguably less important to teacher-librarians than understanding how to incorporate it effectively. Digital literature provides exciting opportunities to move students from passive consumers to active creators of content  (Morra, 2013, para.2; Kitson, 2017, p.66), and as new technologies and communication tools emerge, students require new literacies to ensure they’re critically consuming and ethically creating texts (Walker et al., 2010, p.214-216; Kearney, 2011, p.169; Leu, 2011, p.6-8; Mills & Levido, 2011, p.80-81, 89; Leu et al., 2015, p.139-140; Serafini et al., 2015, p.23; Combes, 2016, p.4). In 2009 students spent an average four hours a day online (Weigel, 2009, p.38); by 2015 US teens consumed between 6-9 hours of media a day (Common Sense Media, 2015, para.6), while Australian teens now spend an average of 14.4 hours a week online (eSafety Commissioner, 2021, p.4). Digital literature therefore harnesses our students’ preferences and familiarity with technological platforms (Figueiredo & Bidarra, 2015, p.323; Skaines, 2010, p.100-104; Stepanic, 2022, p.2; Weigel, 2009, P.38). Digital literature incorporating interactivity, multimodality, and connectivity can develop ‘nöogenic narratives’ wherein personal growth is achieved by viewing our lives as a story (Hall, 2012, p.97), a key element of the English syllabus (NSW Standards Authority, 2019, p.10). Research shows that educators can exploit digital narratives to create meaningful and authentic learning opportunities for students to create personal and academic growth (Bjørgen, 2010, p.171-172; Dockter et al., 2010, p.419; Hall, 2012, p.99; Reid, 2013, p.38-41; Smeda et al., 2014, p.19; Sukovic, 2014, p.222-226).

However, educators must carefully consider the purpose of integrating digital narratives into their programmes. While research reveals digital texts’ benefits supporting young, emerging, or struggling readers and developing transliteracy (Tackvic, 2012, p.428; Cahill & McGill-Franzen, 2013, p.32-33; Matthews, 2014, p.29; McGeehan et al., 2018, p.58), others raise issues regarding reading comprehension, retention, and attention (Cull, 2011, para.35-38; Goodwin, 2013, p.79; Jabr, 2013, p.5-30; McGuire, 2015, para.30-35). Technology should be used as a meaningful tool, not just as a gimmick. Monsen (2016) explored the idea that we are “quintessentially cyborgs” due to the symbiotic relationship between humanity and technology. My research into digital learning frameworks such as the SAMR model (Lysaught, 2022, August 6) revealed that effective implementation of technology should not replace, but co-exist with and supplement existing print literacies. Printed choose-your-own-adventure narratives arguably improve literacy (Chooseco & Hofmann, 2016, para. 8-9) and can be updated using digital features to form powerful digital texts (Farber, 2015, para.1-2). Thus, my own digital narrative was designed as an immersive, interactive, multimodal resource to develop students’ understanding of life in Shakespearean England while supplementing traditional print resources and online information sources.

Throughout ETL533 I have examined how I currently incorporate digital literature into our school and considered ways to increase this in future (Lysaught, 2022, July 31; Lysaught, 2022, August 7; Lysaught, 2022, August 13). As discussed with my peers (Macey, 2022, September 24; Barnett, 2022, September 27; Facey, 2022, September 29) difficulties arise surrounding cost-effectiveness, storage, access, and user preferences that often impede digital literature’s success in schools. Despite these challenges, after creating my own digital narrative I strongly believe that student-created digital texts can enhance their own learning and connections to content, and integrate well with Guided Inquiry units and literary learning (Lysaught, 2022, January 27; Lysaught, 2022, August 14; Lysaught, 2022, September 3; Lysaught, 2022, September 16). Peer feedback also supports this (Lysaught, 2022, September 3). Due to this unit I am more aware of my students’ discussions around digital literature (Lysaught, 2022, July 25; Lysaught, 2022, August 28), revealing these are powerful texts with which students are already engaging. Literature in digital environments allows teacher-librarians to show our value to our school community, as we can support time-poor staff as they include more captivating, rich resources and utilise digital narratives to support our students with various interests and literacy needs.

 

 

Word count: 806

Reference list: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/allyoureadislove/2022/10/04/etl533-assessment-4-reference-list/

ETL533 Assessment 4: Part A – Context For Digital Storytelling Project

Leave a comment

The Shakespeare Chronicles is a digital choose-your-own-adventure narrative created using Canva. Also known as a pick-a-path story or a gamebook, these narratives were popular during the 1980s due to their interactivity and appearance of choice for children who otherwise lacked agency (Hendrix, 2011, para.29; Jamison, 2022, para.4). Falling out of favour due to the rise of video games in the 90s (Jamison, 2022, para.46), these printed narratives can be updated for new audiences and technologies in our electronic age by incorporating the digital features which once superseded them (Stuart, 2011, para.1-2; Figueiredo & Bidarra, 2015, p.330).

The Shakespeare Chronicles was designed to support EHS’s Year 7 English Guided Inquiry Design unit ‘Shakespeare’s Bawdy Mouth’. It can also be used to support revision for Stage 5 and 6 English students studying a variety of Shakespeare’s plays. In this narrative, students follow the adventures of an actor in Shakespeare’s theatre company. They are presented with choices to guide the narrative and learn about life in Shakespeare’s time. Utilising interactivity, multimodality, and connectivity – key elements of quality digital literature (Lysaught, 2022, August 28) – it supports students as they explore the following questions:

  1. How different or similar are our experiences to peoples’ experiences in Shakespeare’s time?
  2. Why is Shakespeare considered a significant composer?
  3. How can understanding Shakespeare’s works and the experiences of people living during his lifetime help us understand ourselves and our world?

Due to its historical focus, stage-appropriate language features and dual function as a research pathfinder, this resource allows teachers to meet multiple English and History outcomes, while the inclusion of ICT and the cause-and-effect nature of this interactive narrative allows staff to link to a number of General Capabilities:

This digital narrative taps into what Figueiredo and Bidarra (2015, p.324) call the ‘ludic’ or game-based learning model and draws on students’ predilections towards digital, interactive media (Figueiredo & Bidarra, 2015, p.323; Skaines, 2010, p.100-104; Stepanic, 2022, p.2; Weigel, 2009, P.38). Introduced in the Immerse inquiry stage as a resource to assist student engagement and build background knowledge (Kuhlthau  et al., 2012, p.61-66, 70; Maniotes, 2017, p.8), its secondary purpose as a research pathfinder supports students as they move into the Explore, Identify and Gather stages of Guided Inquiry (Kuhlthau  et al., 2012, p.75-82, 93-98, 109-116; Maniotes, 2017, p.8-9).

Currently the summative assessment for this unit requires students to produce three diary entries from the perspective of someone living during Shakespeare’s time, to be viewed and marked by a teacher. The Shakespeare Chronicles provides a model for students to create their own digital narrative, supporting their digital literacy and social development in interesting and relevant ways with an authentic audience of peers to promote engagement (Dockter et al., 2010, p.419-420; Weigel, 2009, p.40). Multimodal aspects build understanding of life during Shakespeare’s time, supporting students’ use of visual and auditory imagery in their own writing and moving students from consumers to creators of content – a key element of digital literature (Morra, 2013, para.2; Kitson, 2017, p.66).

In designing this resource, I considered the questions posed by Reid (2013, p.41) to ensure my community’s learning needs were being met. EHS is a comprehensive, co-educational public school in South-West Sydney. Enrolments increased 10% in the 2016-2020 period, though decreased in 2021 (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2021a). New housing developments changing our catchment demographics lowered our ICSEA score from 1017 in 2014 to 995 in 2021 (ACARA, 2021a). NAPLAN results are below average (ACARA, 2021b) while Sentral data shows increasing disengagement, with suspensions increasing 96.6% and expulsions 600% since 2014 (Sentral, 2021).

This digital narrative engages students visually and emotionally with the experiences of past people, supporting a variety of literacy needs and growing student independence (Foley, 2012, p.8; Cahill & McGill-Franzen, 2013, p.33, 35-36; Chooseco & Hoffman, 2016, para.8-9; Towndrow & Kogut, 2020, p.4, 14, 147-148). Access to 1:1 devices is limited to shared, bookable banks of often unreliable laptops or iPads, so the resource is accessible on a variety of devices (including student phones) via an easily shared Canva link and can be uploaded to subject learning platforms and the library website for future reference and to support social connection. While our students frequently engage with digital media, they often lack the skills to effectively navigate web content or critically evaluate online information; hyperlinked resources provide students with quality information to use in their own research. Teaching time is limited, as are student attention spans; a short narrative counteracts this peripatetic “grasshopper mind” (Weigel, 2009, p.38), though multiple pathways invite replay and continued enjoyment. Choice encourages interactivity and engagement (Hendrix, 2011, para.19, 29), aiming to overcome disengagement and encourage students to make personal connections with the content (Weigel, 2009, p.40; Bjørgen, 2010, p. 171; Hall, 2012, p.99; Lambert, 2012, p.37-38; Towndrow & Kogut, 2020, p.148).

 

 

Word count: 798

Reference list: https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/allyoureadislove/2022/10/04/etl533-assessment-4-reference-list/

ETL533 6.2: Issues in Management

Leave a comment

Do you know what type of lending models and licences are available for the distribution of literary resources? Have you considered the challenges involved for education/libraries with digital literature licensing agreements? What are some issues involved in DRM, and how can they best be handled?

Once upon a time before I began my teaching career in 2011 I was lucky enough to work at a bookstore. We sold physical books as well as CDs of audiobooks. Life was simple. Life was grand.

Technology has dramatically changed the publishing landscape and while increased accessibility and functionality are definite benefits to readers, new lending models, licences and DRMs have irrefutably complicated the situation for schools and libraries.

We currently pay over $3000 each year to provide our students access to a variety of e-books and audiobooks as part of the Wheeler’s consortium. While it was popular during the period of online learning, it’s less popular now and not exactly what I’d call cost-efficient. We’ve had students request certain books on the Wheeler’s e-platform, but the price of these digital resources is significantly higher than if we were to purchase a physical copy, and we lose access to the resource if we drop our subscription. We’re also having issues with security, since our shared iPads are logging in the first user and not allowing new students to login. If we move to another service we’d be faced with different licencing and DRM models. And if I encourage students to create their own personal accounts for services like Amazon Kindle, it’s wonderful that they can link their Goodreads account and become socially connected, but also problematic that their data is being tracked and potentially sold.

A few weeks ago I had one of our Learning and Support Teachers approach me about getting an audiobook for one of our year 8 teachers to play to her class while they read the physical novel, so that she could wander the room dealing with behaviour issues instead of being stuck reading to the class. Whaddayaknow – it was impossible to source a copy of this text as an audiobook! If we had, we’d have been faced with issues around access (what device to play it on? How long do we have access to it? Do we need a subscription?) and if we wanted to create our own audiobook of the teacher recording herself reading, we’d be in violation of copyright laws. Call me old-fashioned, but I just wanted a CD audiobook that the English staff could keep in their book room to accompany the class set of novels. 
Sometimes I really miss the good old days!

ETL533 6.1: Fair Use vs. Fair Dealing

Leave a comment

Why did the judge consider Google’s Book search project to be transformative? What are some of the possible benefits and possible issues with such a project? What are some differences between Fair Use (US copyright law) and Fair Dealing (Australian copyright law)?

As so often appears to be the case with new developments in technology, Google Books is simultaneously democratising and ultra-capitalistic. Google’s aim of bringing literature and research to the masses is a wonderful equiliser which increases access to quality resources, but isn’t purely altruistic or without benefit to the corporate giant behind the move since they stand to profit from advertising and potential future subscription models. I’m no lawyer, but it seems that Google is prevailing on a technicality – namely, that according to US laws a class action must be brought by a ‘class’ or group with similar facts (in this case, I think this refers to similar losses). If I’m understanding this case correctly, the ‘injuries’ or financial losses by the authors involved in the class action are potentially not similar enough for them to be counted as a class, which means that each individual author would have to sue Google separately – and who has the time, money, and resources to go up in a David vs. Googliath battle like this? Google Books is also an internationally accessed resource affecting international authors, though it seems like this case is being decided in US courts under US laws. Since Australia’s Fair Dealing provisions seem more prescriptive than the USA’s Fair Use laws, I wonder what the implications will be for local publishers. I’m also concerned about the possibility that in future, Google can restrict access to these materials again in the name of profit or lock users in to access via certain devices (which, of course, will also financially benefit Google!).

ETL533 2.3: Challenges of using digital literature in the classroom

Leave a comment

There is an enormous difference between facility with technology and being able to engage with the content of digital literature as a consumer or a creator. What are some ways (small or large) you could alter your pedagogy to ensure technology and digital literature is embedded in your educational practices?

In this week’s readings I liked the distinction made by Allan (2017) between the different types of digital fiction:

1. eBooks or “paper-under-glass” texts;

2. Narrative or enhanced apps; and

3. “Born digital” multimodal narratives.

This distinction fit nicely with Unsworth’s classifications (via Walsh, 2013) from the Module 1 readings, where he identified three main categories of e-literature:

1. Recontextualised literary texts;

2. Electronically augmented literary texts; and

3. Digitally originated texts.

This also links with previous discussions I’ve read about what counts as digital literature, which emphasise the difference between “the digitised and digital literature” (for more on this, please feel free to check out my blog post).

In our school we have a virtual library with eBooks and audiobooks that our students, staff and parents can engage with, but it’s an expensive subscription (last year’s invoice was over $3000 – more than a third of our yearly budget!) with logistical issues around promotion and access. It also falls into the digitised, ‘paper-under-glass’ or ‘recontextualised literary texts’ category where technology facilitates access rather than exists as an innovative and inherent aspect of the texts. While it was a useful resource during last year’s lockdowns, data suggests that average use each month is down on last year’s figures. This year our school removed the DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) program, so I’ve been trialing a Wide Reading Program with a few Year 7 classes (initially 4, now dropped back to 2). Given Foley’s (2012) findings about student engagement with ebooks, it might be worthwhile creating activities for the Wide Reading Program which target and promote our virtual library.

One of the texts I’ve been investigating for the second assessment is the iPoe app by iClassics Collection. From my engagement with this app so far, it appears to fall under the ‘enhanced app’ or ‘electronically augmented literary text’ categories outlined above. I chose this because a) Poe is awesome fun and b) we have a Year 8 unit on suspenseful stories that this would work well with. I had a great time exploring this app and playing with its features, designed to immerse the reader with the texts’ Gothic emotions, settings, and atmosphere. I think this is a resource that could work really well with our Year 8 unit, though it cost $8.99 for all three volumes/apps, therefore presenting a financial and logistical issue for faculties with tight budgets.

This week I also had a little play with Microsoft Sway, in an attempt to create my own ‘born digital’ narrative in preparation for the final assessment. One of my projects this year has been to build up the Student Media Team I introduced to the school last year, and Microsoft Sway was one of the tools we were investigating for our student-designed newsletter. While it has many useful features and is (mostly) user-friendly, one issue I found while playing with it is that this tool lacks the ability to link to content within the Sway, and thus might not work for my intended ‘choose your own adventure’ style narrative. However, this investigation did remind me that for larger projects teachers might have, it takes time to find the right tools with the right features for their vision. While wonderful guides exist (such as http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html and https://instructionaldesignbykelly.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/the-evolution-of-blooms-taxonomy-and-how-it-applies-to-teachers-today/ from this week’s readings) these take time to investigate and, given the current educational climate, this is time that many teachers simply cannot spare. This is where an innovative, technologically current teacher-librarian could be an invaluable resource for time-poor teachers!

 

 

Allan, C. (2017). Digital fiction: ‘Unruly object’ or literary artefact? English in Australia, 52(2), 21-27.

Foley, C. (2012). Ebooks for leisure and learning. Scan, 31, pp. 6-14.

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment (Ch. 13). In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Marrickville, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

ETL505 2.1: Digital Libraries – Organising Digital Content for Schools

Leave a comment

Consider how a school might organise digital content.

For a high school library, I feel like the following might be important to consider when organising digital content:

  • student literacy needs
  • student attention span
  • student access to technology
  • student ability to navigate online spaces
  • student information behaviours (sadly they often take the easy, convenient way out)
  • student information needs (such as for specific subjects or assessments)

Due to this, a school’s digital collection should be organised with accessible language and formatting, in a visually appealing manner. Visuals such as book covers could support simple summaries of the text, while simple bibliographic details and subject headings could help users determine whether content is relevant to them or not. For instance, most students probably wouldn’t select a resource based on its size or page numbers. I think that having groups of similar resources would be an effective way of organising digital content for students who are looking for quick fixes with their research. Teacher librarians, working alongside classroom teachers, could curate reading lists for specific assessments which can help students navigate their way through the digital catalogue, and TLs should teach specific strategies (such as boolean operators, filters) to help students access and find relevant, quality information. Access to these digital libraries should be provided within the library and promoted to the school community to ensure students can independently access these resources in their classrooms and, where possible, at home.

ETL402 4.1 Digital Publishing Trends

Leave a comment

Identify one trend that you have experienced in an educational or library setting and reflect on how this could shape or inform future library services.

Just before she left and I took over, the previous teacher librarian at our school purchased an ebook subscription via Wheelers ePlatform for our library. It was slow to take off (possibly because of our school’s mobile phone/BYOD policy and DEAR procedures) but became more popular during online learning and in the school holidays, which suggests that many of our students enjoy the continued flexible access it provides. A lot of our staff have also taken advantage of the online library collection. During online learning I expanded the collection to include an Audiobook and Wellness package, though I’m not sure if these are providing value for money at the moment. Based on our current data over the past 12 months, it’s worked out at around $13 per resource that has been borrowed. I suppose it’ll take time, effort, and patience (as well as continued advertising and promotion!) to build a general culture of reading in our school, let alone one that relies on digital access! 

However, one issue associated with these online collections (apart from the inequities around technology and internet access) is that the Australian Government’s lending rights payments aren’t currently extended to digital formats despite their increasing popularity. It’ll be interesting to see how this issue proceeds over the next few years.

I’m personally really interested in how transmedia storytelling and gamification can help build engagement with literature. As a classroom teacher I’ve often relied on role-plays and simulations to engage my students and deepen their understanding of historical periods and concepts as well as literary themes. The year I advertised Year 11 Ancient History by stating we’d be investigating Assassin’s Creed: Origins we had enough students to create an extra class!  While a lot of the articles in the readings for this module focused on technology-based gaming as a resource, I think there’s a lot of potential in analogue, ‘old-school’ games too. For instance, a few years ago I was able to teach a unit on ballads and narrative poetry by getting my Year 8s to play Dungeons and Dragons. In my experience I’ve found that Mary Poppins was right, and regardless of the way the game is delivered, if it’s fun, they’ll learn.

One particular example I can think of where transmedia storytelling could be used in the library to support curriculum outcomes and pleasure reading is our Year 9 English unit on Survival. Students could play/watch the prologue of a digital game such as The Last of Us as a fun hook activity; honestly, this introduction is one of the best, most emotional examples of digital storytelling I’ve ever played. This could be supplemented throughout by a role-play/simulation that drew on elements of tabletop gaming to test their own survival skills. The library could provide the space/resources for these activities, and the TL could co-teach the role-play lessons to encourage engagement with library resources and staff.

ETL503 2.1: Developing Collections

2 Comments
  • Discuss how the teacher librarian’s expertise and role is different from that required by all teachers.
  • Share ideas on how teacher librarians might effectively collaborate with the school community in the selection of resources in a school with which you are familiar.
  • Consider also how to engage your learners in selection of resources for their school library.
  • Who should have the final say on what is included? Why?

From my understanding of the readings set for this module (and my personal experience working in a high school library), there are a number of ways that the teacher librarian’s role and expertise differs from the expectations of all other teachers. The main three that I can tell are:

a) that the TL’s role is poorly defined and seems to be whatever the school requires, whereas a classroom teacher is working from a clearly defined curriculum document;

b) that the TL’s curriculum knowledge spans multiple subjects, general capabilities, and cross-curricular priorities, whereas in the secondary setting most classroom teachers might only have knowledge of two subject areas (and most likely only work within one); and

c) that TLs are in the privileged position of seeing students across different subject areas throughout their time at the school.

As a result, TLs are uniquely placed to know the diverse interests and capabilities of their students and can use their wide-ranging curriculum knowledge to develop collections to support the needs of their learning community.

However, it takes a village to raise a child and schools are no exception. I inherited a library that still has content from when the school was founded in 1976, which means that there is a lot of material that I simply don’t know about or that is irrelevant to the changing needs of today’s teachers and learners. One way I will get my head around this is by conducting a stocktake in a few weeks time, followed by a review of the physical resources once this subject is completed.

I have also collaborated with members of my school community by sending out a survey to staff asking if they had any recommendations for our library collection, and as a result I was able to stock up on relevant learning materials that will better support the staff as they implement their learning programs. I’m in the process of collecting the units of work for each faculty so that I can design displays and curate resources to help staff and students with their work.

Our library is sadly closed to students due to Covid restrictions and our finances had to be finalised in week 2 of this term so no more purchases can take place this year, but next year I plan to form a library committee with students who can help recommend books and other resources that they and their peers might enjoy and find useful. I feel that this will be useful especially with the development of our manga collection (one of the most popular in our library) since I’m not entirely up to speed with the different series that our students seem to love.

One final way that I’m collaborating with my school community is to build a digital space to complement our physical space. I’ve worked hard this year to build a virtual library using Wheelers ePlatform and promoting it via the school’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts. Next year I’d love to build more excitement and increase student ownership of the library collection by creating ‘unboxing’ videos which showcase our new purchases.

While I believe that libraries should be largely democratic, the final say will be mine. While staff and students can request resources and should definitely have a role in shaping a library that is relevant for them, the expertise and responsibility ultimately lies with the Teacher Librarian. After all, I’m the one who will cop the blame if there are any complaints, and therefore I’m the one responsible for creating a collection development and management policy that can justify purchases and stand up to potential challenges. It’s all well and good for a staff member to request that we stock the Outlander series (true story!) or for students to want more copies of the raunchy Food Wars series (it’s amazing how much our teen boys love these images 😂) but if it doesn’t serve the teaching and learning needs of our school community then I have to be prepared to reject these requests. A well-developed collection development and management policy can be a crucial tool in situations like these.

ETL401 3.4 Advocacy, Accountability, and Research

Leave a comment

Choose one of the AITSL standards and look at the ASLA Evidence Guide For Teacher Librarians in the Proficient Career Stage. Consider the evidence that ASLA provides for the achievement of that standard and how you can show that you are meeting this standard. 

Since I’m generally a methodical person, I’m going to make like Julie Andrews and start at the very beginning since it’s a very good place to start.

 

Standard 1: Know Students and How They Learn

1.1 Physical, social, and intellectual development and characteristics of students: proficient teachers use teaching strategies based o knowledge of students’ physical, social, and intellectual development and characteristics to improve student learning.

This standard really is the foundation for everything we do as teachers, and it is no different in our role as teacher librarians. In fact, TLs are possibly better placed than many classroom teachers to know the vast majority of students in our schools since we are a “constant in the learning environment over time.” (Bush and Jones as cited in Lamb, 2011, p.33). I think that the physical space of a library can provide excellent evidence that we are meeting this standard. Each area of the library links to Thornburg’s (2013) reimagining of traditional learning spaces as campfire, cave, and watering hole. Annotated pictures of these spaces would be useful forms of evidence.

The physical arrangement of our lower library space was dictated to the previous TL by higher powers in order to create an adaptable, open-plan learning environment which can function as a ‘campfire’ or a Makerspace. Flexible seating can be arranged in a multitude of ways to facilitate a variety of learning styles and teaching methods. Before the lockdown and online learning began I was in the process of putting together suggested seating charts so that staff could easily get students to rearrange these desks as required. These charts would be an easily submitted form of evidence.

So many students use our school library as a ‘safe space’ away from the bulk of the chaos in the playground. Many of these students are neurodivergent and so I’ve created a “quiet space” on our mezzanine level near the quieter non-fiction section where students can study or relax in peace and quiet with minimal disruptions. This roughly correlates to Thornburg’s concept of the ‘cave’ learning space and has been so popular that I am looking at options to expand (though not sure how given the limitations of space!). This also correlates to the Upper Library which is currently used as a Senior Study area.

Our manga section is currently the most popular, and so I have moved furniture to make a flexible seating area near these shelves that can function as a ‘watering hole’ space where students can chat in their breaks or move away from the bulk of the group during class time. I have adjusted the seating near our fiction section on the opposite site of the lower library to mimic this ‘watering hole’ and provide further opportunities for students to learn through social interactions.

To facilitate our students’ needs for printing services (one of our most popular services), I have established a dedicated printing zone with stand up desks for students to work on laptops while they wait in line for the printer. This is close to the circulation desk to ensure that troubleshooting can be accessed easily and quickly (this is a frequent need for our student population), and multiple copies of printed How To guides are displayed to assist student independence in this process. These guides could easily be submitted as evidence for accreditation if needed.

If I was submitting this as evidence for my accreditation, I could also provide evidence of my attempts to create a “virtual” library space using websites and social media. Recently, McCrindle Research (2019) identified that our incoming students – Generation Alpha – are going to be more visual, student-centred learners than the previous Generation Z and rely more on virtual learning spaces. Research from Australia and the UK also suggests that they are increasingly engaged with social media platforms as a way of getting their entertainment and information (Common Sense Media, 2019; Notley et al., 2020; Australian eSafety Commissioner, 2021). My ongoing efforts in these online spaces is currently focused on starting conversations about all sorts of different reading habits, with the hope that this will allow our students to recognise the validity in their own reading behaviours and thus begin to identify as readers.