Deborah's reflections

My journey to becoming a K-6 TL.

ETL507: Final Reflective Portfolio

Final Reflective Portfolio

 Just_Call_Me_Library_Girl.jpg

Part A

Personal philosophy: What do you think makes an effective teacher librarian (TL)?

An effective teacher librarian (TL) is creative and adaptable in the support she gives students and colleagues. A strong and consistent school-wide promotion of the importance of literacy, reading, knowledge, inquiry, and creation is essential. This is demonstrated through leadership as an information professional and extensive collaboration with teachers and students in the areas of curriculum, content curation, literature support, and digital literacy. TLs are also creators of unique and inviting spaces to promote learning, inspiration, and safe havens to explore and escape into a story. More importantly, TLs know their communities. They learn the nature of their students’ likes and interests and their teachers’ preferences, and teaching styles. The graphic above lists a myriad of roles a TL performs in a school but Joyce Valenza (2013) in her list of what we will lose if TLs are taken away, also reveals what we can gain from continuing to properly fund and support school libraries.

Part B

Free-Photos / Pixabay

This section is divided into three major themes identified as significant areas of learning in the Master of Education (Teacher librarianship) course. The themes I have chosen are technology, collection development and literature, and leadership.

Theme one: Technology

Information and communications technology (ICT) is central to education and school libraries. Grantham (2007, p. 5) states that students will see libraries as irrelevant if TLs do not harness the capability of new technology. She goes on to describe two types of guidance that are crucial.

  1. Proficiency in 21st-century information skills and,
  2. Well-designed online environments.

Every day in my work as a primary school library teacher, technology as a tool, guides my work and the explorations of my students. It also provides the opportunity to manipulate and share information using web 2.0 tools. This ability to gather information, then share it has become central to ICT in school libraries. In this respect I have endeavoured to increase collaboration in library ICT tasks.

ETL501 and ETL402 both presented a myriad of possibilities in quality online tools.

In the last eighteen months our library has gained a set of 30 laptops in addition to the 30 ipads that are shared between library and our French and Italian teachers. 1:1 access for our students has enabled me to up-level our digital and information literacy programs from a rudimentary level to a more sophisticated list of skills. Rather than stand-alone lessons, these information literacy skills are integrated into units of work that support classroom units of work. ETL501 – The Dynamic Information Environment, was key in developing more sophisticated search strategies and website evaluation and exploring web 2.0 tools to enhance student engagement and learning. My assessment reflection Nicklin, (2020, September 26), explains this further. However, the release from face to face (RFF) structure for library lessons downplays the significance of our value. I continually advocate by ‘muscling in’ on grade meetings and communicating with grade coordinators formally and informally to promote my value in a primary school library. An example of informal advocacy I have implemented is to mention a significant moment that occurred during the lesson such as an astute observation by a student.  This small measure while teachers pick up classes from library lessons, along with building up communication and consistent support, will strengthen the foundations of advocacy.

For the first assessment in ETL501, I wrote a proposal to the principal for the development of a library website to support the community. A carefully curated library virtual website will increase our connection with the school community and broaden the landscape of authentic 21st education. A virtual website’s purpose is to create confident, active and informed citizens who are successful learners (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d. para 1). However, this website is still a work in progress. During lockdown in 2020, I created a basic Google Site for the library, but I was neither satisfied with the outcome nor felt it offered enough content to be useful for our school. Gambrell (2015, December 8) suggests seven simple considerations to maximise student successful usage of a library website. The challenge for me is to create a site that is navigable by five- and six-year-old students to ensure the entire school will achieve search success for information. By referring WAG 2.0 guidelines, I will ultimately support all users and covers the broad range of accessibility tools to create an inclusive site.

The second assessment to create a pathfinder for a unit of work was immensely satisfying as I had a group of teachers and students, I tailored the pathfinder for a year four class. My explorer’s pathfinder for Stage 2 was useful for teachers and students and provided a starting point for the unit. It was immensely satisfying to support staff and students digitally having just returned to school after online learning during a Sydney lockdown in March/April 2020.

Year 4 research guide 2020. Created by D. Nicklin

This gave me the confidence to look at further pathfinders to integrate with grades. Levitov (2015, p. 4), states that TLs must embrace leadership in their role as information professionals requiring active visibility. This was demonstrated in the teacher and student use of these pathfinders and has directly improved student information literacy skills and visibility of the TLs role.

New to me was the idea of blogging in a primary school setting. However, the use of my own blog to complete this degree has demonstrated the effectiveness of the space to teach critical and digital literacy. Sheko (2019), describes the elasticity and stretchiness of the TL role and encourages libraries to experiment with blog spaces. My blog post (2020, August 24), further lists examples of blog usage for our library. My colleague (who is about to return from maternity leave) and I are in the planning stages of creating a blog for stage three students to share and promote literature they have enjoyed. We are building into this the importance of online etiquette when sharing a digital space as well as giving students a real readership rather than just their teacher.

I will continue to improve my use of digital tools to keep our library relevant in an increasingly digital world. Students and teachers are rapidly upskilling themselves digitally in our current situation of a Sydney lockdown in July 2021. My challenge is to keep up with an ever-increasing role description list, and an ever-changing learning environment. The Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course has opened the door and given me a map to achieving this ideal.

Theme two: Collection development and literature.

This is an increasingly complex area in my work. Fulfilling

the requirements of meeting the needs of the community in which I work on a limited budget is challenging. Johnson, Huille & Reed (2009. P. 103), suggest TLs need to be increasingly selective due to the vast numbers of literature that is published each year. ETL503 demonstrated the importance of creating a collection development policy to guide management in this respect and explored the need for inclusivity of several factors. Diversity, reading levels, censorship, disability guidelines, curriculum focus, digital literacy, appropriateness, relevance, durability, and reading freedom are a few of the significant considerations. Narrowing down selection within a budget has become an ongoing series of compromises. There was no collection Development Policy at the library where I work, so I embarked on the daunting task with the support of the principal. I have recently revisited this document to update inclusions relevant to a lockdown scenario.

 

  1. 2. Library reshelving. 2019. D. Nicklin

Our library in 2019 held many outdated titles in poor condition. This was particularly the case with the non-fiction collection. Examples of books on a particular country from before the year 2000 were plentiful and searching the loan history in Oliver revealed these titles were infrequently loaned if at all. New shelving in 2019 was the perfect opportunity to extensively and ruthlessly weed the entire collection. Unfortunately, this occurred before I studied ETL503, therefore my weeding was somewhat ad hoc. Titles in poor condition, those not loaned in the last two years and a non- appealing appearance only went part-way to properly evaluate each item. ETL503 has highlighted so many more considerations detailed in my reflection (2020, January 23).  

My understanding of the two concepts of literature and literacy have deepened considerably. ETL402 provided a broad and succinct appreciation of the intrinsic value of literature and literacy in education. It’s generally accepted that reading is important for education and pleasure, however, Barone (2010), aptly describes below the true value of reading,

“When teachers cultivate reasons for reading, children move beyond the single focus of deciphering print. Their interactions with literary language and images in books support creativity, connections, and criticism as they participate in conversations centred on them. (p. 5).”

It is not simply good enough to buy books, accession them and plonk them on the shelves. Neil Gainman (2016), an author of many books for adults and children encourages us to shift our thinking and he promotes libraries as not places with shelves of books, but places of freedom. As TLS we are in a unique and privileged position to show students the truth of these words and to reveal the power that literature and literacy have for all their futures.

Students have access to a wide range of texts in our school library; however, the enthusiasm varies when they walk in. While some rush to the new books shelf, others dawdle around and linger with their hands in their pockets. If a Minecraft book isn’t available, they say, “I can’t find anything I want.” These students are my greatest challenge. Donalyn Miller (2013, October 10), describes in the video below how she attempts to create lifelong readers, rather than simply good readers.

3 Donalyn Miller (2013, October 13). reading in the wild.

After reading her book, Miller inspired me to look for reasons why these students opt out of literature. I have conversations with these students during borrowing time and look for an interest or a spark of enthusiasm. I realise that encouraging them to read is far more significant than what they are reading. I order more ‘low brow’ texts if it means that these students show an inkling of interest in reading at all. A small number of staff say some books such as Captain Underpants should not be on school library shelves! This goes against the concept of freedom to read.

Book promotion, displays, reading aloud and immersion in stories are important roles of a TL. However, with experience, I find allowing students to share their enthusiasm and passion for literacy is one of the most powerful drivers of encouragement. Student promotion via book trailers, book bentos, and conversations around story are powerful influencers to engaged and un-engaged readers.

  1. 5. Students borrowing at HNPS. (2020)

Our school is in a diverse area of Sydney so awareness of inclusivity, cultural literacy, and cultural schema (Ross-Johnson, 2014, p. 536) have been a focus. A collection review comparing the school population and the diversity of the collection showed a dominance of Anglo-Saxon characters and ideologies. With guidance from ETL503, I was able to include a statement within the Collection Development Policy to raise awareness of cultural literacy and balancing the collection to reflect the current student population. My growth in this area is enormous. I feel our collection continually moves from a general assemblage of titles to a more curated and appropriate collection for our community. My next challenge is to increase the bi-lingual books available.

Theme three: Leadership  

The idea of leadership in a school library context was an idea not considered by me. Judy O’Connell introduced this idea in ETL401 in module 3. A pivotal article by Bonanno (2015), opened my eyes to the advocacy role TLs must take to “play it forward.” (Bonanno, 2015, p. 20). This means to advocate for the absolute importance of the role the school library and its staff have in outcomes by students in a variety of literacies. I admitted in my blog post (2019, July 15), that leadership was creeping up on me in my new role as a primary school TL. Experience was and continues to teach me that Bonanno’s emphasis in her article is a large part of our role, particularly in a school library environment.

ETL504 defined leadership and the various styles that are present in organisations. The first assessment task challenged me to locate the leadership style and role a TL holds within a school situation. Creating a leadership map was a very difficult task and challenged me to consider the viewpoints of the whole school community.

Change Leadership Concept Map D. Nicklin (2019).

Change Leadership Concept Map D. Nicklin (2019).

I had no role model to emulate in my limited library experience. Additionally, all the staff I worked with had no leadership expectations of me. Goslin, K. (2011, January 18). The video below describes seven practical steps to affect change within an educational organisation. With this roadmap in hand, along with many readings in the modules, I was able to begin to re-position the library and its unique value to the community.

6 Goslin, K. (2011, January 18). Instructional leadership for 21st changes in teaching    and schooling.

This new mindset has adjusted how I advocate for the services our school library provides. However, this process is long and arduous. At times it resembles an uphill battle and with a combination of subtle and not-so-subtle methods, I am making in-roads. A current example is to add Wheelers Eplatform to our collection in addition to another online eBook platform we have. World Book Online provides good access to non-fiction titles with a few fiction titles. However, the current lockdown in Sydney in 2021 has greatly limited our students access to fiction books. Ultimately, my goal is to increase staffing. I have no library assistant, which ties me to daily administrative tasks such as shelving, weeding, and accessioning. In a small school this would be expected, however, in a primary school of nearly one thousand students, a vast majority of my time is administrative.

The leadership styles explored in ETL504 allowed me to reflect on my experiences working in schools. Bush & Glover (2014), clearly highlight the significance of leadership styles on student learning and the moral of staff in response to leadership styles. I resonated with the following statement:

“Leadership is a process of influence leading to the achievement of desired purposes. Successful leaders develop a vision for their schools based on their personal and professional values. They articulate this vision at every opportunity and influence their staff and other stakeholders to share the vision. The philosophy, structures and activities of the school are geared towards the achievement of this shared vision.” (Bush and Glover 2003, p. 5)           

The leadership theories described in ETL504 apply to a variety of roles in a school, however, not all apply to the role of TL. The phrase ‘leading from the middle’ was used widely by Jennie Bales and students in comments in the discussion forums, particularly to describe TLs. This equated particularly with the theories of servant and instructional leadership. Greater experience in the TL role and changing teaching and learning circumstances with lockdowns, has opened the opportunity for me to practice leading from the middle. This Master of Education (Teacher librarianship) course has allowed me to understand the nature of leadership, and the impact of the differing styles of leadership. Instructional leadership is increasing as I help some of my colleagues locate resources and navigate the home learning platforms of Seesaw and Google Classroom. I am no expert, but a different lockdown workload for some of our classroom teachers is causing much anxiety. They feel they are being left behind in a technological world. I have been able to step up and gently help these teachers with the technology support that the executive are overlooking.

Your digital LIbrary

 

7https://www.yourdigitallibrary.org/about-us.html

Practically, to engage in many of the more significant and more visible avenues of leadership studied in ETL504 is quite beyond the staffing and time constraints in my current school. I suspect it is outside the realms of most NSW Department of Education. An overloaded class load and full library administration responsibility at a large primary school equate to constant prioritisation. This leaves me with too many obligations. Therefore, I need to be efficiently strategic to achieve and advocate for aspects of my role as shown in the graphic above (yourrdigitallibrary.org. n.d.).

Part C

The Standards for Professional Practice of Teacher Librarians (2004), outlines the highest standards to which all TLs should aspire. These guidelines can be adapted to a variety of school library circumstances and are appropriate for K-12.

The Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) course at Charles Sturt University (CSU), has supported me significantly in all three of the areas. At the commencement of this course, I had a rudimentary notion of the TL role, and was unaware of the depth and scope possible. The guidelines are a place to measure my current practice. Also, a place to identify areas I need to improve and work on. My practice has improved immensely over the last few years however I feel that I have a while to go before ‘excellence’ can describe my practice.

Standard 1: Professional knowledge

Standard 1.4-knowledge of library and information management is particularly significant to my learning. My understanding of how the library fits into the context of the whole school and its significant contribution of information literacy has changed my emphasis in my role as TL. Further work for me is to refine our information literacy scope and sequence further and to ensure I keep up with current practice and techniques. Journals such as SCAN and belonging to professional associations will achieving excellence. This standard is the area in which this course has supported me the most. The scope and depth of content across the subjects I studied and chose has prepared me significantly. I am better prepared for the nature of the role in a school context and the study visits have demonstrated the scope of the information industry.

Standard 2: Professional practice

I work in a primary school library which is advantageous to achieve these goals. I was able to immediately consider how to improve practice and locate areas that are lacking. Such as reviewing my programs and identifying areas of improvement. An area for me to continue to improve is my use of ICT in programs. I am beginning to use web 2.0 tools, however there are more opportunities to explore in this area. Applying theory to my practice has resulted in improved outcomes, but this needs to further develop. Collaboration is another opportunity for me to improve in the future. ETL504 has supported my confidence and knowledge to advocate for our library and to spruik our value via different styles of leadership.

Standard 3: Professional commitment

Advocates such as Donalyn Miller and her passion for the absolute necessity for a lifelong love of reading have inspired me. Through careful collection development, reading promotion and a consistent approach to literacy, I now have a 21st century collection of tools to raise outcomes. The principles and underpinning theories I’ve learned in this course support me to confidently realise the unique place of the TL and the library in the school. I also now understand how my role is to support and work with others to create a collegial community of practice who work towards the same vision.

I have reached the end of this course a far better TL and I have broadened my perspective on every aspect of my daily practice in a school library. I will continue my learning journey towards excellence as a TL and I am grateful for every opportunity the Master of Education (Teacher Librarian) has provided me.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (ACARA). (n.d.). Learning areas. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-areas/

Australian Library and Information Association and Australian School Library Association. (2004). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians.  https://read.alia.org.au/alia-asla-standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians

Barone, D. M. (2010). Children’s literature in the classroom : Engaging lifelong readers. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Bonanno, K. (2015). A profession at the tipping point. https://kb.com.au/content/uploads/2015/03/profession-at-tipping-point2.pdf

Bush, T. & Glover, D. (2014). School leadership models: what do we know? School Leadership & Management, (34)5. pp. 553571, DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2014.928680

Gaiman, N. (2013, Oct 16). Why our futures depend on libraries, reading, and imagination. The Guardian. (Australian Edition). http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

Gambrell, K. (2015, December 8). 7 best practices for creating a user-friendly library website. Ebsco. https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/ebscopost/7-best-practices-creating- user-friendly-library-website

Goslin, K. (2011, January 18). Instructional leadership for 21st century changes in teaching and schooling. [YouTube]. https://youtu.be/H-lkQF4vhCc

Grantham, C. (2007). Virtual library: e-ssential. Access (10300155), 21(3), 5–8. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=2a6176fc-8a6f-4c6b-9f52-beb8fc6527d9%40pdc-v-sessmgr02

Johnson, P., Hille, J., & Reed, J. A. (2005). Fundamentals of collection development and management. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Just call me library girl. (2014). [Image]. Flickr. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/- HyxvI4md288/Tb4XqL1fmrI/AAAAAAAAAMo/DvN6Rb3dP1U/s1600/Just+Call+Me+Library+Girl.png

Levitov, D. (2015). Leadership Is Necessary. School Library Monthly, 31(5), 4. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=9d067ed6-b36b-4db1-af99-aa19932f1332%40sdc-v-sessmgr03

Nicklin, D. (2019, July 15). Leadership thoughts. [Blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/debnicklin/2019/07/15/leadership-thought/

Nicklin, D. (2020, January 23). ETL503 Assessment 2: Reflective practice. [Blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/debnicklin/2020/01/23/etl503-assessment-2-reflective- practice/

Nicklin, D. (2020, August 24). Explore the Edublogs site and identify a way you could use a             blog in the school library or classroom. Discuss and reflect on your Thinkspace. [Blog post]. Deborah’s reflections. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/debnicklin/2020/08/24/explore-to-the-edublogs-site-and-identify-a-way-you-could-use-a-blog-in-the-school-library-or-classroom-discuss-and-reflect-on-your-thinkspace/

Nicklin, D. (2020, September 26). ETL501 A2: Part B critical reflection [Blog post]. Deborah’s reflections. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/debnicklin/2020/09/26/etl501-a2-part-b- critical-reflection/

Nicklin, D. (2020). Year four research guide: Explorers. CSU Thinkspace. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/researchguidesexplorers/

Ross Johnston, R. (2014). Literary literacies: Digital, cultural, narrative, critical and deep literacies. In G. Winch, R. Ross Johnston, P. March, L. Ljungdahl & M. Holliday (Eds.), Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature (5th ed., pp. 556). Oxford University Press.

Sheko, T. (2019). Using the medium blogging platform to teach critical and digital literacies in art. SCIS Connections, (110). https://www.scisdata.com/connections/issue-110/using-the-medium-blogging-platform-to-teach-critical-and-digital-literacies-in-art/

Valenza, J. (2013). School library story. https://vimeo.com/82208025

W3C. (2008). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.        http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/

Wiley. (2013, October 10). Reading in the wild 047090030X [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/IZsZ4PrhiBo

Yourdigitallibrary.org. (n.d.) [Image]. https://www.yourdigitallibrary.org/about-us.html

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ETL402. Assessment 2, Part B: Reflection

geralt / Pixabay

This semester, I have refined my concept of what literature is (Nicklin, D. 2020, November 15) and why it is important across all subject areas. Initially, I assumed non-fiction books would be the focus of Literature across the curriculum, however, the power of fiction to support all curriculum subjects, as well as English was established in module one.

In my own professional practice, I have successfully connected students with books (Nicklin, D. 2021, January 1) I now consider connecting students and teachers with literature for all topics to be an even more crucial aspect of my role. The first assessment: Rationale for fiction cemented my understanding that fiction is valuable for its learning potential. Well-chosen books and digital literature not only enhance classroom learning programs but are central to supporting deeper knowledge and understanding of topics as well as support outcomes in all key learning areas (Haven, 2007, p. 97). In the past, collection development for other subjects centered around non-fiction support, however, research and course readings have demonstrated to me that fiction supports learning, comprehension, artistic expression, creativity, connections and critical thinking (Barone, 2011, p. 5).

One of my favourite discussions in module 2 has reviewed picture books and their many uses in the K-12 classroom. Thread 2.2a gave us the opportunity to share interesting books and new discoveries. Sophisticated picture books for older readers can offer many layers of meaning from visual literacy to non-traditional structures and multiple layers of complexity (National Library of New Zealand, 2013). My own discovery of a quite unique picture book hidden in the shelves of the library where I work has multiple uses across grades and genres (Nicklin, Discussion forum. Thread 2.2a).

Greater experience of online learning due to home learning for six weeks in 2020, focused my attention on digital literacy. It was a challenge to locate good quality and suitable reading material. I over-relied on Storyline Online and YouTube videos of a person reading a book. My exploration of what’s available (Nicklin, D. 2021, January 1) left me disappointed that some of these platforms didn’t offer more elements than a shared classroom reading experience. Reading digitally can offer enhanced features such as sound, movement, read-aloud and dictionary links. Studying ETL402 has encouraged me to more efficiently locate enhanced fiction online with a literary and digital focus. I am more attuned to elements that constitute quality digital sources with a broader application.

Modules 5/6 and assessment two challenged me to extend literature responses with deeper reflections of text and the literary learning that can occur. I am excited to rejig my library program in 2021 integrating literacy circles, book trailers, book bento boxes, and moving towards a more transliterate approach across all grades and subjects.

With three years in a primary school library, I considered myself familiar with the collection. However, my aim in 2021 is to read more of the fiction titles that are particularly suited to curriculum areas and are popular with students (Nicklin, D. 2021, January 1). This will assist me to advocate for the fiction collection, collaborate with teachers on the value of fiction for their classroom themes, and to locate multimodal links to support the reading of a text.

In short, I can enhance and deepen the various library services to uplift the reading experiences for all in our wonderful library.

 

References

Barone, D. M. (2010).  Children’s literature in the classroom: Engaging lifelong readers. Guilford Publications. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=581948

 

Gaiman, N. (2013, October 16). Why our futures depend on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

 

Haven, K. F. (2007). Story proof: The science behind the starting power of story.  ABC-CLIO, LLC . https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=329134

 

Nicklin, D. (2020, November 21). Re 2.2a: Picture book for older readers [Forum post]. ETL402, Interact 2. https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_49764_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_96426_1&forum_id=_218302_1&message_id=_3317113_1

 

The National Library of New Zealand. (2013). Sophisticated picture books. Services to Schoolshttps://natlib.govt.nz/schools/reading-engagement/childrens-and-youth-literature/sophisticated-picture-books

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ETL402. Module 6.2: Teaching literature: theories

sasint / Pixabay

Reflect on your own and your professional colleagues’ knowledge of literature. Identify an occasion when you successfully connected a book with a child or group of students and how your knowledge of the book facilitated this process. Identify possible opportunities for a teacher-librarian to respond to this research within the library and beyond to support teacher colleagues.

ETL501 The Dynamic Information Environment was the subject I studied last semester and this is when I realised I didn’t know my collection as well as I thought I did. Picture books are easy because they are quick reads that can be read while accessioning them or pulling them out of the box. Longer texts or digital texts are harder to know as they require more time on my part to become familiar with more than just the blurb. My own children were the source of novel and series books as they often read what was popular at the time.

Over these holidays I am endeavoring to read at least the first couple of chapters of some of the titles in the library.

Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

His Name was Walter by Emily Rodda

Withering by Sea by Judith Rossell

The Land of Stories: The wishing spell (Book 1) by Chris Colfer

All of these books I have recommended successfully to students, however, I know little about the storylines. A recent book fair allowed me the time to engage with students in what they would like added to our collection. I began a list of the books from the fair they really wanted in the library and this was the list I used to purchase my commission. 2021 I have two goals:

  1. Purchase diverse books to reflect our school population
  2. Purchase student requests.

Books purchased earlier in the year to support the Multilit program were from a list supplied from the company. We had few of the books on the shelves but I recognised over half of the list as adult titles. This seemed odd for a program aimed at promoting reading for struggling primary aged readers. Unfortunately, the teacher ignored the alternative list I produced and went ahead and purchased the books… they ended up on the teacher book swap shelf in the staffroom!

TL promotion opportunities

  1. Staff meeting – sharing of new titles to the library.
  2. Teach staff how to search the LMS to identify titles.
  3. Suggest titles to match upcoming classroom themes.
  4. Promote and share articles that suggest daily free-choice reading will influence their English results.
  5. Promote more titles during library lessons. Students would be willing to help out.
  6. “Golden Lines” display (Fisher and Frey, 2018, p. 92) of standout sentences from student reading.
  7. Use more socio-cultural strategies in library lessons.

 

Chapter 1: Theories of teaching literature (pp. 6-9)

Beach, R., Appleman, D., Hynds, S., & Wilhelm, J. (2011). Teaching literature to adolescents. Taylor and Francis.

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2018). Raise reading volume through access, choice, discussion, and book talksReading Teacher, 72(1), 89-97. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1691

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Reflection: censorship and inclusion.

lil_foot_ / Pixabay

How have your various roles based on your age,family background, societal position, religious beliefs and profession influenced your stance on censorship of children’s literature collections?

Module 3.4

I fit a white anglo saxon, middle-class background.

I was in the majority group for my suburb when we moved here, however, that is rapidly changing, and the diversity of cultural backgrounds is increasing. Despite this, I still feel like I am in the majority, so I don’t feel any sense of difference because of my culture.

The library where I work is very diverse and this has highlighted the nature of the collection as being dominantly from a white perspective. Through collection development, I have begun to build resources reflecting our diverse population however texts that offer diverse characters or authors from other countries are in the minority. Toby Rajput’s statement that we should teach critical thinking so we don’t need to remove any books from our shelves (National Louise University, 2012), is a great value. We can appreciate the work of an author, however look at the work as a particular attitude at a particular time.

This idea can help me to encourage students to critically think about the attitudes portrayed in texts and whether they are acceptable today. Awareness of a need to balance our collection is at the forefront of my mind, but it’s also crucial that we analyse the texts we have in the collection considering the values we hold today.

Censorship can be a grey area in collection development in a primary school. A robust policy regarding challenged materials is important, allowing a broad range of texts to be available. However, individuals can have very strong personal opinions that they believe should be common to all in a community. Sensitivity by library staff and the school principal comes into play whilst taking into account free choice in reading.

National Louis University. (2012). Stereotypes in children’s literature [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbxoNDkuHdo

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ETL402. Module 1.1 Reflect on children’s literature

 

Book Fair Bonanza

Two weeks ago I finished a book fair from a local company (Carnival Book Fairs). Initially, it was to be a virtual fair however it was changed to a traditional fair with the books on display for purchase in the library space. Mainly because covid cases in Sydney are very low and our students have missed out on so many other things this year. My contact at the company informed me sales would be down due to parents not able to visit and the general trend to more careful spending by families.

The 6 large silver cases arrived with all the goodies and I arranged the 3 fiction cases on one side and the non-fiction on the other. First impressions of the fiction selection saw more graphic novels, more series and new authors I didn’t recognise. First impressions of the non-fiction cases showed more products which were spin offs of television shows, computer games and movies. There were a few traditional texts on topics such as netball and trucks etc. Educational titles such as Maths in Nature and Stem topics were there too.

This time it was interesting to see what students went for first without parent influence.

Overwhelmingly, items connected with computer games, movies and television programs were the hot items. Everything Minecraft, Disney Frozen/Princesses, glittery unicorns and secret diaries sold out quickly and orders needed to be placed. The fiction side was slower to move and needed closer scrutiny before decisions were made. Blurbs were promoted and read by students and the first few pages were perused. Students took wishlists home and parents had more say and more books were included in purchases made.

I noticed:

  • cultural diversity titles and characters were minimal.
  • indigenous titles were minimal.
  • gender equality titles were included in a reasonable number.
  • a good selection of visual narratives (graphic novels) were on the shelves.
  • spin-off products from computer games, movies, streamimg services and television programs were common and popular.

 

Kathy Short (2018) in her article described all of these trends listed in the dot points above in children’s literature. Collection development policies are highlighted in school libraries as being essential to challenge the market (Short, 2018), particularly in the cultural diversity and indigenous content that is lacking in the commercial production of mainstream products. The focus in our library in the past year has been to seek out and include culturally diverse and indigenous narratives. Gradually more and more titles for primary school age children are available but not generally in mainstream bookshops. I need to seek them out in specialist bookshops.

My fair was the most successful ever! I sold the highest amount our school has ever sold and earned myself 35% in commissions.

Do you have a vision for the future of children’s literature?

I hope that children’s literature is valued and essential to growing up.

Who will be the drivers of change?

Readers of all ages

Technology innovations

Government and schools to broaden access

Publishing companies

Teacher librarians of course!

 

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it mattersLanguage Arts, 95(5), 287-298. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/2036727382?accountid=10344&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

 

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ETL501: Conclusion. Another one bites the dust.

EliasSch / Pixabay

ETL501 The dynamic information environment began as a big challenge for me. Truthfully, each and every subject as I make my way through this course is challenging. In the beginning, I feel the overwhelming weight of the work, hours required and challenges the tasks require. A pattern is emerging and it repeats itself with each new topic. I go through similar stages of let’s get stuck in, to plodding through readings and activities, then the pressure and confusion of assignments, then more clarity as I work out the task with the support of online meetings, discussion forums etc. Lastly to the satisfaction of completing and handing in large assignments. Quite a feat while working full time.

I have finished five subjects of eight: more than half way. A great achievement that I wasn’t sure I could accomplish at the starting point. With each new subject, there are varied challenges and technological ones are perhaps the greatest. Creating a research guide to support students and teachers online appeared an insurmountable challenge. I got there in the end with a satisfactory result – we’ll see what mark I end up with!

The information environment is truly dynamic, what I am learning now may be quite different from how we will operate in a library in the future. The only reliable constant is that the Department of Education in NSW is slow-moving and little happens with urgency. Thornburg’s four spaces of campfire, watering hole, cave and life (Oddone, n.d.) focuses on developing collaboration, innovation and creativity in library spaces. These ideas will take us into the pedagogies for now and in the near future.

Our role is growing larger within the school environment and with that comes greater responsibility not only for the physical and virtual space and library management but for the learning of the community in which we work.

For now, enjoy the holidays!

 

Oddone, K. (n.d.). Re-imagining learning spaces to inspire contemporary learning – part one: Models for change. Living Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/re-imagining-learning-spaces-to-inspire-contemporary-learning-part-two-creating-your-space-on-a-budget/

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ETL503 Assessment 2: Reflective practice

 


 

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1. How the subject has extended your knowledge and understanding of the role and nature of school library collections;

Collection development (CD) has been a life long process. My own bookshelf as a child was carefully curated and ordered with loving care and significant pride. Managing and developing a collection for a primary school of 950+ students is a different beast. ETL503 has unquestionably extended my knowledge and understanding of the responsibility of providing information and ideas to allow our school communities to thrive and function in society (IFLA/UNESCO, 1999). Building the collection to support the school community and to increase learning outcomes (NSW Department of education, n.d.) is one of the main roles of a teacher librarian (TL). The support of the TL across the school to carefully and continuously develop a library collection can positively influence the learning outcomes of the school.

Our entire collection was re-shelved in 2019 and in the interests of efficiency it made sense to weed at the same time. My blogpost  (2019a), describes my rushed and haphazard approach. On reflection, I realise many more considerations were due. Sarah (2019a, January 7) in discussion forum 5.1 indicates a comprehensive list of methods for CD I will use in future.

Standard 3.4 of the Australian Professional Standards for teachers requires TLs to choose the most appropriate resources, including digital resources to engage students in learning (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2018). This involves a balance between fiction and non-fiction, digital and non-digital, multiple formats and simple to complicated texts. It also involves a balance of ideas, equity for multicultural students, disability, censorship, gender, access and freedom of ideas. These are explored a little in my blogpost (2019, November 24). Preparation and regular evaluation and assessment are key to ensuring a relevant collection is built.

My key takeaways are:

  • CD must firstly consider the school community.
  • Continually update my knowledge of the ‘info-sphere,’ and the directions of educational issues, digital tools and library issues.
  • Locate materials with consideration to users, curriculum, quality, reading levels, diversity, censorship, copyright, licensing, subscriptions  and cost.
  • Select materials according to a selection criteria and promote them.
  • Use qualitative and quantitative data to assess and evaluate collections.
  • Work collaboratively with all staff in the school and connect to the wider library community.
  • Present a well written, useful CDMP to guide staff and provide focus.
  • Do my very best to promote reading in all its forms.

 

2. The importance of a collection development policy as a strategic document.

Collection development (CD) and collection management are different aspects of the TLs role. A definition of each appear in my blogpost (2019, November 20) It is absolutely crucial for every library to have a carefully written, detailed and regularly reviewed Collection Development and Management Policy (CDMP).  A policy collaboratively written with staff, must reflect the nature of the society, interests of the local community and the specific curriculum needs of the school (IFLA, 2015, p. 33). The document must clearly state the purpose, content and scope as well as access to a variety of information sources. (IFLA, 2015,p. 33).

Sarah (2019b) in her blog post suggests that deselection is misunderstood. How true in the context of our role developing collections to match the unique requirements of learners. Clarity of the process in a policy will demystify the why of throwing away resources. Additionally Nina (2019, November 24) in discussion forum 1.2 describes the diversity and multicultural nature of her school and the importance of these considerations when writing a CD policy. Rapid change requires continuous collaborative planning and a CDMP policy will anticipate change and envision a shared future (Johnson, 2009, p. 67).

CDMP and its implementation promote the professionalism, importance and leadership capacity of TLs. In the face of budget pressures, misunderstanding of a TLs capacity to positively impact outcomes, campaigns such as “Students Need Great School Libraries,” were born (Richardson, 2019, p. 5). Following on from my reading in ETL503, I visited Abbey’s Bookshop in Sydney and have chosen a selection of books to increase multi-lingual and cross-cultural content. Our library needs to keep pace with the changing backgrounds of families in our community and our school (Hughes, Hassell & Mancall, 2005, p. 35).

Advocacy for libraries and adequate staffing requires a high level of professionalism and involvement in curriculum initiatives at the school level by TLs. Good, well written policy documents guide libraries and their staff to build relevant collections for their community. In turn, this builds capacity for the entire profession.

Written What's Next words on black background with compass

3. How a collection development policy assists in future proofing the collection.

The IFLA trend Report (2019) describes  broad, possible future trends:

  • Uncertainty in government support for libraries – advocacy.
  • Adopting a wholistic approach – responding to users multiple needs.
  • Working at scale – international approach, not simply a local institution.

How does the school library fit into this context? Joyce Valenza (2010, December 3) says no textbook exists to guide TLs however CD needs to expand and the library must be accessible from everywhere. E-books and issues of access and cost in schools is difficult, however they will change the nature of CD in schools (O’Connell, 2015 ,p. 104). CDMP inclusive of e-book access will prepare a TL for future-proofing collections. Valenza (2019, December 31) lists S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.) as moving a library and its community forward and a CDMP will strategically achieve these goals.

Just as my childhood bookcase was meticulously curated and organised, my school library will be guided by CDMP and procedures for the benefit of our students futurity.

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2018). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf?sfvrsn=5800f33c_64

Australian Library and Information Association Schools (ALIA Schools)., & Victorian Catholic Teacher Librarians (VCTL). (2017). A manual for developing policies and procedures in Australian school library resource centres. 2nd edition. Retrieved from https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/policies-procedures-manual_ed2.pdf

 

Hahn, S. (2019b, December 7). Re: Selection and deselection – ETL503 Module 2, Charles Sturt University, School of Information Studies. [Blog comment]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/sarahhahn/2019/12/07/selection-and-deselection-etl503-module-2/

Hahn, S. (2020a, January 7). Re: Collection analysis techniques – ETL503 Module 5.1, Charles Sturt University, School of Information Studies. [Discussion forum 5.1]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38050_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74553_1&forum_id=_169584_1&message_id=_2639996_1

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Mancall, J. (2005). Collection management for youth: responding to the needs of learners. [ALA Editions]. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=289075

 

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). (2019). IFLA Trend report. Retrieved from https://trends.ifla.org/update-2019

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2006). IFLA/UNESCO school library manifesto 1999. School Libraries and Resource Centers Section. Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-unesco-school-library-manifesto-1999

Johnson, P. (2009). Fundamentals of collection development and management. Chicago, ALA Editions.

New South Wales Department of Education. (n.d.). Handbook for school libraries. Retrieved from https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/media/documents/schoollibrarieshandbook2015.pdf

Kempinger, N. (2019, November 24). Considering the local library. [Discussion forum 1.2]. In ETL503, Resourcing the Curriculum. Retrieved from Charles Sturt University, School of Information Studies, Interact 2: https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38050_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74553_1&forum_id=_169572_1&message_id=_2591881_1

Nicklin, D. (2019a, November 21). Module 2.2: These journal articles open up the conversation about what is at stake. What is your thinking now about the balanced collection you might foster in your school library? What other aspects, focus points or issues do you wish to explore further?. [blog comment]. Retrieved from https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/debnicklin/2019/11/24/module-2-2-these-journal-articles-open-up-the-conversation-about-what-is-at-stake-what-is-your-thinking-now-about-the-balanced-collection-you-might-foster-in-your-school-library-what-other-aspects/

Nicklin, D. (2019b, November 20). Module 2.1. [blog comment]. Retrieved from https://interact2.csu.edu.au/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&course_id=_38050_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_74553_1&forum_id=_169572_1&message_id=_2585959_1

O’Connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015). [R]Evolution in reading cultures: 2020 vision for school libraries. The Australian Library Journal, 64(3), 194-208, DOI:10.1080/00049670.2015.1048043

Richardon, N. (2019). Students need great school libraries. Connections, 109(2), pp 4-5.

Valenza, J. (2010, December 3). A revised manifesto. [Blog comment]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2010/12/03/a-revised-manifesto/

Valenza, J. (2019, December 31). The case for strategic planning. [Blog comment]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2019/12/31/the-case-for-strategic-planning/?_scpsug=crawled,7946136,en_1f2bca7139718ccda55a356bbd963454aca4409e02b735a07b88bc31a0bbad66#_scpsug=crawled,7946136,en_1f2bca7139718ccda55a356bbd963454aca4409e02b735a07b88bc31a0bbad66

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ALIA Schools policies and procedures manual.

 

ALIA document.

Guidelines and templates to assist in policy writing.

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Module 3: Accession and Acquisition. A tricky task.

Managing budgets, developing collections and negotiating detailed licensing agreements appears overwhelming in my role as TL. Full teaching loads as an RFF teacher, day to day circulation management and keeping it all ship shape in a primary school pushing 1000 students keeps me and my colleague busy. Ebooks are not a feature of our library and reading the complex negotiations and detailed licensing agreements to be navigated in chapter 6 of Morris and Siebert. (2009) is daunting. This chapter has however thrown up required questions that need to be asked in how the licensing agreements operate. User  platforms required to borrow books, single use/multiple use, long term /short term access, access due to publisher whim, bundles/single use sets, access through ERMS (electronic resource management system) to name a few. Cost of all this has not reared it’s head at all so the budget for an initial package into the ebook world is unknown. Is there the money required in the kitty to begin the journey into the ebook world? As yet, not a single student or teacher has asked if we have any ebooks. New shelving in the library has limited the ability for us to ever increase the physical collection sitting on the shelves. This alone may bring the decision forward…

 

Morris, C. & Sibert, L. (2009). Acquiring e-books. In S. Polanka (ed.), No shelf required : E-books in libraries [ALA Editions version] (Chapter 6, pp. 95-124). Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=598919

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List of book review blogs by teacher librarians.

https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/top-blogs/school-library/

 

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