Day: December 11, 2019

Experiments

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After reading chapter 7 of Developing Collections to Empower Learners by Sue C. Kimmel (2014), I started thinking about ways of bringing ebooks into my school library.

We have a BYOD program that runs reasonably successfully and many students choose to purchase textbooks in an electronic format, so I know that there are some students who prefer to access their reading materials via a screen. I have also come across many students who enjoy reading fiction online.

While introducing some form of ebook lending system would take more research and support from above, the idea of pre-loaded e-readers sparked my interest and I intend to investigate this possibility. I am particularly interested in having genre-specific e-readers that are pre-loaded with a range of titles from a range of reading levels. We have so many students who want to read within a series or genre and students are used to a ‘Netflix’ menu of possibilities, so why not try bringing the two together?

While there will be problems (it is not going to possible for the e-readers to go home with the students), I believe that the information we can potentially gather about the reading habits of our students and the likelihood of their accessing ebooks over paper makes the experiment worthwhile.

Kimmel, S. C. (2014). Developing collections to empower learners. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=1687658

If you build it, they will come…

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Having encountered libraries where the teaching staff have little trust in the teacher-librarian, the need for TLs to understand their role and make visible the contribution they make seems a vital part of the job.

The teacher-librarian really needs to be able to work within all curriculum areas of the school while managing budgetary constraints, embracing new technologies and considering all stake-holders (from students to teachers to admin). A good TL can be a game-changer in a school.

Where the relationship between the library, staff and students has broken down, the first step in creating a sense of collaboration lies in the hands of the TL. I can see this happening in the following ways:
– approaching domain leaders and individual staff to see how they can be supported
– looking for cross-curricular links across domains and providing strategies to staff to support integrated learning
– attending curriculum meetings to ensure an understanding of the upcoming resource needs of students and teachers
– team-teaching of skills (research, referencing, reading)
– ensuring displays are inviting and having a knowledge of books to be able to recommend to both teachers and students
– talking with and listening to students (wants, needs)
– holding events that entice and excite students and teachers about reading and learning

All of the above, coupled with a TL who cares about student opportunities and outcomes and a dash of passion about the world that opens up when you know how to access the library, should be a way to begin building a positive and rewarding relationship for all members of the school community.