change

Are reference sections going extinct?

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School library reference sections seem to be getting smaller and smaller (at least in my experience). What I remember as a small room filled with books not to leave the library when I was in high school turned into a large shelf of books when I became a teacher and is now less than one shelf housing what look like texts that are being kept for nostalgia rather than usefulness.

Most resources can be found in a digital format and most students will go straight to Google when looking for information. We have noticed in our school library that the only time students show an interest in the print reference collection is when they need to bring a dictionary into an exam. Farmer (2014) brings up some interesting points around whether or not digital reference materials are better than print.

COST

Budgets are always tight in school libraries. This means that the choice to move to digital reference materials needs to be carefully considered. Online reference materials tend to come with a yearly subscription cost and may also require a setup fee. Although the resource itself may be amazing with hyperlinks, internal search engines, multimedia features, and constant updates to the information if it leaves little to no room for other spending, it will not be worth it.

 

VALUE-ADDING

It is also really important to consider which digital resources will work for your school. A resource that simply replicates the print text is not a useful tool to invest in.

It may be better to invest teaching time into supporting digital literacy in teachers and students so that they are better able to use what is freely available to them through public library systems or for all.

 

MAKE BEST USE OF WHAT YOU HAVE

Every library has different needs and different capacities to bring in digital content. Work out what your students want. Look at what you have. Fill knowledge gaps through education and continue to reflect, not be too precious about the ideas that have not worked out and keep updating to support the needs of your specific community of users.

Reference

Farmer, L.S.J. (2012). Introduction to reference and information services in today’s school library. Rowman & Littlefield.

 

Reflection (Assessment 2 – Part B)

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I know that I possess leadership qualities. I also know that my effectiveness as a leader is not consistent. The case studies in this unit of work have helped me to understand why this is so.

Control

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

Having control is my comfort zone and I often find that I will take charge and get things done when I’m frustrated by a lack of understanding or when things are moving slowly. What I have failed to see is that I am not only creating more work for myself, but I am excluding others and preventing them from having a voice or making a contribution.

Moving forward I need to be aware of the importance of working outside of my self-imposed bubble if I want my impact to be across the whole school.  I cannot (and should not) try to perfect all of the skills that are required to make meaningful change. As was discussed in case study #1, working collaboratively and building capacity within the group will provide more opportunities for change (Harris, 2014).

Conflict

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

In a previous post, I reflected on the way I respond to conflict and now that we are at the end of this unit of study, I see things differently. I am an active listener and am able to problem-solve but I tend to remove myself from conflict situations that are uncomfortable. If I want to be a leader, I need to be prepared to step up.

Case study #3 highlighted some strategies that I can use to prepare for uncomfortable conflict situations in the future. Rather than only working with those I like and see eye-to-eye with, I need to work towards developing positive relationships with all staff. I need to be prepared to model the professional behaviours that I expect to see in others (Gottlieb, 2012) and be clear in both the vision for the library and the overall vision for the school.

Advocacy & Promotion

Image by Dean Moriarty from Pixabay

I was raised to achieve quietly and not toot my own horn. While it has been obvious to me for a long time that this strategy has harmed me, it is the work case study #5 that has helped me to understand why.

It is too simplistic to say that this trait has seen me looked over for positions of responsibility or meant that I have watched others take credit for my work- there are bigger stakes here. Advocacy and promotion affect my colleagues, my ability to fulfil the school and library vision, and student outcomes. If what I am doing is not visible, others cannot see how we can work together towards a joint goal.

I have been making the mistake of seeing advocacy as self-serving. I have been worried that I am showing off or will appear arrogant but it is my lack of advocacy that shows arrogance. A two-fold approach of listening to and supporting what others value (Weisberg & Walter, 2011, p. 111) and finding ways that we can work together will much better support my goals.

References

Gottlieb, H. (2012, October 30). Leading from the middle: Bringing out the best in everyone. Creating the future.

Harris, A. (2014, September 29). Distributed leadership. Teacher magazine. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/distributed-leadership

Weisburg, H.K. & Walter, V.A. (2011). How does advocacy develop leadership? American Library Association.

Who is in control?

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As I sit in the study listening to my son watch ‘The Matrix’ for the first time in the other room, I find myself pondering the world I find myself in- is it the world I expected to be living in when I watched this film in 1999?

The short answer is, no. The real answer is complicated.

The importance of technology in today’s society cannot be denied. It is embedded in everything that we do and it is becoming ‘smarter’ all the time. (Hey Google? What does Alexa think?) Schools try to keep up to date with the tech and spend money om 3D printers and laser cutters while running a BYOD program to ensure that all kids are growing up conversant in the language of now, but are we really in the now? Technology seems to change and ‘improve’ faster than most of us can keep up with.

Does this mean that the tech is in control and determining how we behave and respond to the world around us? Could it be that we, as a society, are really adept at adapting to the tools they have at hand to make life social and manageable?

All I know for sure is that I do not fear the Matrix… yet.