Developing library collections

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How to engage learners in the selection process

As mentioned in Module 2, some easy ways to engage learners in the resource selection process at the school library include suggestion boxes, excursions to bookstores or holding book fairs. Of course, the type of resource needed will determine who and how a final selection is made.

If the resources in question are intended simply for pleasure, such as graphic novels or creating a makerspace, you would readily find a cohort of students willing to come and ‘test drive’ the resources. One way this could occur is through a short ‘showcase’ during library time by putting together a presentation of some prospective resources, highlighting their positives and negatives, then asking the children to vote on which ones appealed to them. After all, the resources must draw-in the end-user, not just the librarian, otherwise they will sit on the shelf (on inside the digital library) until ultimately weeded out.

Saying that, children don’t necessarily know what they need in terms of challenging resources. Left to their own devices, they may go back time and time again to the same types of resources, preferring the safety of a favourite series or author to the unknown of a new one. Mahwasane & Mudzielwana (2019) state that “the library collection contributes in developing literacy in learners” (p. 28) so the teacher librarian must also make decisions on resources based on their role in extending emerging readers, not just catering to their comfort zone.

Who has the final say?

As for who gets the final say in what is included or excluded from a library, it will depend on resource to resource. For example, the librarian may be best-placed to select a book based on their knowledge of new, exciting authors or what series is popular with their current cohort. A science teacher would get the final say when purchasing resources that he/she feels fits into their curriculum program, something a librarian knows little about. A group of students with a particular interest may approach with a proposal for a digital object they enjoy using and know they will use in future. All members of the school community are valid stakeholders in the library collection, so all voices should have a say.

However, so many voices can result in clashes or arguments as to a resource’s suitability – a clash that can rarely be avoided. For example, a recent study by Moeller and Becnel into graphic novel collections in school libraries highlighted how librarians needed to self-censor incoming resources more carefully than traditional novels due to their, often inappropriate, visual content. The study found that librarians “…found selecting graphic novels trickier or riskier than selecting print items” (2020, p. 521). So while student-driven acquisition is beneficial to build a topical and engaging collection, censorship by a professional, whether teacher or teacher librarian, is required.

However, most unfortunately, the ultimate final voice is likely to be the school budget.

 

References

Mahwasane, N. P., & Mudzielwana, N. P. (2019). Understanding Libraries and Reading Among Children. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Moeller, A., & Becnel, K. E. (2020). “They’re so stinkin’ popular, how could you say so?” Graphic novel collection development and school librarian self-censorship. The Library Quarterly, 90(4), 515-529.

 

 

What is information?

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Photo by Giulia May on Unsplash

Responding to Module 2.1 Definitions of Information

The term ‘information’ has a wide range of definitions, ranging from the Oxford Dictionary’s simple “facts provided or learned about something or someone” to much more complex explanations such as Klaus Krippendorff’s:

Literally that which forms within, but more adequately: the equivalent of or the capacity of something to perform organizational work, the difference between two forms of organization or between two states of uncertainty before and after a message has been received, but also the degree to which one variable of a system depends on or is constrained by … another. (1986)

Whatever definition resonates more with you, which for me is certainly the first definition, ‘information’ can be broadly categorised as either semantic or classical, with semantic lending itself to Oxford’s definition, and classical to Krippendorff’s definition. In brief, a semantic view of information is what would spring to mind for most of us, in that information gives meaning, facts or a message. The classic view however, defines information in a more scientific way as raw pieces or ‘bits’ of information ready to be organised for use.

This all sounded a little confusing to me, so looking at information as a visual made a world of difference. This is a data-knowledge continuum, which describes how semantic and classical information fit together.

Pushpavanam, K. (2015)

Another interesting learning from the module was the attributes of information, and the fact that information is bought and sold at every moment of the day and night. From pay TV to news subscription services, some information is only available by payment – unfortunately often the more credible information sources too. This has actually been a topical discussion with the recent Facebook v Government saga. I had discussed the issue with family and friends, and the question always arose: who gets to decide which information (news) is free for all, and which information needs to be purchased?

Even though information is a commodity, it has four properties that cause it to be a unique commodity. It is inconsumable (it can’t truly disappear), it is untransferable (once you know, you always know), it is indivisible (the meaning is lost if only half the information is given) and it is accumulative (can be infinitely reused) (L. Derouet, personal communication, March 5, 2021).

So, information isn’t as straightforward as I’d originally thought. Although the classical view is still a little hazy for me, the continuum shows that information is an integral step in the quest for wisdom, so making sure we as TLs, and our school community, access quality information is paramount in the pursuit of wisdom.

 

References

Krippendorff, K. (1986). A Dictionary of Cybernetics. Retrieved from Web dictionary of cybernetics and systems. (n.d.) Information. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASC/INFORMATION.html

Oxford University Press. (2020). Information. In Lexico.com. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/information

Pushpavanam, K. (2015). Strive to get higher on the Data -> Wisdom Continuum — another key tenet. https://iyer.medium.com/strive-to-get-higher-on-the-data-information-knowledge-understanding-and-wisdom-continuum-c5ccb96438

 

A week of resourcing the curriculum

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Where I’m at now

As I start this new subject (I’ve just completed Module 1), I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on my current beliefs, stereotypes and assumptions specifically about what resourcing the curriculum means to me, and to discuss my views on the rather jaw-dropping video we viewed about learning styles.

My initial thoughts are that a TL’s role is to support teachers in finding quality resources for their programs, which is basically what the subject’s title suggests. At present, I believe this would take the form of making time to meet with each year level in the school, discussing their needs, then performing a catalogue or Google search and spending half an hour looking for a great resource. Pretty simple, but I have a feeling it will be much more complex than that.

Things I wonder:

  1. How best to choose a resource that the school doesn’t currently have, without ordering it? I’d imagine budgets are tight and you don’t want to waste money on a disappointing product.
  2. Are teachers interested in getting help from the librarian? In my experience I never gave it a thought. I didn’t actually feel I’d be welcome to ask resourcing questions. So what are good ways of fostering that relationship?
  3. What kind of review/feedback processes should be put in place to ensure a resource stays or is weeded out?

These are some areas I hope to develop over the course of the subject.

The learning style myth

Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash

During Module 1 we viewed a remarkable TEDx talk by Dr. Tesia Marshik about learning styles. Before I clicked on the link I thought I knew what it would be about: that all students have a different learning style and so resources must reflect that. But I was quite mistaken. Dr. Marshik gave a convincing speech on the learning style myth, and how it has not been proven that learning styles exist, but it has been proven that everyone uses all learning styles to “store information in terms of meaning, not in terms of a sensory mode” (Marshik, 2015, 8:10). She went on to explain that although the concept of learning styles sounds too plausible to be false, that it can have a negative impact if we pigeonhole ourselves or our students as only able to learn in one particular style. Some learning tasks lend themselves to a particular teaching style, such as learning to ride a bike is best done by doing it, not by seeing it, but that is separate from assigning yourself a learning style.

How will this change my teaching? By being careful to select the best teaching style for learning activities, ensuring a breadth is used, and helping my students to not disengage from an activity simply because it doesn’t match their ‘self-appointed’ learning style. I’d recommend watching the video and would be interested in your thoughts on the learning style myth too.

 

Reference

Marshik, T. (2015). Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection [Video]. TEDxUWLaCrosse. Available from https://youtu.be/855Now8h5Rs

The beginning: The role of a teacher librarian

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As a busy teacher, concerned with my own curriculum planning and day-to-day workings of the school, I didn’t give much thought to the role of a teacher librarian. They were always lovely people, with a calming presence and sense of quiet contentment in their role, but I didn’t consider how their role intersected with mine.

This is potentially because the teacher librarians often weren’t visible in the school. This ‘invisibility’ of the school librarian may stem from the fact that many schools have librarians who are not qualified for the dual role of teacher and librarian, and therefore cannot deliver a true teacher librarian service. I can’t recall a time when I was encouraged to collaborate with the teacher librarian to resource the curriculum.

I have taught at three schools in my teaching career, and only one school had a designated teacher librarian who took my class for a 45-minute lesson each week. I don’t know what she did with my class during that time. All I knew was that my students would come back to class armed with beautifully illustrated picture books or thick fantasy novels, pop them into their bags, and then we’d move on to the next lesson.

At another school, although there was a large library stocked to the brim with material, unless I purposefully booked in a time slot to borrow books, my class didn’t spend any time interacting with the librarian. For me, quite ignorant of the role a librarian could play in the school, it was just the norm. Indeed, it was the norm for my fellow teacher colleagues too.

So, upon reflection, my understanding of the role of a teacher librarian was limited to a belief that they were there to create a nice environment that encouraged a love of reading in children – which I fully supported. I felt the library’s goal was to do just that: foster a love of books, make books accessible to children of all demographics, and to uphold the value of literacy in the school community. The annual Book Week parade was a rare moment of librarian visibility, and for that specific day you’d see the librarian outside their usual environment.

Further to that, I have always felt the role of a librarian was to inject a sense of fun around literacy by creating a lovely library atmosphere, peppered with colourful posters and comfy sofas, or organising the Scholastic Book Club forms.

These are all amiable and valuable roles, and ones that I felt, and still feel, would be enjoyable to fulfil. My prior understandings about the role of a teacher librarian may have been romanticised, but they made me slightly envious of the librarians, going about their work in an environment that I have always loved.

I know that my journey into teacher librarianship will take me much further beyond these roles and into an infinitely more complex and varied world.