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I'm not an expert on this--indeed my postings are often criticized and even flamed--but based on what I learned from library school and respected contributors on this listserv, I would like to offer my comprehension of the Fixed/Flex Scheduling issue. It's not a just matter of where we are, but also how far we've come. It seems to me that fixed scheduling was originally (and often still is) a system of non-negotiable library visits with lessons from a specific, fixed, scope & sequence Library curriculum based on what kids needed to know about the library & its books--that is, it was a separate curriculum just as English, Math, Social Studies, Science and Fine Arts were seen as separate curriculums. There was no coordination of Library skills with what was happening in any of the classrooms, but that seemed OK, since none of the classroom activities were coordinated either, even in elementary schools. (Frankly, I'd have been real pleased to have had this kind of library education back in the 50s & 60s--I had none.) Eventually everyone, including librarians, realized that a more coordinated and integrated approach to education was necessary. For 30 years educators have been struggling to improve what students are doing in classrooms, including coordination and integration of curriculum at all levels wherever possible. For example, Social Studies classes now study literature and art and music of cultures and time periods (and I don't understand why Fine Arts classes don't do more to coordinate with this). Along the way we've increased the use of technology and authentic project-oriented assessment (who else remembers when no one knew what a rubric was?) Educational advancements increased use of the library, highlighting inadequacies in student information literacy skills and the need for an improved library program that could address these skills at point of need. Thus Information Power emerged, quite awhile ago actually, to promote the integration of library skills into the curriculum and a flexible approach to library use so that the teaching of these skills could happen when that point in the curriculum was reached. And for that to happen, librarians and teachers had to collaborate on how and when to teach. So, gone is a library scope & sequence that stands alone, taught by a librarian in isolation from other subjects, when a particular class is dropped off by a certain teacher according to a prescribed time schedule for each day of each week. Now we need to be involved with curriculum writing so we can integrate library skills and write appropriate lessons, now we need time to plan with teachers about which classroom--theirs or ours or even the computer lab's--will be used and who will teach what, now we need the ability to schedule classes into the library when we need them to be there, for a few days in a row if necessary. And that is flex scheduling. The key word in flex scheduling is the word schedule. It means WE, the librarians, have the flexibility to schedule library use, that WE have control of who uses the library and when, rather than being forced to accept specific classes one period a day, one day per week. It means we can decide when a class needs to be in the library and it also means that yes, kids who are working on projects we've had a part in teaching CAN come to the library at any time even if they're NOT scheduled. While fixed scheduling denies us power over our schedule, flex scheduling is also being used to take away our decision-making power by telling us we can't have any schedule at all, that we need to provide unlimited access for anyone, anytime they want to wander in, to do anything they want. On the contrary, flex scheduling also means we CAN say no to casual drop-ins because we DO have a class scheduled in the library and we need to be totally attentive to their needs, and this is especially true if we don't have an aide to assist and keep order. And it also means we CAN schedule the same class for the same time on the same day every other week all year long, because we have decided that IS what our students need. Hmmm, what our students need. Information Power stresses integrating library skills with what is being taught in the classroom, and being on a flex schedule promotes that; however, being on a fixed schedule doesn't excuse us from it. A fixed schedule can provide more regular opportunities to present new library skills and reinforce what we're teaching (flex schedulers envy us that), so it means knowing our school's curriculum very well and developing a wide repertoire of activities to keep students engaged and moving forward. As teachers work with us, they can begin to see the benefits of having a flexible library schedule and can be our best allies as we try to convince our principal to move in that direction. Fixed schedules actually demand that we become as flexible as possible when integrating library skills into our lessons and planning with teachers. Flexible schedules actually demand that we become even more regular about approaching teachers for planning and about scheduling classes into the library for curriculum requirements. Either way, we are forced to become a better professional. Barbara Paciotti, SLMIS Barbara Bush MS, Irving TX barupa@swbell.net -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. 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