Collaboration is one of those topics that seems simple but takes so much more work
than you think. Until recently, I considered myself good at this. After all, my
library is very busy, my teachers are cooperative, our test scores are strong, etc.
I have a good rapport with my staff and often teach in-service programs. My
teachers and I work together with the students while in the library.
But when I really analyzed what was going on, I realized I was a great "scheduler"
and a pretty good support source, which is only part way there. Teachers use the
library and I help their students with skills and/or sources but we don't always
find the time to plan the big picture together in advance of the student work.
For most of the shorter assignments (and most of our assignments are getting
shorter, less indepth), the teachers contact me to arrange time and give me a rough
idea of what they are doing. Real collaboration would have me giving them much more
feedback on the structure of the actual assignment long before the teacher gives it
to the students.
Reasons for the increasing lack of indepth collaboration:
--increasing enrollment. I'm the only librarian for 1400+ students.
--increasing # of staff. It's hard to meet with everyone.
--more emphasis on webquest type assignments or use of specific web site
assignments. They really just need to use a computer lab.
--lack of a formal research paper in the curriculum
--last minute planning on everyone's part (mine included)
--conflicting schedules (I'm not free when the teacher is....etc)
--lack of time for everyone
--decreased emphasis on formal bibliographies by our staff (I'm trying to
overcome this)
--increased time spent on testing and preparing for the test
--unwillingness on my part to turn down a teacher's request for library time just
because it's a last minute assignment that we haven't really discussed
I make sure there are enough collaborative projects (usually ones we've used for a
while and refined) that are done in core courses so all students get exposure to
the same skills and sources. These take several years to hone and integrate into
the courses. Our library has a formal library skills curriculum (I'm surprised how
many hs libraries don't have this.) so that helps.
Most of the teachers who do collaborate are receptive to my ideas--as I am to
theirs. Collaboration is give and take.
An area I am exploring now is collaboration between hs librarians and college
librarians. I completed an internship at a college reference library last year so
I could view the transition between hs/college. Maybe this is better described as
articulation .
Ms.Terry Morriston, Librarian
Peters Twp HS
264 E McMurray Rd
McMurray PA 15317
724/941-6250 x5230
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