Replies, cont.:
"Perhaps you should have your committee look at some truly
cutting edge research and possible paradigm shift as far as
education is concerned. We just had a talk from Dr.
Roberto Ibarra from the University of New Mexico. He is a
proponent of the Multicontextual Theory of learning and he
has written an interesting article about how academic
libraries are at the forefront of this change. Coming from
the state of Texas, Dr. Ibarra's research on diversity
issues should resonate with your constituents. Don't let
the architects make pedagoical decisions that the community
will regret as soon as the building starts to be used. My
son attended a newly built high school that did not have an
auditorium and the space provided to take the place of the
auditorium was so unsatisfactory. Also, the county decided
to build the school on the cheap because they thought the
school population would not get too big. The cafeteria
space was too small from day one, and after the first year
of operation, trailers were added because there was not
enough classroom space. Hopefully you can get your parents
on board for support. This will be a tough fight. I hope
you let the listserv know how this all plays out.
Good luck
Below is a link to Dr. Ibarra's article about academic
libraries.
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/ibarra05.pdf
This is another report geared to academic libraries, but
you should be able to find some relevant information in
this as well.
Library as Place: Rethinking Roles, Rethinking Space
http://www.clir.org/PUBS/reports/pub129/pub129.pdf
This is an interesting brochure called Designing Spaces for
effective learning: A guide to 21st century learning space
design. Again this is for academic spaces, but you will
notice that this does not eliminate the library as a
learning space.
www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/ JISClearningspaces.pdf
ROBERTO A. IBARRA is a practicing anthropologist and a
nationally recognized expert on diversity/minority issues
in higher education. He is the Special Assistant on
Diversity Initiatives at the University of New Mexico, and
a Senior Consultant with the Ibis Group, a diversity
consulting firm in Waltham, MA. His current research
interests focus on studying Latinos in higher education and
developing models for changing academic organizational
cultures. His latest book, Beyond Affirmative Action:
Reframing the Context of Higher Education, (University of
Wisconsin Press, 2001), uncovers a significant new design
for understanding diversity that is becoming recognized as
a paradigm shift for educational change.
-------------------------------------------------------
Students can be encouraged to read books. But it does take the staff to help. I
have been at my current school 6 years. The first year I was here circulation was
about 1000 books. After working with the teachers, making the collection current
we are on target to circulate 5000 items to a student body of 320 with a
collection of 5000 items. 2/3 of the students have books checked out on any day.
It took work and collaboration to get there.
As for the Star Trek references. In the 1st season episode "Court Martial", Kirk
was on trial for murder. His lawyer refused to use computers but "Cogley argues
that books are where you can experience the law, not in a synthesized computer".
In the end they proved
that the computers were manipulated and provided bad data. Still one of my
favorite
episodes.
---------------------
I think I have an article in my files about a school that did just this
and found that the students went to the public library to get what they
needed or brought print sources into school. Eventually the school had
to create a library. If I can find it, I'll scan it and email it to
you. [Let me know if you would like a copy of that wonderful article!]
--------------------
The e-books that you are purchasing should count toward your
books/student ratio. Also, whether the library is a traditional set up
or not, students need to have available a place where they can go to
work on projects, read for pleasure, etc. Whether that place is called
a media center, a computer lab or a library seems somewhat irrelevant to me. What
seems irresponsible is to build a building without such a
space, and without an information specialist (librarian) to man it.
Just because high school students don't tend to read as much fiction
doesn't excuse us from our job of encouraging them to do so. I like
your idea about paperback books & an arrangement with a bookstore,
though. That might be part of a solution.
Yes, universities are going digital, but they are not there yet. Nor,
will they dispose of their collections once they get there (at least I
doubt we will see that in our lifetimes). As to Star Trek, Captain
Picard kept a small library of real books in his quarters and on at
least one episode waxed eloquent about the pleasure of holding a real
book in his hands. Also, ST is set in the 24th century. We aren't
there yet.
I hope you don't feel "raked over the coals." I think you certainly
have some valid points, but I don't think you are on the same page as
the architects & administrators of the school in question.
Thanks for raising some interesting points to add to the discussion.
----------------
I am at a Technology H.S.. Every student has a computer, but we would not begin to
think of doing away with the library.
Good luck!
----------------
I cannot imagine a high school without a library either-but it depends
on the library. I know of one high school where the kids don't check
out fiction, and the teachers don't schedule classes for research. In
the past, the librarian position had incorporated so many other
collateral duties that the collection, programs, and funding received
little attention or support, and the library devolved into a seldom used bookroom.
I know of another extremely busy and greatly used high school library,
where kids do check out and read fiction, and teachers not only
constantly bring classes to the library for research, but also rely on
the librarian to teach search strategies and assist both students and
faculty with research.
But it's not just high schools. I know also of a town that has a
wonderful elementary library program which really promotes reading and
life-long learning; and I know another town which has aides or clerks in all the
lower grade campuses because, as one principal expressed it:
"...you don't need a degree to check out books to little kids, and
there's not much research that goes on at this level."
You wouldn't think the concept of LIBRARY would be such a hard sell- go
figure.
Back to high school--this topic triggers another pet solution of
mine-public library / high school library partnerships. So many
resources duplicated; so little money in budgets.... I have attended
workshops on this subject and have heard great ideas. The big stickler
(just a wild guess here) is probably getting school boards and town
councils to discuss and cooperate on a shared project. Yes, these
libraries have to keep records of funds received and spent from
different sources, but I think we could manage that.
It is too bad that whenever a district proposes a new high school, or a
city builds a new library or branch, that the educational and civic
leaders don't at least pick up the phone and see where the other one
stands in regard to future building plans-sometimes the timeframes are
close enough to coincide...and a shared library facility is better than
a discontinued one.
---------------
I'm stunned at your situtation. Perhaps the question you need to raise
with your superintendent this: If they don't build a library, which
room do they plan to kick all the kids out of so that they can hold
all of their meetings?
----------------
Darn, no one raked me over the coals. Y'all are getting real polite. I thank you.
Now, regarding my post, I did receive several responses directly, mostly in
agreement, however, one nice lady reminded me that students need to have a place
they can go to work or read or gather, and that is
typically a library, so to have no such place in a school would be
irresponsible. I appreciate that insight and wholeheartedly agree! It
reminded me of David Warlick's comment in one of his podcasts about the
library becoming an Information Production Center, where kids go to
find, synthesize, and produce information in print, video, audio, and
digital formats--that if they do not have the opportunity to develop as
effective communicators, their "voices" will simply not be heard. Now
THAT would be a powerful argument for a library to use with architects
and superintendents!
Some comments bemoaned the use and quality of Internet/Web resources and I
completely agree with that...but it wasn't the issue. I did
specifically mention the purchase of online subscription database
services. There is no question about the quality of such databases and
their value as supreme research sources, and since higher education and
corporations of all types use them more and more, there's a real need to teach
students how to find, access, and use those resources
appropriately. It seems to me that providing and teaching a variety of
high-quality, information-rich databases will allow students to see far
more dramatically the inferiority of free Internet/Web sources than if
we persist in restricting them to a certain number or type of source.
Like, how often do you suppose the boss is gonna say, "Joe, we need you
to compile some information for the annual report, and we want you to
use an encyclopedia and a newspaper, and only one website."?
Finally, my comment about not seeing print reference resources on Star
Trek: many referred to incidents in the various series' where books
were read and appreciated, but I did say use of "a print _reference_
resource"--for reference they _always_ used "Computer." Even in the
"Court Martial" episode that appears to glorify books over computers, it is the
dilution and homogenization of _information_ put on the computer that is criticized
(much as we lament the poor quality of info on the Web; I am reminded of a concern
expressed on this listserv about
including only text for periodical databases, ignoring the power of the
accompanying pictures and graphics--certainly a consideration when
choosing which database to subscribe to!). And, at the end of the
episode, it's the skillful use of the _computer as a reference resource_ --not one
of the law books piled up in Kirk's quarters--that helps to find the real culprit.
I do love books--I have hundreds--and I love to read books; I use reference books
when appropriate, but I sure do love the comprehensiveness and searchability of
databases for most information needs! (I wonder if Lexis-Nexis had been digitized
back in the late 60's, would Spock have convinced Cogley of the ease of
searching L-N to find information rather than wade through his thousands of books?
:-) )
So, my friends, I think I will continue believing that it is curriculum
needs, student demographics, and facility arrangement & equipment that
ought to determine the library and its resources. To convince
others--like architects and superintendents--we need to offer some
different arguments than the tired old refrains about the difficulty of
"curling up with a good computer" or "not everything is on the Internet"
or even "it's faster to find some info in a good reference book than on
the Internet." We need strong arguments about finding and using
information in a variety of useful, high-quality resources in several
formats, about the need to teach information-seeking strategies for any
kind of research requirement, and about the one person in the school who can bring
curriculum, technology, and communication together...a
certified teacher-librarian, whether s/he has a "normal" library or not.
----------------
Your superintendent and assistant are being feed a lot of bull. Several years ago
a school district near us built a small high school library because they were told
students would be doing everything from the classroom on the Internet. Two years
later, the district had to remodel the high school and turn its small library into
a full size high school library that could accommodate two classes plus walk-ins.
It seemed the students and teachers needed a library and library professionals in
order to be "the school of the future." Many of these students are children of
Microsoft employees, so I guess "the school of the future" for Microsoft includes
libraries.
Our District is in the process of building a second high school and
re-modeling our current high school. Both buildings will have large
libraries that can accommodate 120 students in the main area of the library with 42
computers, and an attached full size library computer lab for the librarians to
teach information literacy skills to students. While we were in the planning
stages our staff visited over 20 new and remodeled high schools in our state and
every one had a library. Some smaller and some larger than the school libraries we
will build. I don't know of a single District in our state that has eliminated
libraries from new or re-modeled schools.
So, if your superintendent and assistant superintendent want to lose their jobs
because they cost your District extra taxes to add on a library after the fact,
then it's their funeral. Unfortunately, the children and parents of your District
will have to deal with the fallout while the architects walk away with their fees.
---------------------
I was thinking about it yesterday and I'll bet it would help if you got parents and
teachers involved, too, if you don't already. Administrators need to be able to
"safe face" about a bad decision so giving them evidence with research studies and
then a few horrified phone calls to well-chosen board members might make a big
difference...
The concepts from the Partnerships for the 21st Century report should back you up
well.
-----------------------
I'm a little slow in responding to this, but you could sit down with the architects
and ask them, just casually if they enjoy visiting their local Barnes and Noble or
Borders when they have some free time. If so, why do they do this? Is it because
they occasionally feel the need either for information (how to fix a toilet? What
does Stephen Hawking have to say in his new book? Where does one go to buy stamps
in Paris?) or feel the need to sit down with a good magazine or book?
As others have said, delivery of information is not an "either/or" issue. Just
because one has electronic information delivery, print resources do not necessarily
become obsolete. They have their use (and I know you're completely in
agreement-I'm just getting carried away) and are in fact useful. It's just so
completely illogical to me-it's like a pharmacist saying at the introduction of
acetaminophen "well I guess we don't need aspirin anymore." Wrong. Both meet
needs.
There are many schools whose model is to have the library at the center of the
school. It is the place for information, reference resources, reading enrichment
material, teacher support, etc. I know of some who have the library positioned as
the literal hub of a wheel, with classrooms radiating out like spokes, all
connected, all in touch with the helpful professional guide who knows how to find
and cares about providing the best material for the students.
Here are some webpages I've found useful. The last two are pdf files that will
hopefully come through okay. I used them all in defense of my request to hire an
additional librarian (I'm currently the only one in a preK-12 school with two
libraries.)
Anyway, here are the pages:
http://www.asla.org.au/research/index.htm
http://www.lrs.org/impact.asp
http://www.nclis.gov/info/WHYCAREABOUTSCHOOLLIBRARIES.pdf
http://librarypublishing.scholastic.com/content/stores/LibraryStore/pages/images/slw_06.pdf
---------------
I once posited my thoughts on the library of the future and suggested
that I could probably do away if 1/3 of my space and still have a great
facility. I envisioned less books shelves, more student "production"
areas and more computers.
This thread is making me take an even closer analysis of what I do and
what I have. We rarely have a situation where teachers "require"
students to use print resources. Our online databases are superb, and
with good instruction we are doing a good job of getting students to go
there instead of simply using search engines.
We've done away with allow of our "research" periodicals, but our
periodical count remains the same, if not higher, with almost all
high-interest magazines. Our fiction collection is completely paperback
and we weed it constantly, replacing tattered books (the most read) and
culling out old chestnuts.
Now I'm thinking of going very radical and I've had a discussion with
my colleague about weeding a third or more of our collection. Why are we keeping
these books if NO ONE READS OR USES THEM? We tossed around the idea of putting in 8
to 10 sofas with coffee tables. Putting in a big student production area where
groups can work together with supplies and computers readily available. Even
getting a wireless transmitter so that students can bring their own laptops in.
We also talked about the idea of getting more bookstore style shelving
to highlight different high interest books in our collection, like our
graphic novels.
Ours is jam packed before school and during lunch. Our kids are great,
there are study groups and students doing homework. Lots of kids
checking out the latest magazines. And every computer is being used,
even though we do not allow games or music (How Luddite!).
Having no library in a high school is really a sad situation. It does
seem to imply that there is no point of having a librarian either. I
think the architects are missing the point. A library is more than just
book shelves, and way more than just another computer lab!
Just my thoughts.
-----------------
I recently had a great experience that supports print:
One of our super history teachers had created a unit on castles that
used a web quest type format. It was a well thought out project and
the students were getting guidance on how to find information on the
sites they were directed to use via this abridged webquest.
Unfortunately only her "A" day kids could get access to the library
during the week that she wanted to do this. So I gathered a cart load
of books [I have LOTS on castles!] and we decided that her 'B" Day
kids would use the books first, and then come use the computers later.
The"A" day students came into the library and did well with the
webquest. They were on task and got some notes. They still spent an
inordinate amount of time 'noodling' around but overall they were
successful with what they did get. The next time they were to come
into the library, I asked the teacher if she wanted me to get ready
for them and she said that she was so impressed with the higher
quality notes that her "B" day students were getting from the print
materials, that she was not going to continue with the web quest.
She's re-writing her plan to use only the books next time. They found
more information, liked the pictures better and seemed to have a
better sense of the 'big picture' using the books.
One thing that has happened through the years at my school is the
agreement by many teachers to have kids use print materials FIRST.
After they have taken acceptable notes, created a 'keyword' list that
they'll use for searching on the web [based on their encyclopedia
research], then they can use the web. Whenever I am told of a
project that is coming, I usually put a hot list together and some
teachers only let kids go to those website, others let them go
wherever they want, but always point out my hot list. The teachers
who use this process have been much happier with the quality of their
student notes. [I also suggested that no notes be allowed that have
full sentences in them . If they use full sentences, they must put
them in quotes and copy the page number from where they got them. -
that's encouraged the teachers a lot!].
Getting 'in' on the project helps a lot. Most teachers have enjoyed
the fruits of a print search first.
Lindy Hutchison, Librarian
Sweeny HS Library
Sweeny, TX
lhutchison@mail.sweeny.isd.esc4.net
"Let us put our minds together and see what life we will make for our children."
--Tatanka Iotanka (Sitting Bull)
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