A few weeks ago, I posted a request for information about distributed
libraries in elementary schools. Our district is building new schools
and this was in the plan. Thanks to the responses we got and lots of
parent input, I am happy to say that the new plans unveiled last
evening call for a central library that is in the center of the
school. In talking with the architects, I was so happy that they
"got it". There are multiple spaces within the learning area but it
looks workable. There has been no discussion about staffing or
programming so I am not sure how this new area will work but I am
impressed with the direction they are taking.
Thank you to all those who replied to my post. You are the best.
Nancy
Original post:
Greetings oh wise ones. Our district is moving towards
building/rebuilding all our elementary schools within the next few
years. The library media centers are being designed by an assistant
principal and the professional development coordinator -- no
librarians. They have come up with a model of distributed media
centers. I have never heard of this and am wondering if anyone has
any information on it. From what I can tell, there would be several
mini-media centers distributed throughout the building. I have not
gotten any answers as to how the collections will be built or who
would staff the centers. Actually, I've gotten no answers to any of
my questions about this model. All I hear is that the teachers love
this idea and will be able to use the media center more.
If anyone has been using this model, I would love to know the pros
and cons of the design.
________________________________________________________
I have seen this, and the disaster. At least the place where I
saw it materials are distributed by "grade level," materials were
placed on carts and movable shelving, in the hallways outside the grade
level classrooms. There were great losses, no one could find anything
because no one puts anything away. Kids and teachers take what they
need, no check out system. The library automation system was useless
because the materials were never tagged as to their new location.
I have seen it work in a high school setting where subject materials are
put in department resource rooms, staffed by department
paraprofessionals. In that situation the resource rooms were part of the
subject classroom and office suite. There was control of the materials.
However, at that time no one could figure out how to give rights to the
automation system, so everything was checked out by hand. With newer
systems that can be handled more easily today.
_________________________________________________________________
A young English teacher that I worked with told me that her high
school had 6 media centers. She went to school in Fairfax, Virginia.
I wonder if this is similar to what they have in mind.
I hope that they are also factoring in the cost of staffing these
media centers. I believe that the ones in Fairfax were staffed, but
that is a wealthy county.
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My oldest son's elementary school had this. They called them pod
libraries. He hated it, because it limited him to only what they
thought that grade level would read. It did not take into account
those students who are reading below level, nor did it take into
account those who are reading above. The pod library was only open
for student use when the library aide was scheduled in that area. To
my way of thinking, this doesn't make a whole lot of economic sense,
because either you have to A) have more than one person manning the
libraries so that the students could go choose from whichever pod
made the most sense, or B) those students would have to be happy with
what was in their pod despite their levels or interests, or C) buy
multiple copies for the building to be spread through the pods as
needed. Option B doesn't make much sense with education making a push
for differentiation, and what about RtI and the use of lower level
materials fro the struggling reader.
Just doesn't make much sense. Like I said my son hated it!
_________________________________________________________________________
this sounds similiar to a set-up one of our former 5th grade teaches
(now retired) who came from Florida. He used to talk about a "pod"
system. What little I remember of his description was classes in a
grade level were set-up in the same area (I envisioned a school with
round buildings and the library for each grade level was in the
center). He never mentioned a library media specialist..just these "pods."
It sounds to me like the a.p and p.d.c. have learned some new catch
phrases...maybe from some classes they are taking or have taken...and
are looking to experiment. When my school was built back in 1973,
they bought in on the open classroom concept. Classrooms were built
with a folding wall between every two rooms for teachers to team
teach and the library was built with NO WALLS on two sides of the
library. The librarian here at the time told me originally the
principal planned to have no barrier between the hallways on either
side of the full length of the library, but she fought to get 5 foot
high bookcases put there to at least make some sort of barrier.
Thirty six years later, I am stuck in a media center that has no
security...things disappear all the time because I cannot lock
up...no doors....and we get all the foot traffic from one side to the
other as students, teachers, and parents take the shortcut. We have
to contend with all hallway noise, teachers leaving doors open and
noise from the cafeteria. Slowly over the past few years, the
classrooms have been able to finally have the old folding curtains
replaced with solid walls.
I must say that in general I like my library...in services I can
provide...but I do not like the layout. There is nothing I can do to
change it though. We were going to get a major renovation back in
the early 1990s and the plan was to put up walls in the library,
however, current firecodes nipped that in the bud. To renovate the
library and build walls would have required installation of sprinkler
systems, firewalls, etc. throughout the building and direct access
from the library to the outside which would have taken part of two
classrooms. Due to the cost involved in doing this, we will never be
enclosed now because of the cost to do so.
I hope that these people making this decision realize that to not
include a librarian in the planning for this is like putting someone
in the State Education Department who comes from the mechanic
field! They may be a fantastic mechanic, but what do they know about
education of children? I can drive my car, but I can't repair it!
On another note, a couple of our teachers visited a school in another
school system several years ago.. They came back all excited about
seeing a "bookroom" at the school where the teachers had pooled their
books from their classrooms and had multiple copies. Someone had
even gone through and using some source, given a reading level for
each book. Within a short time, they had convinced the principal
about the "good idea" and had taken over our one and only teacher's
lounge. No one was asked what they thought about this. Bookcases
were ordered and placed in the room, volunteers came in and sorted
books into same-titles and then labeled, put in a database, filed in
bags or Princeton files and then shelved. The only question I was
asked was..."Do you have any of those book pockets and check-out
cards like you used to put in books?" I didn't so they had to order
those. They developed an "honor" check-out system. As I
predicted...this system didn't work well. Materials were checked-out
and not returned, not put back in the right spot, not checked-out at
all, etc. It was used heavily by several people the first year and
then went down from there. After about 4 years, the books were kind
of given back to whoever wanted them, bookshelves given to classrooms
and the lounge was back.
I cannot believe that the cost of creating several mini-media centers
has not thrown a monkey wrench into this idea either! And I believe
whole heartedly that within a short period of time they will realize
their mistake...especially when materials begin to disappear and not
be returned!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
This sound like a very novel idea, especially if people that are
specialists in their areas want to tell us how and what is best for the
media center.
Did the assistant principal, the teachers that love this IDEA and the
developer think where to put you- the librarian? Are you going to run
between these 'centers'? Will they hire extra help? Will all the
centers be opened and serviced the entire day? Do they have the funds,
in this economy to get more librarians or 'helpers'??
We moved into a new building 3 years ago. The different subject
teachers had different teachers by subject pods or offices, to work
collaboratively, eat together, etc. etc. etc. The only time that they
use these pods are to eat their lunch, and for the rest of the day, the
pods are empty. Already there are talk to convert these pods to regular
classrooms or computer labs.
Novel, yes! Practical? Only to the designer and the developer!!!
___________________________________________________________________
It sounds like a nightmare to me. How will you keep up with the
collections and help students??
_____________________________________________________________________________
You might contact Theresa Gosnell and Carrie Turner of Westside High
in Omaha, NE. They have such a media center and spoke at AASL last
week. They seemed to feel the media center is underutilized and
'underbooked' (I don't know if that is a word, but I like it and you
know what I mean) but they have managed to make the library an
integral part of the curriculum through their inclusion in the
required senior project. They can be reached at whsmedia@westside66.org
__________________________________________________________________________
A woman that works in our office at Mackin sent your inquiry along to
me- thinking that I might have something of value to add to your
search for information. I'm not sure how valuable my information
will be, but I will pass it along just the same. I have personally
opened more than 100 school libraries over the past decade. This
year alone Mackin did more than 100 across the country, and about 1/3
of all the schools nationally in each of the past three
years. Recently, I have noticed a trend- Smaller traditional
libraries and a bigger emphasis on Classroom Libraries and/or Leveled
Literacy Libraries.
In a recent project in Rochester, MN, Gibbs Elementary School went
with a traditional library, a Leveled Literacy Library that used
Fountas and Pinnel leveling, and Book carts for each grade level that
stood in the center of the hall, with the classrooms surrounding
it. The issue with projects like these is always
inventory. Fortunately for us, we are usually involved at the
planning stages of these projects, so we can provide suggestions on
handling the inventory problem before it's an issue. Most schools
think of inventory control well after the fact and have to play catch
up. We have implemented several different solutions to solve this problem.
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me anytime, as I would be
happy to assist however I can.
*******************************************************************************
Nancy J. Keane nancy@nancykeane.com
2009 Library Journal Movers and Shakers
"The Tech-Savvy Booktalker" (2008)
"Big Book of Teen Reading Lists" (2006),"Big Book of Children's
Reading Lists" (2006);
Rundlett Middle School 144 South Street Concord, New Hampshire 03301
Recipient 2004 ALSC/Sagebrush Education Resources Literature Program Award
Recipient 2002 N.H.Excellence in Education Award (EDies)
Nancy's podcasts: http://nancykeane.com/rss.html
Booktalks Page http://www.nancykeane.com/booktalks
Reading Lists wiki http://atn-reading-lists.wikispaces.com
++++++Do the best you can and maintain a sense of humor++++++
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