Wow! I realize now how many of us have this concern. I received so many fantastic
ideas that I'm posting them in two hits.
Thanks again to everyone who responded.
If I was in an HS library, I would definitely have a Facebook page so students
could become "fans" of your library. In this way you would be able to get to the
kids where they are...you would be able to push out book reviews, polls, contests,
photos, events, etc. IN order to jump start it, I would do some sort of
raffle..."anyone who fans my FB page by the end of the month will be entered to win
a gift certificate" or something like that. Alas, I am in an MS library so not all
students are allowed to be on FB (not that they aren't on FB, but they are not
supposed to be!).
-----
Just keep on promoting reading any way that you can, and offer any kind of
activities you can think of no matter how off beat they may seem. We have a student
book discussion group that meets once per month. This month's book is The Lovely
Bones. December's was tell us about a great book you just read and they did mini
book talks. It was fun.
-----
We are inundated with students daily..hourly. They come in to work on projects,
check out books or just "hang out" with us. We have a comfortable reading area with
soft seating in front of a bay window, we continually buy new fiction as well as
non-fiction. We take student requests for books and purchase a lot of those. We buy
a lot of quality fiction. We don't stock Gossip Girls or Sloppy Firsts, but
Twilight has been major here, and the other offshoots are popular as well. We will
not stock the P.C. Cast books due to their graphic explicit content.
We hold monthly drawings for give aways. Last month was the Read poster featuring
the Twilight couple. We promote reading with displays and our bulletin board in the
hall. We have trivia questions during the morning announcements. We dress up for
Read Across America Day like the Cat in the Hat. The kids loved it.
Some of our cohorts do a hot chocolate bar, etc. We don't allow it due to our new
carpet.
We serve grades 9-12 with a student population of 2064+. We are an affluent suburb
of Oklahoma City.
Hope this helps
-----
My two suggestions would be gaming and manga/graphic novels. Video games are not
necessarily reading related (although they do have novelizations of some popular
game series such as Halo now) but they will get the kids in the library, and maybe
while they're there, they might check something out.
Manga and graphic novels are very popular among students, including both reluctant
and avid readers.
-----
My library is not used much either.
Yes, if you were to visit it you would see lots of students in there, but they
aren't doing any research, and if they are, they aren't using books and databases,
and they certainly aren't asking the librarian for help!
One way I've thought around this is to start offering classes to the teachers in
conjunction with their assignments.
This will give the kids the opportunity to see me in a different light and realize
that I have skills beyond refilling the printer with paper and ink.
I know its not a novel idea and I haven't started yet, but I am thinking it will do
the trick.
-----
Make your library an interactive space. This requires careful planning to ensure
that the interactivity is ongoing. It can include:
1. Displays that change weekly - this may take the form of a Brag Board - students
on show - every time there is a school activity you place photos, text up on a
board - kids love to see themselves, school ball/dance/sports carnival make sure
you have the photos up the next school day on a glass window/brag board (which can
be online on the intranet/physical or both). Other displays may include student
work - alongside new books, journals, posters, student art work on show.
2. Have dedicated days - eg. games day at lunchtime where students get to play all
types of games - have class competitions - prizes can be intrinsic - certifcates,
honour boards (on cardex!) but on display. Work with the English dept to have
public debates - advertise around the school, parent newsletters, student and staff
toilets, have staff versus student debates.
3. Keep a high profile - have a book review in every parent newsletter written by a
student - this also goes in the notes section of the automated catalogue - and on
the intranet, as well as on a recommended reading list - by students. Place these
in the foyer/canteen of the school as well.
4. Have the staff meeting in the library with strategically positioned displays.
5. Conduct staff/student PD sessions - how to find information, using Google first
and then databases.
From small things bigger things will grow - start small, plan ahead with
continegency resources so you can do this without stressing out to the max ie. have
newsletter articles, book reviews already written, create a display planner )kids
can actually put these up - always publicise who created the display ie, this
display brought to you by <student names>.
You need to make yourself visible. Take one teacher and do a collaborative project
and then advertise your succeses. Go to the GiggleIT Project - all resources
including the teaching/learning program are free. Student work is published via the
IASL Web Portal - an easy way to get started.
-----
So sorry it sounds like you are having to battle teachers who don't care if
students use the library. I have been very fortunate in that the library has the
only open computer space for classes in the school so I get a lot of one-on-one
faculty time to show what I can do. I also do most of the technology training in my
school, so teachers come to me a lot and want me to show technology and sometimes
books to students. One English teachers requires his students to read a non-fiction
book; the theater teacher requires students to check out a play; other teachers
require poetry - often a book; and I have a bunch of hardcore readers I supply. I
also gave the chess club a corner where they can keep their supplies and play. If
you can get your teachers to refer students to you and insist that students go to
the library to use books and technology, you will be well on your way. I am afraid
I can't really offer too much advice on how to do that. I kept inserting myself in
meetings and jumping in to help students and teachers until teachers accepted my
presence - took 3-4 years - so don't get discouraged too easily.
-----
My library is for middle school, but we are set up like a high school schedule.
When I started ten years ago I took two approaches. First the teachers, I made it
my business to find out what the science and history teachers were teaching for the
next nine weeks. I sent out a memo, now an email, on what video's and books we had
on that subject. I began to research what objectives the students were having
trouble with and making sure I had videos and books on those topics. The teachers
started to come.
For my eighth grade students I purchased young adult books. Our state has a book
award list every year and I always purchase the young adult books. It has worked
they love the fiction and I have several students from the high school that will
return and check out fiction.
-----
I think that your problem is not unusual. We actually have a very active high
school library, but still have the problems of underutilized print resources. Some
things that we have done that have brought teachers and students into the library:
1. We host a Friday coffee (with occasional goodies) to our teachers every single
week. This has brought teachers in and the numbers are growing. We have been able
to sell our materials more easily because they are on display for teachers to
browse as they drink coffee. We have also been able to engage teachers in longer
conversations and met their classroom needs better. This has brought new
teachers/classes into the library ultimately.
2. We have asked for time to present at department meetings (i.e. smaller groups)
and address resources such as databases. Most teachers, we found, don't know the
difference between a database resource and the Internet - except for new grads!
But, they are too embarrassed to really find out. Remote access is also not well
understood, we found. We think that small group teaching - with access to a
computer during the teaching time - gives teachers a chance to learn without a
sense of feeling totally out of the loop. Once they understand remote access, they
can continue to practice at home and in their own classrooms.
3. We did a National Library Week celebration for teachers and students last year
(I can't claim rights to this idea because I used to work with a librarian who did
this annually). We showed a movie during lunch throughout the week - based on a
book that was popular (purchased a license to follow copyright requirements). We
had contests about books made into movies throughout the week and offered movie
posters as prizes. The response was phenomenol. It introduced students to the
books of many movies that they either loved or were eagerly awaiting (Twilight
helped - I can't deny it)! We hosted a breakfast for teachers one morning and
displayed all of our new materials. It is still being talked about.
4. I send out mass emails judiciously about new resources - both in the library
and with Internet links. I want the teachers to know that we are good resources
for them, too. I also try to show, as often as I can, that I am technologically
savvy - that has gone far with the students and with some of the teachers.
5. I decided to put a lot of my effort into reading books that students might like
for recreational purposes (rather than academic) and have concentrated on making
the students simply readers. I guess I thought if they saw me as a good source of
fiction, they might consider that I know something about academics and nonfiction,
too. I think that has become increasingly successful as I have developed a group
of fiction readers who trust my judgment.
I think the more we can share ideas regarding this the better for all of our
libraries.
-----
Here are some ProQuest resources that can help you to help teachers and students to
understand the benefits of using library digital resources and your expertise
instead of Googling:
http://www.proquestk12.com/demo/Google_ProQuest/Google_ProQuest.shtml
http://www.proquestk12.com/demo/10/ProQuest_Differentiate_Instruction/ProQuest_Differentiate_Instruction.shtml
http://www.proquestk12.com/widgets/ithink/ithink_research_tutor.shtml
http://www.proquestk12.com/go/human
http://www.proquestk12.com/demo/Why_Libraries/Why_Libraries.shtml
-----
If your district has an ILL program (our district has an ILL relationship with the
local public libraries and the Univ. of TN where we can request books from their
collections for free), you may find an increase in traffic if you advertise the
possibility of borrowing books that you don't currently have. I started doing this
for our students and it definitely got us some good publicity for students who were
frustrated at what we didnt' have at our school.
During my internship, one of the librarians I worked with established a
relationship with her school's manga club and got them to put together a list of
"school-friendly" manga, which she then purchased. She then moved her non-fiction
manga into the section with the fiction manga and when the fiction was all checked
out, she saw an increase in check-outs of her non-fiction (which didn't move much
at all before hand).
Don't give up on talking with your teachers--there may be one who just needs for
you to plant a seed. If you can offer to come in and do a class for one of these
teachers, bringing a cart of books, and booktalking them, e.g., in conjunction
with a book review project for an English class, you may find that word will get
out and others will seek this same service.
I did a bulletin board in the cafeteria with copies of book covers for popular
titles that we owned and also did a "Seen the movie? Read the book!" display.
Both displays helped get a few students to wander through who otherwise might not
have.
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