Wanted: Reference Guru with Magic Powers

 

Assignment Blog 1: Theme 1

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“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” 

Neil Gaiman

Prior to working as a Teacher Librarian, I had no idea about everything they did for our school community on a daily basis.  I was under the impression that they would share their love of reading, do book exchanges, help with a question, and put together book sets for a unit we were studying.  Boy was I wrong…These past few years have taught me that I could not have been further away from the truth than the distance between Earth and Neptune!

Image credit: Bitmoji

Perhaps my biased way of thinking stemmed from past experiences with previous TLs.  If you have read my previous blogs, you would already be familiar with my predicament.  Here is a refresher, as you know, before my job-share partner and I took over our library, we would only be allowed to go in for book exchanges and if we needed books for units we were teaching, we could send an email and presto…our box would be delivered to our classrooms (like magic!).  

Image credit: PNG

Furthermore, our library schedule was fixed, with little to no opportunity to access resources at other times besides your assigned slot.  Once we took over, we decided to have a hybrid model, where we could assign fixed slots for primary grades (with room to be flexible) and a more flexible schedule for our intermediate classes.  Marcia Mardis taught us that having a hybrid model would “allow us to have more responsiveness to changing learning and teaching needs, give us a chance to tailor to student development levels, and give us the opportunity to offer consistent access to the library.” (Mardis, M. 2016 p37). Following this schedule has allowed our students and staff to access the learning commons more, not only for research activities but also for pleasure.  Little by little, we realized how much our collection was being impacted by this new influx of people.  More research meant we needed to take a closer look at our collection, were our students accessing the right sources?  was our collection meeting the learning needs of everyone?  We started thinking about ways to “develop a collection that include(d) the materials needed to support such activities…(start) collaborating with classroom teachers to provide integration of the teaching of information skills into the curriculum, and at the same time develop a collection tailored to the needs of (ALL) our students and teachers.” (Mardis, M. 2016) Carol Singer takes it one step further by saying that our job as Teacher Librarians also includes "selecting the highest-quality appropriate reference materials for a collection...(This) is (considered) one of the most important functions of managing a reference collection...not only must the content of the collection be carefully selected, but the person in charge of the collection must constantly reevaluate what should be purchased and what should not be purchased." (Singer, C. 2012 p.45) Say what?! Needless to say, we panicked at first because as new TLs we had no idea what that entailed!…talk about being thrown into the deep end without swimming lessons! 

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Scheduling sure was an eye-opener for us when it came to really look into evaluating our collection; however the money shot was realizing that not only are we in charge of providing the best resources we can to help our students and staff reach their full potential, but we are also to be the tech gurus of the school, the curators in this digital era, the go-to person for anything inquiry related, and the main advocate when it came to making sure our 21st Century learners have access to all the resources they need to succeed.  And here I was thinking that my main job as a librarian was to share my love of reading with my students!! 

Image credit: Standout Books

Mark Ray explains what librarians have had to do to “reinvent” themselves to be able to meet the needs of our school community.  He says that due to this fast-changing “hurricane of technology,” we have had to transform ourselves into “information and technology gurus (aka Tech Wizards).” (Ray, M., 2017) Moreover, Melanie Sibley also shares what transformation she has had to go through to be able to help her students become information literate, she says that “as we educate ourselves about something (in this case the evolution of library services), we learned that the difference between perception and reality can be quite different…we are no longer librarians but Librarian Media Specialists, Teacher-Librarians (Literacy Magicians).”  (Sibley, M., 2016) Our job is now to provide students with bibliographic instruction.  Riesling defines it as “any activity designed to teach students how to locate and use information which goes beyond the physical boundaries of the school library…with the explosion of technologies that exist within, and yet beyond, the walls of libraries today,” TLs need to equip students with the necessary lifelong learning skills needed to excel in this era. (Riesling & Houston, 2019) Wow, talk about a powerful statement! 

You can listen to both TED Talks by clicking the links below.  

Mark Ray: Changing the Conversations About Librarians

Melanie Sibley: The Evolution of a Librarian

One of the statements that really got me thinking about our job as Reference Gurus is the definition Riesling gives when talking about our Learning Commons, she says that they are “more than books on a shelf, school libraries are (now) places for personal growth and reinvention, for getting help in navigating the World Wide Web, a gathering place for civic and cultural engagement, and a trusted learning environment for building a culture of collaboration.” (Riesling & Houston, 2019). 

This really got me thinking…is there such a thing as a magic formula, a trick, or anything that could help us become the gurus we ought to be?  What can we do to be able to “help students use library resources to obtain relevant and credible information that meets their needs?” (Riesling & Houston, 2019). Our roles have certainly changed now with the introduction of what I like to call the “Google Ocean of Knowledge,” aka the internet.  Since our students have come to depend on it to find all the answers to their questions with just a few clicks, we (TLs) need to then become the trained magicians “with the ability to assist students in extracting the desired data to meet specific informational needs.” (Riesling & Houston, 2019).   TLs need to understand that the issue with information gathering today is not related to access or quantity, it has more to do with finding the right authoritative sources and showing our students how to effectively and efficiently use the Internet to gain knowledge.  

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I am really looking forward to seeing what else I learn this term in regard to Reference Sources.  More importantly, how I can become the “Tech Guru” my school community needs.  I know that I do not need to be perfect but more of a vessel of information, one of the captains of our ship with the main role of guiding our students through this sea of knowledge and helping them get where they need to go.  I will continue to enlist the help of all our teaching staff and the community of Teacher librarians in our District.  It does take a village to raise the new generations after all.  As Teacher Librarians, we must accept all these changes, not resist them.  Students need now more than ever, to be taught information literacy skills.  Our Learning Commons have now become key players in “providing resources and instruction for the 21st-century learner to reach the desired learning standards that required students to be fluent in critical inquiry and decision-instruction (in this new digital era).” (Riesling, 2019)

Let’s remember that as the saying goes “Opportunities are like sunrises.  If you miss them, they are gone.” Let’s all embrace this new change and do our best to ensure we meet the needs of today’s students by not only carrying out our traditional role of “bringing information resources to learners, but also providing the tools and infrastructure that enable learners to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate resources in ways that demonstrate learning and create new knowledge….” (Binkley, M. & Erstad, O., 2009)

So, is there a magic formula to do all this you ask?

Image credit: Bitmoji

Of course, there is…it's called “Being a Teacher Librarian”!

What do you think? I would love to know your thoughts!

Until Next Time,

The Duchess of Bookington

References:

Binkley, M., & Erstad, O. (2009). Draft White Paper 1. Defining 21st Century Skills. Retrieved …. https://www.academia.edu/27887694/Draft_White_Paper_1_Defining_21st_Century_Skills

Mardis, M. A., & Phyllis Van Orden. (2016). The collection program in schools: concepts and practices. Libraries Unlimited, An Imprint Of Abc-Clio, Llc.

Mattson, K. (2017). Digital citizenship in action: empowering students to engage in online communities. International Society For Technology In Education.

Miller, S., & Bass, W. L. (2019). Leading from the library: help your school community thrive in the digital age. International Society For Technology In Education.

Neil Gaiman Quote. (n.d.). A-Z Quotes. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.azquotes.com/quote/454390

Riedling, A. M. & Houston, C. (2019). Chapters 3-8: Reference and the school library: An overview. Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips (4th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Singer, C. A. (2012). Fundamentals of Managing Reference Collections. American Library Association.

TEDx Talks. (2016). Changing the Conversation About Librarians | Mark Ray | TEDxElCajonSalon. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IniFUB7worY

TEDx Talks. (2016). The Evolution of a Librarian | Melanie Sibley | TEDxMarcusHighSchool. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omsggt8M8Us 

LLED 463: School and Community Analysis

 

Well, here I am once again documenting my learning journey.  The content I have been learning for LIBE 463 has been very intriguing and educational thus far.  And before you ask, yes...I have already had my panic attack!

Theme 1 has been very interesting, not only have I learned that as Teacher Librarians we need to make sure we meet the needs of our students and colleagues, but we also need to look outside our walls into the community.  Mardis believes that "a basic consideration of all collection development activities is the interaction of the library program with the school, other educational or informational institutions and agencies, and the external environment.  the community influences the collection." (Mardis, M. 2016 p.17) I was shocked to learn that our community's socioeconomic status, political views, etc. also play a big part in the development of our Learning Commons Collection.  

Our first assignment for this course is a School and Community Analysis report.  I was a bit overwhelmed at first with the amount of information I gathered but slowly I concentrated on specific data until I collected what I believe is important for our school community.

Needless to say, I was so surprised to find out that within our school, 25 different languages are spoken! I also realized that due to our French program, a big percentage of our families are from out of catchment (some even drive from the outskirts of our city to our school...that's a 15-20 minute drive!) 

Having learned about all the different programs around our community, the demographics, and the surrounding environment, I can start seeing where our collection needs a little more work... which of course comes later in the course.

Without further ado, allow me to present to you my findings.  Click on the picture below to read on.

Disclaimer: I was not able to attach my Word file to my post so instead I created a "Screencastify" recording to share my findings with everyone.  Also, we know how much technology loves me by now, so, needless to say, one of my paragraphs was not showing in my report and I had to go back to add it.  Instead of redoing my whole Screencastify, I have decided to add the paragraph below.  This is from the section called: LVE Learning Commons Overview and it describes our library collection.

"Our book collection has approximately 16,289 books, a combination of both fiction and nonfiction books (English and French).  The area we are most interested in for this report is the 500s as it is the Science section, my job share partner and I have worked hard to add more books to our collection, currently, we have 1,160 books (7%) in this category. From that number, we have 124 in the Earth Science category (550), 92 in the Life science category (570), and 593 in the Zoological science (590).  The latter is due to the fact that we live next to a farm and within walking distance of other smaller family farms and dikes.  Our reference section also has printed encyclopedias and almanacs (79 in total for classifications 00-030), however, it is crucial to note that the age of this section is 15-18 years old.). Furthermore, we should note that we do have fiction series such as “The Magic School Bus,” which discuss various science themes such as life and water cycles and conservation, etc.  We also offer digital resources through our school district website, as well as carefully curated online kits for various themes.  To check out our “Water Resource Kit” click here." (Vernon, K. 2023, missing excerpt from report)

Make sure to let me know your thoughts and any suggestions you may have!

Until next time,

The Duchess of Bookington

Resources:

• Asselin, M., Branch, J., & Oberg, D., (Eds). Achieving information literacy: Standards for school library programs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian School Library Association & The Association for Teacher-Librarianship in Canada. (out of print) - pdf Links to an external site.

• Gibeault, I. (n.d.). LibGuides: Draft of SD42 Libraries Elementary Reference Sets: Water (SC 2). Sd42.Libguides.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://sd42.libguides.com/c.php?g=732798&p=5266438 

• Mardis, Marcia A. (2016). The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices. (6th ed.) Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited