Redefining School Libraries in the Age of 2.0 Building Your Program Through Identity, Integrity and Inspiration Kate Bugher School Library Media Consultant,

Redefining School Libraries in the Age of 2.0Building Your Program Through Identity, Integrity and Inspiration

Kate BugherSchool Library Media Consultant, DPI

NWEA ConventionOctober 2007

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Confucius

Shift Happens!Change is the only constant

Change is a challenge

Change is an opportunity

Change = FlexibilityMove faster—more nimbly?Throw out tradition?What stays? What goes?What does future hold for school

libraries?

Mission of School Libraries“The mission of the library media program is to

ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.”

Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, AASL and AECT, 1998

“What students should know and be able to do to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world…”

NETS*S 21: ISTE, 2007

Balance is Key Mission remains the same; what’s different is

the expanded choice of tools Must create Library 2.0 compatible to Web 2.0

tools for information seeking and spaces for information sharing

Must create Librarian 2.0 compatible to Web 2.0 students, aka “digital natives”

Flexibility is KeyLibraries with broadest missions will

remain vital Meet information, education, socialization and

personal needs of students

Learning place, not warehouse space

Fluid environment that can adapt and reinvent itself as needed

Technology is KeyAccess to information: up-to-date, fluid and transparent or students will take

information business elsewhere more than just an OPAC and computers to access

online encyclopedias and BadgerLink databases producing and communicating information providing students with opportunities for authentic,

engaged active learning

Digital ChallengesWirelessGoogle

flash drives

Online classes

cell phones/IMing

podcasts

blogs

Myspace Open source

WikisPDAs

bandwidth

Gaming LCDs

Video conferencing

Staff is Key 2006-07 LMS Staffing Data:

1201 LMS; 1145.18 FTE LMS 874,098 WI students; 1/728 LMS-student ratio 220 districts with 1 LMS (51%) 76 districts seek 89 LMS positions

Barriers District policies

Filters

Lack of staff

School funding

Slow to change

Future of School Libraries Research on libraries and impact on student

achievement Mix of print and non-print will be needed Cost effective – share centralized collection Size of print collections static or decrease but more

flexible space for instruction, collaboration, group work

Digital too fluid—need print to support curriculum

Future of School Libraries

School libraries as a “place” will continue to be important with programs expanded beyond library walls & creation of virtual libraries reaching & serving students any time, any where

“33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Still Extremely Important” by Will Sherman, 2007

What is YOUR vision?What do you want your job to be?

What do you want to see happen in your library?

Attaining our goalsMarcoux & Eisenberg, K-12 Library Initiative, Washington State Library

3 I’s A-B-C Approach Actions

Identity Articulate a vision Clarify function & roles;

Align goals with school & integrate program into curriculum;

Make the 3 I’s part of what you do all the time

Integrity Be strategic and think strategically

Plan & think about the impact before you act;

Develop curriculum & teaching that show results;

Evaluate the program in light of the school goals

Inspiration Communicate continuously

Communicate outcomes;

Advocate for what your program can do for students;

Document your successes & expect to be accountable

Vision & goal setting

Helps articulate what we want our schools & classrooms to look like and be like in the future

Defines measurable & attainable goals of what we want to accomplish in student learning

Makes explicit our principles, values, and beliefs about teaching & learning

Permits us to ask staff to self-assess & self-adjust against credible results related to goals

Allison Zmuda, AASL 2006

Vision blockers? Not enough resources Reduced budgets My role is not understood My role is not valued nor appreciated No one cares about information literacy Not able to do the job I want to do Perceived low status

IdentityHow are we perceived

By students? By teachers? By administrators?

Common (Mis) Perceptions about our identityStudents:

“Do you have to go to school to be a librarian?” Similar to a secretary

Staff: Babysitter Story time & checkout Fixer of technology Copyright police Collector of junk from the rest of the school/community

Administrators: Keeper of technology Working isolation Not important to the curriculum Expendable

If you, the teacher-librarian, are to be identified with the 3 roles* of: Teacher Reading advocate Information manager *Info Power 2

…YOU have to educate your leaders about the responsibilities that go with each of these roles.

KEY Findings:

Overall ConclusionsRole of Library Media Specialist focuses on three distinct areas as educators and students see the Library Media Specialist as: A teacher librarian An agent of change An technology integrator

Library Media Program Findings:

Staff Activities per Week

(Pages 6-7)

Information Access

11%

Basic Library Activities

29%

Program Administration

15%

Duties Unrelated to

Library Services15%

Teaching & Learning Activities

26%

Meetings4%

What responsibilities do principals currently recognize as being part of this professional role?

Reading Advocate: Fostering an appreciation of

literature Reading advocacy Curriculum

Information Manager: Manage the library collection Curriculum integration Curriculum development

Information Specialist: Integration of instructional

technologies Curriculum development Evaluation

Instructional Partner Teaching Curriculum development Assessment of student

achievement

IdentityHow do we see ourselves?

Your identity includes:Your roles:

Teacher Reading advocate Information manager Other

Your program: Integrated with the curriculum Aligned with the curriculum Adding value














Strategic thinking & planning—Integrity—what is it? Credibility – accountability Integral role Focus upon student learning/achievement Connection to school’s educational objectives

& goals - WKCE

Challenges Everyone – information access, overload,

quality Students -- gaining essential information,

knowledge & skills Schools – providing meaningful learning

opportunities Teacher-librarians – becoming central

“players” (delivery & recognition)

Be StrategicStrategic thinking

Attitude – positive attitude is everything! Insight & political savvy

Link to school initiatives, concerns, priorities Create & use a library advisory committee to help set program priorities Learn (and use) how things really get done in the school & district

Flexibility It’s all relative Expect & accept change School initiatives, concerns & priorities change The library & information program must change, too

Marcoux, K-12 Library Initiative, Washington State Library

Strategic thinkingKey question #1_____________________ What does the school

really care about? What are the key concerns,

programs, and initiatives of the school?

Library program actions Link the 3 functions to

addressing concerns, supporting programs, fulfilling initiatives

Frame the library program in terms of where the action is (NCLB)

Recognize that concerns, programs, and initiatives change—sometimes from year to year

Strategic thinkingKey question #2 Who are the movers

and shakers in the school? Who is respected? Who gets things done?

Library program actions Involve them in

decision-making about the library program

Help them to succeed in achieving their goals and priorities

Link to winners

Strategic thinkingKey question #3 How do things really

get done in the school – not necessarily the “official” ways, but the real ways – particularly in terms of priority setting, budget & spending, and decision-making?

Library program actions Align the management

process of the library program to the process of the school

Be seen as part of the solution, not part of the problem

Strategic Planning Analysis & Planning Analyze – what exists currently Analyze – what is desired (vision) Plan – how to get there Plan – 5 years out














Collaboration? Collaboration: project planned jointly;

learning experiences taught jointly; assessment of both content mastery and student use of resources as well as IL skills

Coordination: teacher provided LMS with content goals, expected products, due date, assessment criteria for project; teacher consulted with LMS about types of resources and timing of project; LMS taught students how to use resources and assisted with research

Cooperation: teacher informed LMS of project; LMS provided resources

Connection: teacher informed LMS of project

Consumption: students used LMC for typing, printing, photocopying, checkout

Collaboration

Coordination__________________

Cooperation

Connection__________________________

Consumption

__________________________________

Levels of Collaboration:A Teacher’s Tool

Evidence-based Practice:Kinds of data you could collect Database usage stats Remote vs. in school Format Type of output

(citation, etc.) Topic By class School comparisons

Class visits by subject Class visits by time of

year Circulation by material

subject Number & kind of

collaboration Funding &

expenditures

Data collection tools Lesson planning book or calendar Data-gathering software (Impact!) Templates (teacher collaboration sheets) Surveys

Library and School Variables 100+ variables Grouped into 4 areas:

Program development Leadership activities Instructional/collaboration activities Technology

Factors Impacting Student Achievement Staffing Resources School variables

(ethnic, poverty, student-teacher ratio)

LMC Use Collaboration Hours

Teacher experience Collection age Technology Online access Information skills

instruction Leadership Volunteers

Impact of FactorsSocio-economic and school variables had the greatest

impact on student performance Library variables explained 3% (E), 9% (M), 8%-19% (H)

of WKCE performance

Factors explained variance in library program & school data: Elementary – 9 factors explained 65% variance Middle School – 10 factors explained 67% variance High School – 8 factors explained 73% variance

Factors Impacting WKCE PerformanceElementary WKCE Reading 26%

School variables Teacher experience Resources 3.4% LMC staffing & leadership

Elementary WKCE Language Arts 25% School variables Resources Hours 3.2% Teacher experience

Factors Impacting WKCE PerformanceMiddle School WKCE Reading 22.4%

School Resources 9.2% LMC staffing & instructional activities

High School WKCE Reading 18.6% Resources 7.9% School (poverty & teacher-student ratio) School (ethnic)

High School WKCE Language Arts 31% Resources 19% School (poverty & teacher-student ratio) School (ethnic)

Components of Quality 21st Century Programs Strong administrative

support Personality of LMS Visibility of LMS Knowledge of

curriculum and standards

LMC as heart of school

Teacher-librarian Change agent/

facilitator Technology integration

leaders Reading promotion Impact on student

performance and achievement

So what does this mean?

With NCLB requiring all students to be literate by 2014, the library media program has been proven to be a key factor in improving student performance

Integrity & Assessment Know where your school needs help and how

you can provide it For a broad overview of your school’s testing

trends, go to the State Report Card site: WINSS: http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sig/index.html

Frameworks & item analysis: WKCE-CRT Assessment Frameworks:

http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/wkce-crt.html














Inspiration What is your vision of the teacher-librarian?

Old vision of stereotypes or New vision of instructional leader and critical

member of school community?

How can you help this become the vision of others?

Inspiration: Questions to ask yourself What is the mission of this library?

To provide all students with quality materials for reading and information gathering

To make every student a successful student ?

What is the mission of the school?

How does the mission of the library relate to the mission of the school?

Inspiration: Goals What are the goals of the library for this year (or the

next few years?) Should be an affirmative, measurable statement, focusing on the end result Should drive both your strategy and resource allocations Success in reaching the goals should make a difference

What are the goals of the school? How do the goals of the library relate to the goals of

the school? How do you know if you’ve reached your goals? How do others know?

Goal for all How can students become skilled at finding,

evaluating, creating and effectively using information from the rapidly expanding resources available to them?

How can these skills transfer to the workplace and personal lives of students once they leave school?

Revolting 21st Century Librarians Rascal attitude: creative, collaborative naughtiness to

show library learning is fun and motivate others to be part of it

Encourage students to be intellectually mischievous Celebrate learning achievements What language do you speak?

Deweydecilibrobabble or a cross-curricular learning dialect?

Is your library an open invitation for mystery, intrigue, discovery?

Are you a Risk-taker? “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face

and not Gary Cooper.” Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With the Wind”

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895

“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” Pierre Pachet, Prof. of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

Changing Mindsets: Taking RisksFrom: Leading of libraries Building collections Information services Collaboration with

teachers Advocacy Victim

To: Leading of learning Building knowledge Student achievement Guided and shared

inquiry Evidence Victory

Cost vs. BenefitGetting administrators and decision-makers to think of

school libraries not as a COST, but as a BENEFIT

“Many administrators think of the library as a cost rather than as an investment. There is no question that quality library media programs, like all quality programs, require substantial funding – but not every quality program pays off for students across the board like libraries can.”

Gary Hartzell, 2002, White House Conference on School Libraries

Student Learning for the 21st Century

School libraries as powerful and engaging places in the lives of students do not happen by chance or force.

Learning outcomes are achieved through deliberate actions and instructional interventions of school librarians.

Articulate a VisionSchool libraries help children and young

adults…. Absorb ideas Develop a sense of self and a connection to information

and learning Strengthen against fear and insecurity Facilitate emergent and early literacy Address the social need to have access to factual

information and knowledge

Be Strategic Be sure your tools (posters, displays, etc.) and

tactics (activities, events, etc.) are the best ones for your strategy

Define the budget you need to do your marketing and then prioritize to fit your actual budget

Lay out a detailed timeline and work plan Evaluate what you did and share with others

CommunicationBuild an effective marketing plan

Be clear about your mission Create measurable goals that will drive your

strategy and use of resources Identify the audience you want to reach Know the message you want to deliver and who

the best messengers would be Use strategies that will actually help you reach

your goals

Future of School Libraries

Not discarding the old, but rather reconsidering what works best in meeting

new challenges & creating new opportunities

in a changing educational world

Change is the only constant!

KEY Findings:

Overall ConclusionsLibrary media program provides information skills and

technology literacy essential for students/learners in 21st Century in and outside of school

Library Media Center is a central and vital component of school’s instructional program –

The heart of a school

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Confucius

Many thanks to Betty Marcoux & Mike Eisenberg, K-12

Library Initiative, Washington State Library

Center For International Scholarship In School Libraries

Documents

Redefining School Libraries in the Age of 2.0 Building Your Program Through Identity, Integrity and Inspiration Kate Bugher School Library Media Consultant,