CHAPTER 1
The role of school libraries is shifting with the rise of technology in education, digital resources, and the changing learning styles of our students. We must rethink and reimagine our library spaces if we are to remain relevant.
Rethinking Our Spaces
As a child, I fondly remember trips to both my public and school libraries. There were story times and programs, all the picture books I could want, quiet corners for curling up with a book, and the space was decorated with pictures and stuffed animal characters from my favorite books.
Advocating for a New Vision of Libraries
Unfortunately, many teachers, administrators, community members, and even librarians still cling tightly to the libraries of their youth. They see nothing wrong with library spaces filled with large, immovable wood tables with heavy chairs. They see libraries as spaces solely designed for quiet study and reading. Or, by contrast, they are ideal computer labs or testing centers. Worse, libraries are considered multipurpose rooms for schools to host every faculty meeting, parent meeting, and after-school event. Some people even question whether school libraries are necessary at all!
Advocating for Updated Spaces
Many who question the relevance of school libraries also have traditional notions of what functions school libraries serve. We must work tirelessly to share what happens in our spaces. For example, many people have no idea that libraries play a vital role in hosting collaborative teaching lessons, teaching information literacy skills to students, hosting book clubs and other programs. They don’t understand that libraries serve as a meeting place for specialists to work one-on-one with students, as well as being a place for students to check out books, read, and study. We must share the many different roles that our space fulfills.
Advocating for Our Role
As you saw in the earlier example from Florida, we must not just advocate for changing our spaces, but also advocate for our role within our spaces. You can create a gorgeous, modern library space with lots of natural light, flexible furnishings, and an outstanding collection, but if a full-time librarian does not staff it, it will be much more limited, and students will feel the impact.
ISTE STANDARDS CONNECTION
ISTE Standards for Educators 2a: Educators shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education stakeholders.
In advocating for rethinking and reimagining our library spaces, we are sharing our vision for our libraries. Leading with our vision for the ways technology can empower educators in libraries is vital to garnering support for our library space transformations.
The Changing Role of Technology and Libraries
A massive shift in technology use in education has occurred since those days that I spent in my school library as a child. For many years, static desktop computer labs were considered sufficient technological resources for our students. But now, with the affordability of tablets, laptops, smart phones, and other technology advancements, our students are using many other devices besides desktop computers. And many of our schools are making the leap to a BYOD program or a 1:1 setting where every student has their own school-owned device. As librarians, we must embrace and support a diverse variety of technology tools for our students.
Print vs. Digital
Some of you reading this book will be old enough to remember using card catalogs to find resources in the library, others know card catalogs only as awesome garage sale finds made for transforming into stylish coffee tables. A vast amount has changed in libraries in the last thirty years. We can now quickly search our library catalogs on computers. Schools and library systems have created their apps for students and patrons to browse their collections and resources. Our physical reference collections have dwindled with the rise of readily available digital resources and the shorter shelf life of print reference in an ever-changing world.
Ebooks
The physical size of our libraries often limits the number of print volumes we can carry. Many students are now bilingual in digital and print literacy. They will often switch back and forth between print books and ebooks. Some will be working on one book on their phone or tablet while also reading a different book in print. Our libraries need to meet this demand by providing diverse ebook collections that can support the needs of our students. These will likely be a blend of fiction and nonfiction. If possible, see if you can develop your ebook collection in collaboration with your school district or with a network of other schools—this can help to lessen costs overall.
Online Databases
Print reference materials have been on the decline for years. Aside from when teachers force them to use print materials, students almost always reach for digital resources first. Unfortunately, many will choose the first article that pops up on Google or Wikipedia. As librarians, we need to be advocates of our online databases. We need to teach students digital research skills and help them work through the various databases we support, such as Gale, World Book, and ProQuest. We need to teach them citation and writing skills. Just because print reference is going away doesn’t make our role irrelevant—it makes us more relevant than ever.
The Learning Space Needs of Our Schools
The pedagogies of our teachers and classrooms are shifting. Many schools rely more and more on group work, team projects, and hands-on activities. These styles of work often require a different physical space than the traditional classroom layout. While many schools are transforming the learning space design of their classrooms, the library can also serve as a learning space to meet these needs. Throughout this book, I discuss ways to transform library spaces to be flexible, to support collaboration, and to provide materials and resources for hands-on projects. Even for schools that have redesigned their classrooms, the library is still a vital space because it is available to all students and it houses librarians who can assist students in their work.
Flexibility
With the rise of active learning pedagogy, teachers n...