Best Practices for a Library Media Center, Research Paper Example

Introduction

With the digital age, many believed that bookshelves would be no more. The end of the existence of libraries was upon on the school setting. This led to the question of whether or not libraries are relevant in school settings.  The library and the librarian are irreplaceable for countless reasons.  First of all, one can’t find everything on the Internet. Although there is an amazing amount of information available on the internet, this very fact has created a false sense assumption that everything can be found on the Internet.  A great deal of authors and publishers just refuse to allow their work to be accessed over the internet. There are many laws that prohibit copyrighted books to be accessed over the internet.  Next, the service isn’t free. So many academic journals do not allow access to just anyone seeking to access their information on line. Usually, they require some type of school affiliation or subscription fees.  So, one can only access some information by visiting a library in person or using school affiliation to access resources. Finally, the internet is a compliment to libraries, not a replacement. The internet is a great resource for finding information, but it will never replace the library.  School librarians are trained to help students access and best use information that they find in the library and on the internet.  One study conducted even proved that students who frequented school libraries instead of using only digital information, scored higher on ACT exams and performed better on reading and writing exams than students who did not use libraries with well-equipped staff.

Importance of Librarians

Studies have supported the belief that schools that have libraries that are well staffed with certified staff positively correlates with increased student achievement. The role of media specialist positively affects student success in schools around the world. School Library Media Specialists are known to greatly impact the reading level of schools in poor academic standing.  The advancement in technology over the past 20 years has drastically changed the roles and responsibilities of SLMS in the school setting. In 1999, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology developed national standards and guidance for SLMS. (Russell, S. 2002)  This document outlined guidelines programs that promoted student learning. As a direct result of this document, the role of a SLMS is similar to those of a teacher. In the role of a teacher, the SLMS role is to foster student centered media programs that focus on collaboration, leadership, and technology. These three ideas shape the foundation for library media specialists.

Role of a Librarian

In the traditional sense, a librarian was thought of as someone who could locate information the reader or researcher needed. In the past twenty years, this idea has drastically changed mostly due to advancement n computer and communication fields. The card catalog and collection of papers have given way to search engines and personal computers. Online public access to catalogs has almost obliterated the need for one to visit a library. This seamless access to an infinite amount of information may have seemed to eliminate the purpose of a librarian. However, the use and need for librarians are more crucial now than ever before. This is so, because the environment in which the librarian works in has changed drastically.  According to Russell, “The library media specialist is an essential link in a new educational learning community which includes students, teachers, administrators, and parents as well as local, regional, state, national, and international communities. The new learning community is not limited by time, place, age, occupation, or disciplinary borders but instead is linked by interests, needs, and a growing array of telecommunications technologies.” (Russell, S. 2002)   ) Overall, the main role of the librarian is help students to become more literate by becoming active locators and evaluators of information. At any given time an effective librarian may function in the role of teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator. Librarians play a large role in schools with a high poverty rate. Studies have proved that schools with high poverty rates score lower on standardized testing. For example, “Neighborhoods with high poverty rates have lower test scores. Education is affected by lack of access to resources. Libraries and their staff (both in schools and out of schools) are part of those resources that can help bridge the achievement gap between rich and poor students.”(Brown, C. A. 2004).  Librarians can make a significance difference is students literacy. One study conducted found that children of working class families hear about 10 million words before they enter kindergarten, while children to professional parents hear more than 30 million words in that same time.  This gap is developed by lack of access to literary materials and or the interest to read materials. Librarians can help change students perspective about reading. (Brown, C. A. 2004).

Technology in Teaching

Technology is a fundamental resource the librarians and teachers can use to enhance student learning. Technology can be used to support both teaching and learning. Technology can be infused with classroom teaching by implementing digital tools and hand-held devices. According to MacDonell, “Technology has the power to transform teaching by ushering in a new model of connected teaching; it increases student engagement and motivation and accelerates leaning.” (MacDonell, C. 2005) Experts agree that the use of technology enhances students learning. The question is how one effectively integrates the use of technology in teaching. Often, teachers do not have a broad enough understanding of informational technology to apply it to their lessons. This is due to lack of professional development and technology training. However, the school librarian is usually adequately trained in the use of technology. The school librarian is the school’s expert on information technology. He/she can help guide the classroom teachers in the use of technology to enhance student learning. Teachers want tangible benefits of integrating technology. Librarians can provide opportunities for teachers to see these practices produce results. “Once teachers, and administrators, develop a new understanding of how technological processes and resources can enhance student learning, they must learn how to use technology. School librarians are natural technology leaders and should be utilized for this purpose”. (MacDonell, C. 2005).  To reap the benefits of technology as a tool to enhance student learning, an effective technology plan must be devised. The plans overall focus should be to help students become independent lifelong learners who respect and use technology information ethically.

Most classrooms today have students with special needs. About ten percent of students in the general education classroom are designated as having difficulty in learning math and reading.  What is a teacher to do with these students? According to the Individuals with Disabilities Act, these students must have access to a general education curriculum that includes rigorous reading and mathematics. Teachers have a great challenge to provide these students with appropriate instruction. Commonly students with learning disabilities suffer from the following:

• Difficulty processing information
• Difficulty with distinguishing the relevant information in story problems.
• Low motivation, self-esteem, or self-efficacy
• Problems with reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• Reluctance to try new academic tasks or to sustain attention to task.
• Difficulty with self-monitoring and self-regulation during problem-solving.
• Difficult with arithmetic, computational deficits. (MacDonell, C. 2005)

Technologies such as TI-Nspire and TI-Navigator are great tools to use with students who have learning disabilities. The TI-Nspire uses multiple representations to teach the same standard. Research supports the fact that multiple representations are very important in building conceptual understanding. The TI-Navigator is a group based program. Students work together to complete assignments. For example, in a math problem that requires several different steps to produce an answer, each student may be given one specific task to complete. According to MacDonnell, “Students who are reluctant or passive learners may become more active when exploratory or collaborative modes of engagement are available as part of the classroom repertoire.” (MacDonell, C. 2005) He went on to add that educational technology has positive effects on students’ attitudes toward learning. When using technology, students felt more successful and confident about their school work. They were more motivated and reported having an increase in self-esteem when using computer based instruction tools. This is most likely linked to students controlling their own learning. When using these programs students do not go on to the next skill until they have mastered the first. In the classroom, the teacher moves on when he/she has taught a particular skill for the designated amount of time. With programs such as TI-Nspire, if a student has not mastered the skill the program reteaches it using a different method each time. This can be a difficult task for a teacher with twenty-five or more students to reach.

Characteristics of Effective Librarians

A great librarian is understanding and will to provide assistance at any time. Effective librarians are patient and organized. The characteristics of an effectiveness of a school librarian stems around collaboration with co-workers. Librarians must be able to maintain meaningful relationships with their teaching staff.  This relationship will help them to make decisions about what is best for the students. When decisions are made around students’ best interest it makes students responsible for their own learning. Great librarians are great because they collaborate with classroom teachers to ensure that they enhance what is being taught by classroom teachers. Teachers are more apt to work with librarians when there is an open line of communication between the two. Teachers hate to loose a teaching day. Some teachers view taking their classes to the library as a lost day because what the students are receiving is not in line with what they are teaching in their classes. Because librarians do not have a set curriculum that they must follow, it is easy for them to just reinforce what is being taught by teachers.

Librarians must be life long learners. They must understand that the nature of knowledge has changed and will continue to change over time. Life long learners are able to keep up with the changes. Sometimes the most important role the librarians plays is as a motivator. Often teachers give assignments and sent student to the library to find information. The librarian has the opportunity to match the student’s curiosity with wealth organized knowledge. Usually, good teachers will make good librarians.  Likewise, an ineffective librarian will affect an entire school, unlike an ineffective teacher that only affects one class at a time. (Brown, C. A. 2004).

Collaboration

Collaboration is defined as the act of working together on a task. Within the school environment, collaboration between the teacher and the librarian can range from very simplistic to co-teaching partnerships. Librarians can provide assistance to the classroom teacher by providing resources, developing information literacy, and even accessing student learning.  According to, reading materials that school librarians choose encourage student involvement because it allows students to make choices about the types of materials they read.  When students select their own reading materials, with the assistance of the librarian, who has a collaborative relationship with the classroom teacher, they are more likely to complete the reading and enjoy what they read.  The goal is that the student will achieve reading skills and return to the library and seek further reading opportunities.  The collaboration between both teacher and librarian requires a level of respect for both parties and what they contribute to student learning. Each professional brings a different experience and level of expertise to the learning environment.  The teacher is the main source of support to the students in their areas of specialization, but the media specialist supports the development of information and literacy by enhancing the experience with a wide range of digital and other resources.  Nonetheless, some barriers in collaboration will be encountered.  Time is very important and will determine if the process is successful or not. The question will be whether or not the staff members are willing to sacrifice their precious time to participate in professional developments, lesson planning, and literacy coordination with the librarians.  When done correctly, students will gain the confidence to make choices and locate information on their own. For example,

“Despite major contributions to the education process during the joint teaching of curriculum withteaching staff, the library professional can effectively teach themselves out of the equation that forms collaboration.  The library professional delivers the information literacy aspects of the curriculum and, with growing confidence, the students are able to formulate their own research strategies, assess their information sources, reference them correctly and effectively manage their information needs.” (Brown, C. A. 2004).

Conclusions

Effective librarians are hardworking, committed, and passionate about the work they do. Many people forget that librarians are certified teachers with all the credentials of classroom teachers. A librarian never stops learning, and therefore can adequately promote being lifelong learners to students.  Librarians have a code of ethics they follow just as teacher and doctors do. Librarians are most effective when their many talents are put to use help to create a more literate society.

References

Brown, C. A. (2004). America’s most wanted: Teachers who collaborate. Teacher Librarian, 32 (1) 13-18.

MacDonell, C. (2005). How programming documents can lead to collaborative success stories. Library Media Connections, 23 (6) 14-16.

Russell, S. (2002).  Teachers and librarians: collaborative relationships. Teacher Librarian, 29 (5), p. 35-39.