http://futura.edublogs.org/2009/04/26/what-does-a-library-look-like/ technology, libraries, and schools Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:49:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://futura.edublogs.org/2009/04/26/what-does-a-library-look-like/comment-page-1/#comment-2104 Laurel Harris Wed, 06 May 2009 19:24:25 +0000 http://futura.edublogs.org/?p=811#comment-2104 Elementary librarians were taken out of the libraries many years ago in my district; reading scores dropped. No connection was made to loss of librarians and lower reading scores, Oops! Reading specialists were put in the schools and they built large classroom libraries with leveled reading books. In some schools there are space limitations so library space has been given to the reading specialists. The reading specialists don't see any connection to what they do and what the librarian does. (There are 6 librarians over 60 libraries). Students go to the library in the 7th grade and want the leveled books in crates like they used in elementary. They don't know how to find a book and check one out. These are the facts. The reading specialists are housed in the building and have a connection with the faculty and the administration. Were the librarians not paying attention - probably. Do they compete for funding, yes, as well as space and jobs. Elementary librarians were taken out of the libraries many years ago in my district; reading scores dropped. No connection was made to loss of librarians and lower reading scores, Oops! Reading specialists were put in the schools and they built large classroom libraries with leveled reading books. In some schools there are space limitations so library space has been given to the reading specialists. The reading specialists don’t see any connection to what they do and what the librarian does. (There are 6 librarians over 60 libraries). Students go to the library in the 7th grade and want the leveled books in crates like they used in elementary. They don’t know how to find a book and check one out. These are the facts.
The reading specialists are housed in the building and have a connection with the faculty and the administration. Were the librarians not paying attention – probably. Do they compete for funding, yes, as well as space and jobs.

]]> http://futura.edublogs.org/2009/04/26/what-does-a-library-look-like/comment-page-1/#comment-2102 susan Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:09:58 +0000 http://futura.edublogs.org/?p=811#comment-2102 As a former classroom teacher and current teacher librarian, I have built my classroom library from large teacher loans from the school library. I believe I need to put a large volume and variety of books in every classroom in my school. We have in the past few years seen an increase in the interest in and funding for classroom libraries. I haven't been a teacher librarian long enough to see if this has had an impact on school library funding. I believe if done well and consistently there is in fact little need for a separate classroom library. I want to see my school library collection stocked on classroom shelves and rotated through the various classrooms according to need. When in the classroom, I found students lost interest in the classroom collection, they had seen the titles there all year long. They hadn't read them necessarily but they did see anything new there so weren't choosing from the collection. When I rotated books through the room from the library, the books were 'new'. I could 'talk' the new books and then students would read them. I guess I feel we come at it from a pro-active stance - need books? Great, I've got them. As a former classroom teacher and current teacher librarian, I have built my classroom library from large teacher loans from the school library. I believe I need to put a large volume and variety of books in every classroom in my school. We have in the past few years seen an increase in the interest in and funding for classroom libraries. I haven’t been a teacher librarian long enough to see if this has had an impact on school library funding. I believe if done well and consistently there is in fact little need for a separate classroom library. I want to see my school library collection stocked on classroom shelves and rotated through the various classrooms according to need. When in the classroom, I found students lost interest in the classroom collection, they had seen the titles there all year long. They hadn’t read them necessarily but they did see anything new there so weren’t choosing from the collection. When I rotated books through the room from the library, the books were ‘new’. I could ‘talk’ the new books and then students would read them. I guess I feel we come at it from a pro-active stance – need books? Great, I’ve got them.

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