NVSD44 Libraries

How public school helped Point find the right track…

This video (6:40), created by the California School Librarians, is a snapshot into the daily lives of school librarians.

What Does a Teacher Librarian Really Do? Ask a TL!

In light of Olympic fever and all the partriotism, I had an interesting question cross my desk this morning.

What do you call a group of beavers?

I love my job!!  The answer is a colony or family.

We all strive to make our library programs exemplary.  This article from the most recent issue of School Libraries in Canada outlines some key factors that go into developing an exemplary library program: An Exploration of Exemplary School Library Programs.

“Copy from one author, it’s plagiarism; copy from two, it’s research. “  Wilson Mizner (1876 – 1933)

Last week I presented a lesson to some grade 11 English classes on plagiarism.  It’s not a favorite topic for anyone.  Students don’t understand what they’re doing wrong and why they shouldn’t always share their work. Teachers get frustrated because it’s a negative occurance they have to deal with more often than they’d like.  This is why teacher/librarians must constantly work with both groups to come up with ways of teaching everyone what exactly it is, and what they can do about it.

Students need opportunities to talk about the definition of plagiarism and should be given examples so they learn what it is and isn’t.  For instance, the groups last week were very surprised to learn that one could actually plagiarize one’s self. Who knew you shouldn’t use an assignment completed for one class in another?  It has the feel of being improper, but how wrong could it really be?  After all, the student did all the work!

Teachers need to come up with assignments that don’t encourage the cut and paste approach.  Higher levels of thinking must be encouraged so work can truly become one’s own.  If students are asked to simply go on fact finding missions, it’s no wonder we encounter problems with copying.  We must create opportunities for original thinking by designing critical questions that don’t promote plagiarism.

At the same time, we must teach students how to properly cite everything they choose to use.  It’s so easy to do these days that there’s really no excuse! Many sites put everything together for you, and others provide their own citations. Giving someone credit for his/her ideas or work is actually a good thing!

Plagiarism is probably never going to go away so we must work with students and teachers to minimize it.  Understanding something goes a long way in helping to prevent it.

Argyle’s Bibliography Web Page

This 4:43 minute video clip from the U.S. has applications to our students as well. As teacher librarians we work with students to develop their ability to locate, access and use information that is trustworthy. We teach them how to use that information ethically. We work with teachers to develop projects that engage students as collaborators and producers of information at deeper, more meaningful levels. If your child doesn’t have a teacher librarian, who is teaching them these skills?

Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology for the Mankato (MN) Public Schools, describes how a school’s philosophy may well be determined by the kind of library it has.  His vision is one we should all aspire to I believe.

Read it here:  What does a good library tell you about a school?

The B.C. Teacher Librarian Association conducts an annual survey of school libraries.  The most recent one has been posted and a Startling Change in BC School Library Staffing has been noted in the BCTLA blog.  The full Working and Learning Conditions report has been posted as a pdf file here.

Note in the Student FTE, reported budget, and dollars per student FTE, 2008–09 report (page 26) that N. Vancouver libraries ranked 10th lowest of the 53 districts reporting.  We have consistently ranked in a similar position in previous years.

In the book Achieving Information Literacy: Standards for School Library Programs in Canada recommendations are given for size of collection (page 28) and funding (page 35).  If I compare my own library to these standards I see that for a school of our size,having fewer than 15,000 items is considered below standard.  We have a little over 8,000 items.  For funding, the recommendation to maintain an acceptable collection is $36 – $45 per student.  Last year we were funded at $8.57 per student.

Nearly all libraries in the district have recently undergone rigorous weeding in preparation for automation.  This process has left collections that have holes or only a couple of books on any given topic.  What happens when a library is chronically underfunded?

- As even good books can go out of print quickly librarians may miss the opportunity to purchase some titles.

- Books that are lost or discarded may not be replaced.

- If a good basic collection cannot be maintained it affects the success of classes coming to the library for research purposes.  For example, when new topics are introduced or when a teacher touches on a subject every few years it is less likely they will find a current, vibrant selection.

- Schools with strong Parent Advisory Councils may receive extra funding for their libraries.  This creates a discrepancy across the district as some libraries flourish with additional funding and others flounder.

Studies conducted in both the U.S. and Canada have found a strong correlation between student success and the presence of a well-stocked library run by a trained teacher librarian.  A summary of these studies can be found here: School Libraries Work!

In light of our ability to meet the educational needs of our students these are sobering statistics.