Hello everyone!

Here is the link to my Inspiration Report, which I created using Canva. My objective was to present an opportunity for the Burcham Elementary School community to learn and grow by sharing personal stories in the library and a library website through creative outlets, including writing, drawing, crafting, photographing, and video recording. 

Best,

Wendy R.

Hello everyone!

Here is the link to my Innovation Strategy & Roadmap slideshow, which I created using Canva. My plan focused on incorporating makerspaces in one of the elementary school libraries I work at.

Best,

Wendy R.

 

When some think of libraries, what comes to mind are books and databases, as well as the experts that help people navigate such information resources. Libraries still embody these characteristics, but also others that many have adopted over the years to enable them to continue assisting with the acquisition of knowledge in this technological age. Learning practices have evolved in this era, and libraries have had to, too, for “in the networked society, learning is everywhere” (Nygren, 2014, p. 4). With the abundance of opportunities to learn, libraries, as learning institutions, have expanded their offerings.

The main purpose of the library has been and continues to be to promote meaningful learning. Libraries have implemented a variety of initiatives, like the Cleveland Public Library, which created an ArtLab where children are encouraged to unleash their creativity with the materials made available to them in a designated area (Bookey, 2017). There is also the Richland County Library, which has a LIT Room, a room that comes alive during story time with its visual, audio, and sound effects (Bookey, 2017). These programs are enjoyable learning experiences that will likely make community members return for more.

I am going to do what Professor Stephens encouraged us to try and tell a story using emojis. Here it is:

My emoji story is based on what I thought about in the mini exercise Professor Stephens had us do at the beginning of his Power of Stories (n.d.) lecture, when he asked us to close our eyes and imagine ourselves as a kid in the summer. What I saw were the faces of my maternal grandmother and siblings in the interior of my neighborhood public library in the year 2004 in Long Beach, California. Inside, the library was full of people. Outside, it was a hot, bright, sunny day. We were sitting on plastic chairs in the community meeting room, the AC keeping us cool, watching a large snake being held by two reptile zoo workers. I loved those days. Visiting the library in the summer gave my family and me respite from the heat outside and inside our home, which had no AC. It also supplied us with free entertainment through its live events, internet, and many books, all blessings for my low-income household.

When I think of my stories—the stories of my life that make me, me—and all the stories I have heard or read that have expanded my knowledge and empathy, I cannot help but think of the multitude of stories out there that people carry within them and others that are recorded in some format, that are just waiting to be heard for the first time, or again. In the words of Professor Stephens, “Every voice should be heard. Every story told” (Paxaman, 2019). Fortunately, libraries have made and are still making efforts to ensure that there are sharers and listeners.

It is remarkable that libraries are creating room to accommodate the stories of everyday individuals, especially of those belonging to marginalized groups, through programs like the Human Library, in which certain people are referred to as “human books” for their desire to share their life stories with others referred to as “readers” for their willingness to listen to them. The project has been impactful, with readers communicating how their outlooks toward others have changed profoundly (Arne-Skidmore, 2021). Libraries have concluded that whether stories are shared in the written or spoken form, they all have the potential to alter lives. That is the inherent power of stories.

Those in the library and information science field are often reminded to be aware and learn about new technologies and user trends. This knowledge is essential to our work, guiding us on how to maintain our relevancy in the eyes of the public. While modern technologies like AI are fascinating and valuable, they also have disadvantages. Experts, including innovators and researchers, have expressed how the greater reliance on technology during the pandemic generated changes with positive and negative outcomes, from a widened focus on social justice to the proliferation of misinformation (Anderson, Rainie, & Vogels, 2021). As library professionals and paraprofessionals, we can help by providing the services, tools, and resources necessary to guide the public to a path where the good outweighs the bad. We must think of how we can help people become information literate in this rapidly advancing world and encourage them to be model digital citizens.

ChatGPT is a relatively new software that has received mixed responses. The purpose of the AI tool is to assist with questions, “but its responses to questions and tasks are very formulaic and, not surprisingly, machine-like. They lack voice and personality, and they lack creativity and insight” (Jackson, 2023, para. 8). I recently had a brief conversation with one of my coworkers about ChatGPT. He told me he uses it to complete his writing tasks at work, simply telling it what he needs and making edits to the text that ChatGPT generates. He only highlighted the upsides of the software and none of its downsides. This interaction supports some concerns people have—particularly those in academia—about the AI tool regarding potential student use for writing assignments, biases, inaccuracies, and lack of citations or references. However, instead of avoiding and discouraging the use of ChatGPT, professionals in academia and libraries can learn and teach others about its complexities and how such technologies should be approached (Papini, 2023). I have never used ChatGPT myself, but I can say that I feel better prepared to make decisions on when and how to use it after learning more about it.

I have only been working in school libraries for a little more than a year, and what has been made abundantly clear to me is that school libraries, at least the elementary ones within my school district, are in need of further modernization. I work at the same school district I received my K-12 education from and have thought about how, in the past, my school libraries always appeared with the times, with their Apple desktops, connection to the Internet, easy access to the library catalog, and social activities. Now, working in the elementary library I frequented as a child, I am saddened by its current state, with its limited schedule, worn collection, and absence of computers. This can largely be attributed to budget cuts that date back to the Great Recession, ever since many public school districts nationwide, including mine, have made decisions that redirect library funds (Sparks & Harwin, 2018). While some elementary libraries in my district are faring better than others today, they can all benefit from additional investments.

The idea of the school library learning commons intrigues me. I believe it truly takes into account the interests and needs of this generation of educators and students, who must engage in knowledge building in such a fast-paced information, digital world. Characteristics of the learning commons are being embraced in school libraries, but they are not yet fully in the libraries where I work. Reading stories like Gwyneth Jones and the makerspaces she created in her library to incite the creative and innovative spirits of students (Luster, 2018) is inspirational, giving me hope that my district can make the elementary school library a place where students do not just need to be in but want to be in. A key aspect of the learning commons is participatory learning, in which people come together to take part in the exploration, learning, creating, and sharing processes, given some encouragement, motivation, tools, and resources (Jenkins, 2013). It is by incorporating the learning commons idea that the school library can become the learning center of the 21^st century.

In some ways, the district seems to be heading in the right direction. In the last two years, the annual budget of elementary school libraries has increased from a few hundred dollars to $1,000. Last year, the Library Services department partnered with the Technology Services department to program a few Chromebooks to the library catalog for student use. This year, we were notified that the district would be adopting Sora, a reading app that gives teachers and pupils access to a district digital book collection and that of their local public library system. These changes are needed and welcomed, but there is so much more that can and should be done to transform the library to the caliber of the learning commons, which “serves school curriculum but also is known as a place for experimenting, playing, making, doing, thinking, collaborating, and growing” (Loertscher & Koechlin, n.d., p. E3). It is this environment that can further get educators and pupils excited and committed to growing their minds through the different learning opportunities offered by the school library.

As mentioned in my previous post, I regularly think about what I can do to improve the school library I manage. While I form some ideas through observation, students also, directly and indirectly, communicate to me what they want from their library. Unfortunately, my responses are, at times, inadequate. Every time I utter words such as, “I am sorry, we do not have that,” “We do not have the funds for that,” “We do not have time for that,” “We cannot do that,” or “I will see if I can do/get that,” which I say more than I would like, I feel that they substantiate the idea of the irrelevance of the school library which some have come to believe. With limited authority, time, and resources at my disposal, I continue to ask myself, what more can I do?

If I were to get into the mindset that the school library is what it is and I cannot do anything about it, I would be doing a disservice to myself as a library worker and to my patrons as well. The biggest asset of my school library, and many others, I would say, is our collection (entirely physical in form). I am very mindful of the books I discard and add to the collection because they are one of the main reasons students visit the library every week—to explore the collection and get books. Books are important and influential. As expressed by Jessica Klinker (2020) in her article, The Healing Power of Books: Using Reading to Address Social and Emotional Needs, books can provide readers with a sense of comfort or a better understanding of others. But books alone do not get people to read, at least not everyone. If school libraries are to encourage more students to be interested and excited about books and reading, then efforts must be made to get them to be. Thus, I have spent most of the library budget on new books to support our aging collection. District guidelines, student recommendations, and online reviews are considered when deciding which books to purchase. Diversifying the library collection is a priority and attainable with our funds, but increasing access through audiobooks and e-books, as mentioned by Klinker (2020), comes with its challenges. For now, what I can do is continue to inform students about the free digital resources available through other avenues, such as our public library system and other websites like Epic!.

To learn more about the realities of school libraries regarding ebooks, check out Lauren J. Young’s article in the School Library Journal, The Ins and Outs of Buying Ebooks: How To Bolster Virtual Collections During the Pandemic.

Some of my most vivid and joyful memories from childhood are those of time spent in libraries. School and public libraries supplied me with what seemed like an endless supply of books that I would not have had otherwise in my low-income household. These institutions also provided me access to computers and the internet and made me aware of all that technology has to offer. Of the two, it was the school library that was more influential to me for two reasons: one, as elementary students, we were all required to visit it with our class once a week; two, because it was located on campus and opened before, during, and after school Monday through Friday, I could and did visit it more frequently. Now, my position as a Library/Media Assistant has given me a new perspective on school libraries that, time and time again, leads me to question what more I can do to get students, educators, and parents to be more enthusiastic about them.

School Libraries Today

The reality today is that some school libraries are struggling. Budget cuts have reduced library resources, services, and staff. In this century, the public school teacher librarian profession has experienced a 19% loss (Lance, 2018). Teacher librarians have increasingly found their positions eliminated or modified, with one of the reasons given by some school administrators being their perception of the role as obsolete (Lance et al., 2023). Without adequate knowledge and comprehension of the purpose and value of teacher librarians, school district officials could continue making decisions that are detrimental to school libraries and students. Research has shown “a positive correlation between the literacy achievement of students who attend schools with full-time, professional school librarians and well-stocked libraries compared to students whose schools do not have access to such resources” (Heubeck, 2023). Despite the evidence of the benefits of providing ample funds and support to school libraries, there are about 25,000 public schools that do not have a library or have a library but no librarian (ALA, n.d.).

Some school libraries are faring better than others. School districts that invest in their libraries are reaping the benefits of student learning and academic success. One case is the school district of Lumberton, Texas, which supported their libraries with new technologies that enabled libraries to improve their services and better engage and educate students, becoming more relevant and useful in their eyes and those of their teachers (Burroughs, 2022). It is necessary changes such as that that occurred in Lumberton, that will ensure the effectiveness of school libraries in the long term.

The Future of School Libraries

As described in Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk’s Library 2.0: A Guide to Participatory Library Service (2007), libraries must keep evolving to maintain or expand their user base. The ideal way to do this is through recurring user evaluations of its resources and services that can then be used to guide them in implementing changes. School libraries must make efforts to listen to their users and to take proper action to keep from being viewed as obsolete. With the help of student and teacher input, school librarians and paraprofessionals can present a stronger case to district decision-makers on the need to invest rather than divest in these worthwhile institutions.

Hello everyone!

My name is Wendy, and I am from Long Beach, CA.

Continue reading →