Leverage Your Library Program: Collaborate!

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Leverage Your Library Program Collaborate!

• Audrey Church,
• Coordinator, School Library Media Program
• Longwood University, Farmville, VA
• NCSLMA, October 2003

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The school library media specialist must be
perceived as a strong, creative, collaborative
professional who is a visible leader in the
design of curriculum and instruction appropriate
for an information-rich culture.
Leverage Your Library Program!
Marilyn Miller, AASL Past President and Professor
Emeritus, UNCG
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The school library media specialist must be
perceived as a strong, creative, collaborative
professional who is a visible leader in the
design of curriculum and instruction appropriate
for an information-rich culture.
Marilyn Miller
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TEN Recent Statewide Studies

1. The Impact of School Library Media Centers on
   Academic Achievement, Colorado, 1993
2. Information Empowered The School Librarian as an
   Agent of Academic Achievement, Alaska, 1999
3. Measuring Up to Standards The Impact of School
   Library Programs Information Literacy in
   Pennsylvania Schools, 2000
4. How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve
   Standards The Second Colorado Study, 2000

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1. School Libraries and MCAS Scores, Massachusetts,
   Baughman, 2000
2. Good Schools Have School Librarians Oregon
   School Librarians Collaborate to Improve Academic
   Achievement, 2001
3. Texas School Libraries Standards, Resources,
   Services, and Students Performance, Smith, 2001

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1. Make the Connection Quality School Library Media
   Programs Impact Academic Achievement in Iowa,
   2002
2. How School Librarians Improve Outcomes for
   Children The New Mexico Study, 2003
3. An Essential Connection How Quality School
   Library Media Programs Improve Student
   Achievement in North Carolina, Robert Burgin and
   Pauletta Brown Bracy, 2003

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Test scores are higher when the school has
All Studies Show
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• A professionally trained, full-time library media
  specialist
• Adequate support staff in the library
• A strong collection (books, periodicals, online
  databases) that meets the needs of the school
  instructional program
• Student access to the library resources and
  information within and beyond the library

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Test scores are higher when the school has a
library media specialist who
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• Is knowledgeable about school curriculum
• Assists teachers in using information technology
• Communicates and collaborates with teachers
• Teaches students information literacy skills

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Student achievement is higher!

• When library media specialists take an active
  role in curriculum and instruction
• When library media specialists teach information
  literacy skills
• When teachers and library media specialists
  collaborate

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Levels of Collaboration

• Cooperation
• Coordination
• Collaboration

As defined in The Information-Powered School,
ALA, 2001
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Cooperation

• Loose working relationship
• Teacher and LMS work independently
• Teacher and LMS share information informally
• Teacher sees library media specialist solely as a
  provider of resources.

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Coordination

• More formal working relationship
• Shared understanding of goals for teaching and
  learning
• More planning and communication
• Teacher sees LMS as colleague who can process
  requests for time in LMC and play minor teaching
  role (in area of research and use of library
  resources).

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Collaboration

• Ongoing communication about shared goals for
  student learning
• Planning, teaching, and jointly assessing student
  work
• Teacher views LMS as teaching partner and
  respects expertise that she brings to the process.

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Teacher/Library Media Specialist Collaboration,
as defined by D. Loertscher

• Two partners, the teacher and the library media
  specialist, team to exploit materials,
  information, and information technology to
  enhance a learning activity.
• The library media specialist holds a unique
  position as a valuable asset in the collaborative
  process.
• Principals and superintendents encourage
  effective collaboration and monitor its progress.

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Collaboration Observation Checklist, as
suggested by D. Loertscher

• Teachers and library media specialists are
• Brainstorming a curricular unit
• Developing plans, activities, and assessments
• Choosing materials and technologies
• Working side by side as unit activities happen
• Jointly evaluating the success of the unit
• Engaging in staff development to refine the
  collaborative process

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Checklist, continued

• Students are
• Working in library and classroom on projects,
  portfolios, presentations, inquiry and other
  authentic learning tasks
• Comfortable in using information and information
  technology
• Sharing finding in group-related activities
• Interested and excited about learning
• Facilities are
• Planned and arranged to support the various
  activities that collaborative learning
  experiences produce

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Leverage Your Library Program to Help Raise Test
ScoresHOW?
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Collaboration

• Know the curriculumdistrict and state (North
  Carolina Standard Course of Study).
• Serve on standards and curriculum committees.
• Participate in curriculum development.
• Attend grade level/department meetings.

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Collaboration

• Collaborate with teachers.
• Team teach and co-evaluate student products with
  teachers.
• Develop the library media collection targeted at
  the instructional program of the school.

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Information Literacy

• Be vocal for information literacy (Make use of
  Information Skills Curriculum) and work to
  integrate information literacy skills instruction
  into the curriculum (Make use of Information
  Skills Integration Strategies.)
• Teach information literacy skills, as
  appropriate, as an integral part of content area
  instruction.

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Information Technology

• Train teachers and students to effectively use
  the licensed databases available.
• Train teachers and students to effectively use
  the Internet to use search tools efficiently and
  effectively and to evaluate information found.
• Work to provide access to resources at the point
  of need, even outside of library wallsNCWise Owl
  and beyond

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Roles of the Library Media Specialist

• Program administrator
• Information specialist
• Teacher
• Instructional partner
• -as defined in Information Power Building
  Partnerships for Learning, 1998

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Library media specialists are instructional
partners, teachers, and information specialists
.critical to the teaching and learning that
occurs in our schools!
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Communicate,Coordinate,andCollaborate to
Connect ILS withContent Area Standards!
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Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student
Learning

• Information LiteracyStudents are able to
• Access information efficiently and effectively
• Evaluate information critically and competently
• Use information accurately and creatively

From Information Power Building Partnerships for
Learning, ALA, 1998.
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Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student
Learning

• Independent LearningStudents are information
  literate and are able to
• Pursue information for their own personal
  interests
• Appreciate literature and other creative
  expressions of information
• Strive for excellence in information seeking and
  knowledge generation

From Information Power Building Partnerships for
Learning, ALA, 1998.
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Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student
Learning

• Social ResponsibilityStudents who contribute
  positively to the learning community and society
  are information literate and
• Recognize the importance of information in a
  democratic society
• Practice ethical behavior in regard to
  information technology
• Participate effectively in groups to pursue and
  generate information

From Information Power Building Partnerships for
Learning, ALA, 1998.
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North Carolina Course of StudyGoals and
Objectives
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Collaboration

• work with all to provide access to information
• work with teachers and administrators to build
  and manage collections that support authentic,
  information-based learning
• work with teachers to plan, conduct, and evaluate
  learning activities that incorporate information
  literacy, helping students become independent,
  information literate lifelong learners

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Stepping boldly into the learning process with
students and teachers brings understanding and
support for the library media program from
principals, teachers, parents, and school board
members.
Marilyn Miller
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The Library as a Focal Point to Achieve Student
Success from David V. Loertschers Reinvent Your
Schools Library in the Age of Technology
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• Base of Pyramid Network Central/Information
  Infrastructure
• The Library Program
• Teaching Information Literacy
• Enhancing Learning through Technology
• Building Reading Literacy
• Collaborating with Teachers in the Design of
  Learning
• Increased Academic Achievement!

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Does active participation in the instructional
process by the library media specialist impact
teaching and learning that occurs?
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On an individual basis After the first year of
flexible scheduling, with all library projects
based on teacher/librarian collaboration, we
found there was a direct correlation between
library usage and improved test scores. After
running the end-of-the-year circulation report,
it became obvious that the teachers who had the
highest library usage also had the highest test
scores. A detailed analysis revealed there was a
direct link between library usage and test scores
in reference study and reading comprehension.
For example, the classroom with the highest
library usage has a mastery percentage of 86 in
reference study and 81 in comprehension. The
teacher who offered the most resistance to
collaborative planning and library usage also had
the lowest in mastery scores19 in reference
study and 52 in comprehension.
--Faye Pharr, Principal, Lakeside Academy of
Math, Science, and Technology, Chattanooga, TN,
at the White House Conference on School Libraries
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Every Student Succeeds _at_ your library
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• New campaign for school libraries to be launched
  at AASL in Kansas City
• to raise public awareness about the significant
  contributions made by SLMSs through their design
  of library media programs that further academic
  achievement and lifelong learning for students

Frances Roscello, 2003-2004 AASL President,
Knowledge Quest, Sept./Oct. 2003
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A strong library media program is one where the
collection is well-developed AND the library
media specialist

• Teaches students (and teachers) how to
  effectively find, evaluate, and use information,
• Collaboratively partners with classroom teachers,
  and
• Is actively involved in teaching and learning!

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Leverage Your Library Program!

• Collaborate!

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Audrey ChurchInstructor/Coordinator, School
Library Media ProgramLongwood UniversityHull
234, Farmville, VA 23909434.395.2682achurch_at_long
wood.edu