A Biblioteca Escolar: desafios e oportunidades no contexto

da mudança

 

As bibliotecas escolares no contexto da mudança

A   biblioteca   escolar   tem   passado   por   transformações   assinaláveis   resultantes   da 

evolução  do paradigma  tecnológico  e  das   implicações  profundas  no  acesso,  uso  e 

comunicação da Informação. Neste contexto, passaram de espaços organizados com 

recursos destinados ao acesso da informação e ao lazer a  espaços de trabalho  e de 

construção do conhecimento.

Há   evidência   irrefutável   atestada   por  diferentes   estudos   internacionais,   de   que   a 

biblioteca   escolar   contribui   para   o   sucesso   educativo   dos   estudantes   e   para   o 

desenvolvimento das literacias imprescindíveis na nossa sociedade.

Linhas de força definidoras da biblioteca escolar actual

Ross   Todd  conseguiu,   de   forma   sintética,   objectivar   as   transformações   por   que   passa   a 

biblioteca escolar actualmente:

•Knowledge space, not information place

•Connections, not collections

•Actions, not positions

•Evidence, not advocacy

Com   possibillidade   de   acesso   em   qualquer   lugar   e   sem   qualquer   mediação,   mas   com 

necessidades evidentes de rever o portfólio de competências exigíveis ao uso da informação, à 

construção do conhecimento e à construção da cidadania, a biblioteca escolar vê redefinidos 

contextos   de   trabalho   e   de   prestação   de   serviços   e   ganha   um   papel   preponderante   na 

formação para as  literacias  e  para o acompanhamento curricular  e  das aprendizagens  dos 

alunos. 

As bibliotecas escolares passam, neste contexto, a ter um papel:

• Informacional: Disponibilizam recursos de informação, apoiam a infra-estrutura tecnológica, 

contribuindo para o seu uso e integração nas práticas lectivas;

• Transformativo: Formam para as diferentes literacias, contribuindo de forma colaborativa e 

articulada com os outros docentes para o desenvolvimento de competências que suportam as 

aprendizagens e a construção do conhecimento.

•  Formativo:   Transformam-se   de   espaços   de   disponibilização  de   recursos   em  espaços  de 

aprendizagem, de construção do conhecimento. (Bogel, 2006)

Noutro artigo da CILIP,  New guidelines, new challenges in schools, a forma como a mudança 

induz novas práticas está também patente. Os organogramas revelam a mudança de enfoque 

que deve presidir às nossas práticas. Esse enfoque varia entre a valorização dos processos de 

gestão e uma mudança de papel que coloca a biblioteca escolar no centro das aprendizagens e 

da construção do conhecimento.

Evidenciam também o impacto que o paradigma digital tem na biblioteca escolar, nas práticas 

e   na   forma   como   gerimos   e   processamos   a   informação.   Neste   paradigma,   conteúdos, 

administração/ gestão, ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem e currículo são partes de um todo 

que a biblioteca escolar tem forçosamente que integrar.  

Estes organogramas podem servir-nos de exemplo à perspectivação da mudança que o 

Plano Tecnológico da Educação trará às nossas bibliotecas. Capacidade de antecipação 

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e de alterar  práticas e modelos de trabalho serão fundamentais.  A organização da 

informação   digital   para   estar   pronta   a   usar   no   quadro   interactivo,   a   criação   de 

ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem, a ligação ao currículo serão factores críticos de 

sobrevivência para as BEs.

Que bibliotecas escolares temos?

Embora   em  Portugal   exista   um  quase   vazio   de   dados   em   termos   de   avaliação   e 

conhecimento  da   realidade  das  nossas  bibliotecas  diversos  estudos   internacionais, 

realizados   em   países   com   um   percurso  maior   nesta   área,   vieram   demonstrar   a 

importância das práticas de avaliação.

A Literatura Internacional na área das bibliotecas escolares evidencia, de forma clara, o 

impacto   das   bibliotecas   na   aprendizagem  e   no   sucesso   educativo  dos   alunos   em 

regiões e em contextos diversos. Estes estudos realizaram-se em diferentes estados da 

América,  mas   também   no   Canadá,   Reino   Unido   ou   na   Austrália,   países   onde   as 

bibliotecas   têm  um  percurso  mais   consolidado.   A  American  Assotiation  of   School 

Libraries conduz um inquérito anual, a nível nacional - “School Libraries Count!”- com o 

objectivo de recolher informação acerca da situação das bibliotecas escolares e das 

mudanças ocorridas.

Em todos estes estudos,  há o reconhecimento de que a biblioteca escolar é usada 

enquanto   espaço   apetrechado   com   um   conjunto   significativo   de   recursos   e   de 

equipamentos (as condições externas, as condições físicas e a qualidade da colecção 

são   fundamentais)  e,   como espaço   formativo  e  de  aprendizagem,   intrinsecamente 

relacionado com a escola e com o processo de ensino/ aprendizagem. A Literacia da 

Informação tem, nestes estudos, um papel muito importante. 

Estes estudos identificam, também, áreas chave, determinantes na construção de uma 

biblioteca escolar de qualidade:

- Integração na escola e no processo de ensino/ aprendizagem

- Integração   institucional   e   programática,   de   acordo   com   os   objectivos 

educacionais e programáticos da escola;

-Desenvolvimento de competências de leitura e de um programa de  Literacia 

da Informação, integrado no desenvolvimento curricular;

-Articulação   com   departamentos,   professores   e   alunos   na   planificação   e 

desenvolvimento de actividades educativas e de aprendizagem.

- Condições de Acesso. Qualidade da Colecção

- Organização e equipamento de acordo com os standards definidos, facultando 

condições de acesso e de trabalho individual ou em grupo;

-   Disponibilização   de   um   conjunto   de   recursos   de   informação,   em   diferentes 

ambientes   e   suportes,   actualizada   e   em   extensão   e   qualidade   adequadas   às 

necessidades dos utilizadores.

- Gestão da BE

-   Afectação   de   um   professor   bibliotecário   qualificado   e   de   uma   equipa   que 

assegure   as   rotinas   inerentes   à   gestão,   que   articule   e   trabalhe   com  a   escola, 

professores e alunos;

- Liderança do professor bibliotecário e da equipa;

- Desenvolvimento de estratégias de gestão e de integração da BE na escola e no 

desenvolvimento curricular.

-  Desenvolvimento de estratégias de gestão baseadas na recolha sistemática de 

evidências – evidence based practice

Avaliação - Gestão - Mudança

Avaliação,  gestão  e  mudança  são   conceitos   que   apontam   para   diferentes 

dimensões implicadas nos processos, práticas e impactos das nossas acções enquanto 

profissionais.   Quando   gerimos   um   serviço,   gerimos   expectativas,   definimos 

políticas,   planeamos   e   projectamos,   por   norma   com   um   horizonte   temporal   em 

perspectiva. Estas expectativas, projecções e acções estão forçosamente ligadas a um 

objecto, uma realidade concreta (no nosso caso, a biblioteca escolar) na qual incide a 

nossa acção.

Esse   objecto/   realidade   sobre   a   qual   actuamos,   é   atravessado   por   uma   série   de 

factores   internos  capazes  de condicionar  a   resposta  àquilo  que perspectivamos ou 

acções que realizamos. 

Existem,   também,   factores   externos   com   proximidade   e   forças   diferenciadas   que 

temos  que   ter   em   conta  quando  pensamos  um   serviço  ou  perspectivamos   a   sua 

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gestão. Do ambiente externo (próximo) fazem parte entidades tão diversas como a 

escola, o órgão directivo, outros stakeholders... Fazem ainda parte, por exemplo, os 

órgãos   decisores   (macroestrutura)   que   definem   políticas,   como   o   Ministério   da 

Educação/ Gabinete RBE.

 A avaliação é um elemento fundamental no processo de gestão porque nos permite:

- Aferir a eficácia dos serviços que prestamos, identificando sucessos e insucessos – 

gaps que condicionam a qualidade e eficiência do serviço.

- Aferir o impacto que temos nas atitudes, comportamento e competências dos nossos 

utilizadores.

Em suma, procuramos, através do processo de avaliação, trazer à luz a diferença que

fazemos  na  escola  que  servimos.   Fazer  entender  essa  diferença  é   fundamental.   É 

importante   fazer   compreender   àqueles   que   têm   poder   decisor   que   somos 

imprescindíveis; É fundamental fazer ver por que é que investir em mais recursos de 

informação   ou   realizar   outros   investimentos,   como,   por   exemplo   em   recursos 

humanos, não representa uma perda ou um investimento sem retorno.

É   também   importantíssimo   fazer   entender   aos   professores   (alguns   fechados   à 

colaboração   com   a   biblioteca),   aos   pais   e   aos   alunos   que   a   biblioteca   cumpre 

objectivos semelhantes  àqueles  em que toda a restante escola  se empenha e que 

algum do sucesso obtido tem a sua participação.  

Interrogar a biblioteca escolar – What Works?

A   comparação   com   standards   pré-definidos   permite-nos   aferir   as   expectativas 

existentes relativamente a determinado domínio e os resultados obtidos (ou o que a 

nossa experiência empírica nos mostra).

A grande mudança reside no facto de desenvolvermos uma actividade sistemática de 

recolha de informação que nos permita ajuizar e decidir de forma fundamentada o 

rumo a dar à nossa acção.

Tais práticas implicam:

-  Gerir para o sucesso educativo; para a melhoria das aprendizagens e do trabalho 

escolar; criar mais-valias comportamentais, formativas e de aprendizagem junto dos 

nossos alunos.

- Gerir no sentido da optimização dos processos que produzam resultados e impacto 

na qualidade da BE e dos serviços que prestamos.

 

Ser prospectivo, estar atento e ter uma postura de investigação e de aprendizagem

contínua  são   factores   críticos  à  efectivação  de  uma boa  gestão  e  à  prestação  de 

serviços de qualidade.

The 2001 IASL Conference

Auckland, New Zealand, 9-12 July

ASPECTS FOR DISCUSSION:

From Ross Todd:

I would like the focus of discussion to be on approaches to evidence-based practice.

Participants should share:

Examples of initiatives that provide evidence of the power of the educative role of the

school librarian: describe the initiative, how you collected some evidence, what you

found.

This does not have to relate to technology -- but initiatives where impact, benefit can be

demonstrated: it might centre on reading, literacy, information literacy, information

technology, communication, perceptions of seld as learners, improved test scores.

KEYNOTE PAPER: VIRTUAL CONFERENCE SESSION

Transitions for preferred futures of school libraries:

Knowledge space, not information place

Connections, not collections

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Actions, not positions

Evidence, not advocacy

DR ROSS TODD

ABSTRACT

The fusion of learning, libraries and literacies is creating dynamic, if not confronting

challenges for teacher-librarians, teachers and administrators, particularly when set

against the backdrop of learning and information environments that are complex and

fluid, connective and interactive, and ones no longer constrained by time and space. It

is both an opportunity to evaluate and chart impacts and achievements, as well as an

invitation to examining new ways of looking and thinking, being and doing. This

presentation will argue that action and evidence-based, learning-centered practice,

rather than position and advocacy, are key mindsets for the profession if it is to achieve

its preferred future, particularly in the context of the development of digital collections

and services. It will elucidate a shared-learning framework as the fundamental building

block for the articulation of roles, selection of resources, the nature of the instructional

program, and for evaluating the power of the library in achieving the school’s learning

objectives.

INTRODUCTION

Two statements from different times and contexts form the heart of my address. Winnie

the Pooh has been attributed with saying: “There has been an alarming increase in the

number of things I know nothing about”. The German philosopher Goethe, once said:

“Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute. What you can do, or dream you can, begin

it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Only engage and then the mind grows

heated. Begin and then the work will be completed”. In a time of intense educational

change and profound growth in accessible information, both somewhat driven by

networked information technology, the challenge for teacher-librarians to chart a

preferred future for the information environments of schools is both complex and

potentially confronting. It is time to acknowledge our past, reflect on our achievements,

and chart a course for the future.

I have begun writing this address in one of the world’s magnificent libraries, the Library

of Congress, in Washington D.C. The scale and grandeur of the physical place and the

enormity of its collection are difficult to comprehend. The collection includes more than

28 million catalogued books and other print materials in 460 languages, and has the

largest rare book collection in North America, as well as the world’s largest collection

of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings. Marble, gilt, brass

inlay, vaulted ceilings, mosaics honoring the professions, magnificent paintings

depicting the creation and diffusion of knowledge and the role of literature and learning,

sculptures featuring life and thought and honoring those who over centuries have made

distinguished contributions – all these make it visually an awesome and inspiring place.

I am working in the domed Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Wing, barely able

to concentrate.

A mural by Edwin Blashfield depicting the great epochs of civilization adorns the apex

of this enormous and embellished dome. In the cupola of the dome is another painting

by Edwin Blashfield, and it is this that captures my attention. Here is painted a female

figure, visible only to those in the Reading Room below, representing Human

Understanding. Human Understanding. And atop this dome, on the outside of the

building, is the “Torch of Learning”. It is my view that at the pinnacle, the c entre, the

heart of a library is the development of human understanding. My central claim in this

paper is that the school library in the 21st Century is about constructing sense and new

knowledge, and building an information infrastructure and information resources to

enable this. This is the idea of the library as a knowledge space, not information place.

In order to achieve that, I believe we need to focus on three things: connections, not

collections; actions, not positions; and evidence, not advocacy.

FROM INFORMATION TO KNOWLEDGE

The information environment of the 21st century is complex and fluid, connective and

interactive, diverse, ambiguous and unpredictable, and one no longer constrained by

physical collections, time, place and national boundaries. The e-environment, at a time

when social commentary focuses on “the dot.com age”, “the dot.con age”, “the

dot.come-and-gone age” is increasingly giving attention to the development of “the

knowledge society”, “the clever country”. This does not happen by chance. Not does it

happen by having magnificent information collections, inspiring physical environments,

or advanced information technology networks. These are important, there is no question

about that, but I do not believe that these are the hallmarks of the school library of the

21st Century. Giving information is not the same as giving knowledge, and turning

information into knowledge is potentially the most complex, challenging and rewarding

task of all educators.

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In order for school libraries to play a key role in the information age school, I believe

there needs to be a fundamental shift from thinking about the movement and

management of information resources through structures and networks, and from

information skills and information literacy, to a key focus on knowledge construction

and human understanding, implemented through a constructivist, inquiry-based

framework. The notion of human understanding is the essence of the word

“information”: inform.ere informo, informare, informavi, informatus = inward forming.

School libraries are aboutproviding the best information opportunities for people to

make the most of their lives as sense-making, constructive, independent people. They

know how to connect with, interact with and utilize their information rich world to

enable them to understand their world around them, to think through issues and to make

decisions to sustain and enrich their own lives. Information is the heartbeat of

meaningful learning in schools. But it is not the hallmark of the 21st century school.

The hallmark of a school library in the 21st century is not its collections, its systems, its

technology, its staffing, its buildings, BUT its actions and evidences that show that it

makes a real difference to student learning, that it contributes in tangible and significant

ways to the development of human understanding, meaning making and constructing

knowledge. The school library is about empowerment, connectivity, engagement,

interactivity, and its outcome is knowledge construction. This must be at the centre of

our philosophy, the mandate for our role, and the driver of all our day-by-day teaching

and learning actions. Information is not power. It is human understanding and

knowledge that is power, and information is how you get it. Professor Kuhlthau's

address earlier this week argued that inquiry-based learning provides both a

philosophical and action-centred constructivist framework for building an appropriate

learning environment in an information-rich school, one that has construction of

meaning and understanding as its outcome, where students are engaged in "an active

personal process" fitting information in with what one already knows and extending this

knowledge to create new perspectives (Kuhlthau, 1993:4). This is the significant context

for my paper today.

Writing in the preface to Effective libraries in international schools (Markuson, 1999), I

make this statement: "Preparing our students today for tomorrow's unknown world,

being able to predict an uncertain future, and moving into it with confidence, takes

courgae and conviction. Indeed the best way to predict the future is to work towards

creating it, and creating it begins today, not tomorrow. This means that although we

respect and are informed by our past, we also have the courage and determination to

think and act divergently" (1999, 9). I like this quote, from an unknown source: "If we

always see as we've always seen, we'll always be as we've always, and we'll always do

as we've always done." So what is the problem? I am going to stick my neck out here. I

am not convinced that empowerment for knowledge construction and the development

of human understanding is the central concern of teacher-librarians today. Over my 25

year period of engagement with the profession, as a practicing teacher-librarian,

educator and researcher, I have sat in numerous meetings, forums and conferences, and

listened to the concerns and challenges of teacher-librarians around the world I still

remain unconvinced that action and evidence-based, learning-centred practice focusing

on engagement with information for human understanding and knowledge construction,

are key mindsets for the profession -- philosophically and in practice. Certainly they are

reflected in the rhetoric about roles and responsibilities, in other words, espoused

values. But I would argue that the central public concerns of teacher-librarians continue

to be expressed in terms of collections, position and advocacy, and I believe that this is

the major limiting factor of the profession today. I strongly believe that our mindset

needs to shift to evidence-based, learning centred practice that has as its heart the

central concepts of knowledge construction and human understanding. This should be

the locus of our concern and the fundamental challenge that drives us, and the rest will

look after itself.

PERCEPTIONS OF CHALLENGES

Let me give some simple evidence for this. Recently I sent out a message to two

Australian electronic lists for teacher-librarians: OZTL_NET and InfoSpec. (a

discussion list for the Parramatta Diocese school libraries staff). I requested teacher-

librarians to email me and tell me what they thought were the most important challenges

facing them at this time. This could be broad or narrow -- on the educative role, on

technology, on the status of their position, on their image value; on anything they think

important. I asked them to list these in priority order, from the most important or highest

priority. It was not intended to be a formal study, and the results I mention here need to

be perceived in that context -- however, they show some interesting patterns. I received

74 written replies. I did provide some prompts, as stated above, based on my own

hunches, and these were taken up, and others identified as well. I undertook a content

analysis of those replies, first by identifying individual statements of challenge. 249

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individual statements of challenge were provided. Some of these were expressed

broadly, which enabled me to establish 11 categories for grouping these challenges;

others were expressed quite specifically, which serve to illustrate the breadth and depth

of each category.

Key Challenges Facing Teacher-Librarians

ConcernNumber of

Statements

% of Total

Statements

Impact of information technology on

library and role of teacher-librarian47 18.87

Perceived lack of understanding of the

nature and dimensions of the role32 12.85

Perceived lack of value, importance and

appreciation28 11.24

Negative perceptions of the image of

teacher-librarian by others23 9.23

Perceived lack of support for the role of

teacher-librarian20 8.03

Not able to do the job I want to do as

teacher-librarian27 10.84

Perceived low status 17 6.84

Student learning -- processes and

outcomes15 6.902

Advocacy of position and role 12 4.82

Funding 10 4.03

Professional development 7 2.81

Other 11 4.42

TOTAL 249 100%

The most significant challenges were in terms of information technology, and

challenges related to other's perceptions of the image and role of the teacher-librarian,

the lack of understanding by others of the role, and dealing with less-than-desired

perceptions of the importance and value of the contributions made by them. The bullet

points below each category are some of the individual statements made by teacher-

librarians, to illustrate the dynamics, breadth and depth of the challenges.

Impact of information technology on library and role of librarian

Another issue is the problem of responsibility for technology. As more

equipment is being placed in the library -- networked printers, scanners, colour

photocopiers, ID cards -- more pressure / expectations are being placed on the

TL to maintain / service the needs of the equipment and the users.

Taking on more and more tasks like web master, network password

administrator, PD organiser for staff, mentor to "reluctant" staff, computer

technician, with no extra staff provided nor time allowance to cope with the

load. The pace just keeps hotting up; some days the descent into chaos is

positively scary.

In the use of technology, many teachers lack the skills to assist students, so they

are relying more on the TL to be involved with their classes, which leaves less

time for management tasks.

TLs are hampered by technology in every sense of the word; They receive the

cast noff machines from the Administration areas; There is little or no

technological support; the latest software does not work with older machines;

The technology is forever changing; the students think they know about

technology -- but they do not know how to research.

Information technology drains the library budget (is money going to computers

etc instead of the library).

Perceived lack of support for the role

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We see lots of excellent school-based staff getting very frustrated because the

job they do isn't supported or appreciated.

The energy of the battle is not worth the little support we gain.

We seem to have to spend a lot of time fighting for any support we get.

Support seems to be given grudgingly, often to shut me up.

If I become too strident over library needs, I get into all sorts of strife if I don't

get strident, the library gets nothing or leftovers, after years of asking.

Perceived lack of value and importance and appreciation

Not perceived by peers as being relevant (in part die to the increasing problem of

being sidelined by the IT agenda in a school). Why do we need a library (TLs)

when we're "connected" to the world.

Lack of official value -- school annual reports can be written with no library or

T-L but happily report on the multi-purpose shelter & the bus as facilities.

Showing my value and being valued as a teacher librarian -- a special role in the

school -- so as not to be replaced by a librarian.

Encouraging classroom teachers to see me as a valuable resource in their

classrooms as well as in the library.

Recognition for cooperative work done with teachers with an adequate time

allocation for this.

Perceived lack of understanding of the nature and dimensions of the role

Perpetual misunderstandings of one's role (not a new one).

Principals in general do not have an understanding of the importance of the

library to teaching and learning.

The boss consults the computer class teacher on what equipment should go into

the library and since this teacher rarely even uses the library, his vision and mine

seldom overlap.

Having administration and colleagues understanding the role of the t/l in the 21st

century.

If our colleagues in the profession could see how valuable we could be in a more

collaborative role beyond "give me all you have on transport" and storytelling to

the littlies then things might change.

From where I sit one of my biggest concerns is the apparent lack of

understanding by administrators and teachers, of the place that the library and a

good teacher librarian can play in the learning process. This is especially evident

with the advent of the Internet with the tendency in many schools to think that

online information can replace the book stock and trained library staff.

The administration of schools only seem to know that the library is a problem

when something has gone wrong or a parent complains.

Perceived low status of position

The challenge is to get enough status to get the money to ring the changes that

move us forward whatever the current sticking point may be.

Top of my priorities at the moment is the perception of the status of TLs in

Australian schools, and specifically, of course in my own school.

I have less status than I have ever had in this school. I am fearful that if I studied

for a PhD, as I have wanted to, that I would find myself cleaning the toilets.

Trained TLs are being replaced by other, untrained teachers who sometimes do

quite extraordinary things to collections such as abandoning the Dewey system

for home-made ones.

Status as an educator -- I'm an assistant principal/TL and still have to fight for

time, resourcing and status of the library. It is convenient to have me in this dual

role, so I can be on call whenever there is a more urgent need for me to wear my

AP hat -- which if allowed, would be 90% of the time. I have 3 days TL and 2

days AP.

Negative perceptions of the image of School Librarian by others

Tag of librarian -- still has the image of somewhat old fashioned keeper of the

books and daggy.

Librarians have a negative image, and no matter what you do, it doesn't seem to

shift.

TLs are often seen as second grade in a school, with nothing to offer but control

of the shelves with a stern face.

The image of the librarian -- attitudes of the old days still persist as strong as

ever.

No matter what I do or say, I am still tarnished with the past image of the

librarian.

Advocacy

Encouraging good quality training courses for new TLs with an emphasis on

education, not just library management.

14

The need to convince all stakeholders (politicians, society, academics, teachers,

parents and students) that Information Literacy is an essential responsibility of

schooling. If it is established that if graduates can access and efficiently use

information, and be critical thinkers, data can become knowledge, and

knowledge can be transformed into wisdom, I think most of our challenges will

be diminished somewhat.

I think it is a worry that there do not seem to be any courses on offer in Victoria

to train teacher librarians.

Information skills are an important part of our work and many tertiary

institutions are realising the importance of conducting classes for their students,

perhaps there should be more consultation between the two sectors.

Student learning -- processes and outcomes

TLs are frustrated by the lack of technical skills amongst the students and staff.

Users rush in waving a disk and want material printed out yesterday. They have

used Word 2000 on Mac and we have windows 95 etc etc.

Teacher librarians do not contribute to the debate on the place of information

technology and and its effects on curriculum, and teaching and learning, and as a

consequence the implications for the role of the teacher librarian and the

resource centre then they run the very serious risk of being sidelined.

Encouraging teachers to see the ICT Competencies, especially the Info Lit

component, should be across the curriculum, not just considered in the IT

classes.

Incorporating ICT resources into the library collection in a way that doesn't

downgrade more traditional resources i.e. persuading students that the Internet

isn't the only place to go for research. Maintaining the value of print resources.

Need to explore electronic aspects to info process -- not the locating and

selecting, but the cut and paste organisation aspects, (my own area not explored,

still give the kids paper and pencil).

Curriculum development for composite classes.

Student assessment.

Funding

Funds -- probably linked to above -- some libraries are starved of fundsto make

them the vibrant places they should be.

Maintaining our library budget and library staffing ratios in tight times and in

tough competition with other needy areas of the school, or new "must have or

we'll look bad" school trends in the region.

Funding and resources: once the need for information literacy is established, the

challenge to provide adequate resources in the way of staffing, hardware,

technology and technology support, information sources, and funds for ongoing

research and development, will be on the way to being met.

Chronic under-funding is another major problem.

Libraries are considered a waste of funds.

Not able to do the job I want to do

Find TIME, TIME, Time. Find enough time to do all that I want to do.

I spend more time than I think I should need to on: student management (first

year at this school so still not known by students); student discipline (we are in a

difficult demographic area); paperwork related to purchasing, getting signatures

and faxing (must be a better way); too many meetings (at school and network

level -- usually valuable but too many); house-keeping as in shelving, and

training and selling cards for the photocopier!!

Time management... to do less better. Finding the time to teach AND monitor

authority files & the nitty-gritty that makes the database effective.

Would like more time available: for planning and implementing a meaningful

research skills plan for students; for teaching teachers about the value of our

college intranet and how it can make teaching and learning a more positive

experience.

Time -- to do own professional development, present it to colleagues, discussion

for co-operative, read latest literature on shelf, be available to students outside

"lesson" time, to debrief with peers!

Professional development

Education of the staff on the need for integrated, systematic Information Skills

classes across the curriculum.

Remaining at the forefront of new information technology as it pertains to

information management and teaching.

Change and the ability to keep up (espcially when you are the only one in the

library); keeping up with and gaining in-service training.

16

Continuous training and development; once the pivotal role of Information

Literacy and the fact that school/university libraries are in a prime position to

enahnce and develop it, is established, hopefully the provision of quality, free,

ongoing training will also become less of a struggle, for those working in the

field and undergraduates.

Learning new skills myself and implementing ideas for literature programs:

frustration at students' poor research skills; read more of the latest adolescent

fiction; teach myself how to use PowerPoint, etc.

These are important challenges, ones not just local to Australia, and ones that need to be

addressed. Many of these challenges have been expressed for decades. These were the

issues I thought about when I did my training in teacher-librarianship in the early 1980s.

Yes, even technology, as we grappled with the integration of the audio-visual

technologies into learning. What is particularly interesting is that challenges related to

the processes and outcomes of student learning received lower priority. There may be a

number of reasons for this: these challenges are well under control for the majority of

teacher-librarians, or they don't exist or don't matter, or it is perceived that solutions to

the other challenges need to be in place before the real work of student learning can be

accomplished. Maybe there is something in the old proverb: "Energy goes where the

attention flows". We tend to send our energy where our attention is. The attention we

are giving and needing to the challenges expressed above may not bring about the

desired effect. It is my view that we cannot wait around, hoping that someone out there

will rescue us from this concerns. We need to shift our thinking to what we espouse as

the real purposes of our roles, and demonstrate its power on the lives of the students we

deal with. We need to move beyond the public relations approach, and focus on an

evidence-based practice approach.

I spoke at the 4th National Information Literacy Conference in Adelaide, Australia, in

December 1999, and made the comment that information literacy is often seen by others

as "a clarion call by committed protagonists to improve literacy and learning outcomes"

(Todd, 2000: 29), rather than as an action-centred process where tangible outcomes

could be demonstrated. I cited Foster who claimed that information literacy is "an

exercise in public relations" and "an effort to deny the ancillary status of librarianship

by inventing a social malady with which librarians as 'information professionals' are

uniquely qualified to deal" (Foster, 1993, 346), and Miller who observed: "the word

'literacy' carries with it the connotations of illiteracy, and the continuing implication that

librarians are dealing with clients on a basic or even remedial level" (Miller, 1992).

Foster's and Miller's remarks are undeserved and many people were angered by my

comments.

However, the advocacy, role, status, image and position messages are the messages that

school executives, system administrators, school library educators, and school library

professional associations have been hearing for decades. Why haven't they been heard

to the extent that the teacher-librarian's position today is the most exalted, cherished and

sought-after position in the school? I believe that one key element in this answer is that

these are all self-centred and ego-driven dimensions. People -- administrators,

classroom teachers and parents -- sometimes do not see the links between what you do

on a day-to-day basis and how that enables the learning outcomes of the students. I am

going to be blunt here. I hope I am wrong. But you will not be heard until your day-to-

day practice is evidence-based; a practice that is directed towards demonstrating the real

tangible power of your contribution to the school's learning goals -- goals that while

expressed in many different ways, have at their heart concepts of knowledge

construction and human understanding. The evidence of your direct, tangible

contribution to improving learning in your school should be the substance of your

message, the substance of your public concern, the substance of your negotiations.

In my short survey, one teacher-librarian commented:

"I teach with some wonderful, dedicated teachers, and we use scads of ingenuity in

finding the resources we need, and teaching our students. This is still the best job in the

world, either teaching on its own, or being a teacher librarian, and there is great

satisfaction to be had from finding a needed, elusive fact, or introducing a child to a

book that brings them back for 'more of the same, please'. But there is so much more we

could do."

I would suggest that the answer to the concluding remark, "But there is so much more

we could do" needs to foocus on evidence-based practice. We might argue that there is a

great deal of evidence out there that highlights the empowering role of the school

library. Yet even with this evidence, it is sometimes difficult to convince school

executive of the nature, scope and importance of this role. Why? I think there is a

simple answer to this. The evidence is not local, immediately derived from the day-to-

day teaching and learning going on in a specific school. Principals, teachers, parents,

want to hear local success, local improvement; they want to know how their students in

18

particular are benefiting, not how others are doing. Yesterday (June 14th), the US

Senate approved the first major overhaul of the country's education policy in 35 years.

The Bill calls for annual testing of students in reading and methematics, and requires

each school to demonstrate progress in eliminating academic achievement gaps. Failing

schools will receive aid to improve, but will face the loss of funds and other penalties if

they fail to make adequate progress. If a school does not make enough progress after

two years, it must allow students to transfer to other public schools. Schools with a

continuing record of failing may also be required to replace staff or restructure.

However we might react to this approach, it clearly shows that local outcomes will

matter; local improvements will be monitored, watched, listened to, and it highlights the

importance of teacher-librarians being engaged in evidence-based practice that shows

that their role in the learning goals of the school makes a difference. Oberg (2001)

makes this timely comment: "Many people, including educators, are suspicious of

research and researchers. Research conducted closer to home is more likely to be

considered and perhaps to be viewed as trustworthy".

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

Another teacher-librarian provided this longer reply to my challenges request:

"Information technology has provided the means for teacher librarians to present

themselves to the world in a way clearly valued to the world. We employ our

information management skills to manage information and knowledge across a whole

spectrum of formats. We are at the forefront of taking information technology from a

frightening spectre to place it within the context of education in a controlled and

meaningful way. We look at the curriculum needs, and work with teachers to plan their

courses and lessons, than set about finding the best information in whatever format,

including websites, and applying the most suitable information technology -- from

simple pathfinders on a website to highly complex webquests. We then teach teachers

and their classes how to use it. Schools and teachers are convinced that we know what

we are doing because we use every opportunity to be involved in curriculum planning

and to sell our skills to the school community: on councils, meetings, in-service,

assemblies, workshops. We use our websites to best effect for the school and to present

our knowledge and information management to the school and the broader community.

We monitor education and librarianship email discussion lists and channel relevant

emails to our colleagues. We publish good news about our libraries in every venue

possible. We send our library staff to as many professional development sessions as

possible."

There are some worthwhile initiatives here. The fundamental question needs to be

asked: what difference did this make to student learning? The focus here is on "doing",

and undoubtedly, some fine doing. What did this do in terms of students "being" and

"becoming"? For students, teachers and parents, what was the "experience"? What were

the differences, defined and expressed in ways that say: "hey, we want more of this!".

This is evidence-based practice.

Evidence-based practice focuses on two things. Firstly, it is the conscientious, explicit

and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the performance of

your role. It is about using research evidence, coupled with your own professionsl

expertise and reasoning to implement learning interventions that are effective. Without

current best evidence, practice runs the risk of not only being out of date, but detracts

from the real purpose, to the detriment of learners. Secondly, evidence-based practice is

about ensuring that your daily efforst put some focus on effectiveness evaluation that

gathers meaningful and systematic evidence on dimensions of teaching and learning that

matter to the school and its support community, evidences that clearly convey that

learning outcomes are continuing to improve. Some may claim that evidence-based

practice is impossible to practice, given the seemingly limited time for keeping abreast,

let alone implementing strategies, or that it is only possible to be done by those in ivory

towers. My view is that evidence-based practice is fundamental to future survival.

Unless teacher-librarians engage in carefully planned evidence-based practice, I see the

continuing erosion of the role. It is about action, not position; it is about evidence, not

advocacy, and at the heart of this is inquiry-based learning for knowledge construction.

THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE

There is a considerable body of evidence already existing that provides direction in

terms of where the evidence-based focus of a school might lie. This research evidence is

well documented in substantive reviews undertaken over a number of years, for

example, by Didier (1984), Haycock (1992, 1994), Loertscher and Woolls (1999),

Oberg (2001), as well as many individual and large-scale research studies, such as

Kuhlthau's research on inquiry-based learning and the Information Search Process

(1993, 1994, 1999), and the Colorado Studies by Lance and colleagues (1992, 1999,

2000, 2001). It is imperative that teacher-librarians continue to engage actively with this

20

literature, and use it as a way of determining how each individual school might establish

its library program, identify learning needs, and chart its own evidence.

As I examine this literature, I see at least 8 important generalizations about the

relationship of school libraries to learning, each underpinned by specific research-based

evidence. These are:

A shared educational philosophy centering on inquiry learning provides an

appropriate and common climate for engaging teacher-librarians and school staff

in collaborative, integrated learning opportunities. A "shared philosophy of

learning" (Kuhlthau, 1993) underpins a shared vision for the learning outcomes,

and a commitment to a shared collaborative process.

A process approach focusing on the systematic and explicit development of

students' abilities to connect with, and utilize information to contruct personal

understanding results in improved performance in terms of personal mastery of

content.

The systematic and explicit development of students' abilities to connect with,

interact with, snd utilize information to construct personal understanding results

in more positive attitudes to learning, increased active engagement in the

learning environment, and more positive perceptions of themselves as active,

constructive learners. Kuhlthau has in particular studied attitudes and feelings of

certainty and confidence in the search process, and demonstrates how feelings of

uncertainty and poor self-concept can change positively through engagement in

active inquiry-centered learning.

The development of student competence is most effective when it is integrated

into flexibly delivered classroom instruction at the point of need.

Active reading programs foster higher levels of reading, comprehension,

vocabulary development and language skills.

There are benefits to students when school and public libraries communicate and

co-operate more effectively. Evidence suggests that students who are active

school library users are more likely to have more positive attitudes to public

libraries and using those libraries.

Successful school library programs are ones that set clear expectations and

manageable objectives, establish realistic time lines, and gather meaningful and

systematic feedback from students and teachers on the impacts of the programs.

School leaders tend to be more supportive when they can see the library actively

engaged in the teaching and learning process, and when they can articulate

specific impacts of this engagement. Such evidence to them demonstrates

people-centered, learning-cerntered empowerment.

We should be greatly encouraged by such findings, but it is not good enough to simply

tout these findings particularly in the context of shoring up image, position, role, power,

or status, or a clarion call for more funding for teachnology or resources. I believe

central to our role is the major task of developing our own school evidence that supports

these findings -- building the local case in the context of more global findings, as well

as identifying specific local learning dilemmas, and exploring how the school library

program might contribute to their solution.

SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

One key area that   teacher-librarians  might   focus on relates  to  students'  engagement with 

information technology. There are many important learning dilemmas emerging from available 

research  evidence,  and   these  might   form the  centre  of  carefully  planned,  evidence-based 

practice. The Table below highlights some learning dilemmas faced by students when engaging 

with   the  World  Wide  Web.   I   have   analyzed   this   literature   from   an   information   literacy 

perspective, where information literacy is conceptualized as centering on people connecting 

with information, interacting with information and utilizing information as part of the learning 

process for knowledge construction. The research, primarily American, provides insights into 

the cognitions, behaviors and emotions that are commonly experienced during the process of 

interacting with electronic information. This research, in contrast to the commonly held view 

that young people are gurus in this vast digital world, suggests that the intuitiveness, ease, 

certainty, and success as input and outcomes attributes of searching the World Wide Web are 

highly questionable, and highlights significant learning dilemmas in this arena.

INFORMATION

LITERACY

DIMENSION

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Connecting with

information

Atkin (1998); Watson (1999); high levels of information

overload; inability to manage and reduce large volumes of

information;

Bilal & Watson (1998); McNicholas & Todd (1996); Todd

22

(2000): failure to retrieve documents based on aboutness;

formulating ineffective search queries; failure to utilize Boolean

operators

Kuhlthau (1991); McNicholas & Todd (1996); Watson (1999):

considerable insecurity and uncertainty when searching;

McNicholas & Todd (1996); Kafai & Bates (1997); problems

with working with search engines;

Hertzberg & Rudner (1997); Nims & Rich (1998); tendency to

conduct simple searches, crafting poor searches; considerable

guessing of appropriate terms;

Nims & Rich (1998): high expectation of the technology's ability

to make up for poor searching techniques

Fidel (1999): examine only first screens of most sites

Schacter, Hung & Dorr (1998): preferred browsing techniques to

systematic, andlytic-based strategies;

Hirsch (1999, 1997): motivation for searching decreases when

site load time is slow, and especially in relation to graphics --

technical implications

Interacting with

information

Atkin (1998): coping strategies -- filtering, simplification, errors,

delegating; feelings of confusion and frustration;

Bilal & Watson (1998); Hirsch (1999): not thinking critically

and evaluatively in searching; limited use of thesaurus

Hertzberg & Rudner (1997): typical user only performs 2 or 3

inquiries per search; very small number of citations examined (5-

6); abort searches quickly;

McNicholas & Todd (1996); Schacter, Hung & Dorr (1998);

Hirsch (1999): inability to judge quality of information

Watson (1999): inability to question the accuracy of Web

information

McNicholas & Todd (1996); Wallace & Kuperman (1997);

Hirsch (1999): not able to judge relevance of information;

Fidel (1999): often inappropriately favoring visual cues;

minimalist behaviour -- made quick decisions at all stages of

search process; looked at pictures rather than textual information

as signs of relevance; use of "landmarks" rather than in-depth

critical analysis of sites to judge relevance and quality

Utilising

information

McNicholas & Todd (1996): project management issues of time,

workload management, meeting deadlines

Hertzberg & Rudner (1997): median amount of time spent in

searching was 5-6 minutes; willing to construct answer on

limited information; users satisfied with any somewhat-relevant

hit

McNicholas & Todd (1996): tendency to plagiarize

As can be seen from the above analysis, students are experiencing a substantial range of

learning dilemmas associated with the World Wide Web. Any one of these learning

dilemmas provides a rich opportunity for teacher-librarians to intervene, and through

collaborative, inquiry-centered approaches, demonstrate that their practice makes a real

difference to student learning. This does not imply that information technology alone

provides the opportunities; opportunities exist with all facets of the library's information

literacy, reading, and literature programs. What is important is that the learning needs

are identified, instructional strategies developed, and considerations given to how this

will be evaluated. This is evidence-based practice. It might be in the form of statistics,

or stories, or documented case studies, or analyses of reflective student interviews or

feedback processes. It does not need to be complicated, but manageable, and clear.

Oberg (2001) identifies a range of evidence-based practices. In this paper, she asks:

How can we show that school libraries are making a difference in student learning? She

explores key approaches, some of which have already been touched on here. They are:

Using research findings from the school library field; as indicated, these

highlight an extensive range of learning dilemmas that have a clear information

literacy focus.

Analysing the results of national, state or provincial testing programs: these

provide opportunities to see what key learning needs are, and how the library

can intervene to improve these. Often such results are accompanied by reports

on the local school, and sometimes these make explicit suggestions relating to

critical thinking skills, reading abilities, transfer of knowledge to new situations,

24

ability to interpret information, ability to structure and organise information.

These are opportunities begging the library program to intervene.

Using locally available library and test data: the school library's automated

system can provide data about circulation of library materials; these data can be

correlated with learning programs, test scores, assignment results to see if there

are patterns that indicate that using the library makes a difference. For example,

it might show that the class that has the highest circulation, or the class where

collaborative inquiry learning processes have been implemented have scored

higher on reading comprehension or content mastery.

Carrying out action research or teacher-researcher projects: at the heart of this

is an identified learning problem, and developing a cycle of collaborative

planning, acting, evaluating and reflecting to address it. The problem might be

low motivation for reading, plagiarism, weaknesses in skills of analysis and

synthesis, or it might relate to World Wide Web issues, such as issues centring

on the evaluation of web information. I want to commend to you the 1996

Volume 3 Issue 2 of School Libraries Worldwide, which documented a range of

perspectives and strategies on action research. Action research projects provide

real, creative, and collaborative opportunities for teacher-librarians to initiate

and document learning improvements. I want to commend to you the

forthcoming book

Using statistical data that is available or easily obtained: this approach might

include census data or educational system data, so that a specific school situation

might be compared to regional or state or national levels, and opportunities

identified for the school library program to intervene.

PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING

At the heart of evidence-based practice, and driving this practice, are 10 principles of learning. 

I have been greatly influenced in my thinking by a paper called "Powerful Partnerships: Shared 

Learning"   (1999),  developed  by   the  American  Association   for  Higher  Education  and  other 

associations, which articulates these principles of learning as a basis for collaborative learning 

where  students,   teachers  and community  are  all   stakeholders.   I  will  briefly  outline   these. 

These principles form an exciting basis  from which a  library program can be derived; they 

define the functions and roles of the  library team working transformatively for knowledge 

construction; they become the basis of the criteria for the selection of resources; they shape 

the allocation of physical  space  in thelibrary;  they are the basis of developing school-wide 

ownership of the library program. In addition, they become the marketing framework of the 

library, and are the basis for demonstating the evidence of the power of the library. Each of 

these learning principles forms a basis around which evidence might be collected to show the 

power of the library program.

LEARNING PRINCIPLE

WORKING FOR KNOWLEDGE

CONSTRUCTION:

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

1. Learning is an active search for

meaning by the learner: it is about

constructing knowledge rather than

passively receiving it; involving

learners directly in discovery of

knowledge; enabling them to

transform prior knowledge and

experience, and to take

responsibility for learning

An inquiry-based learning approach is the central

philosophy and practice of the school -- from it

stems the information search process and the

range of teaching-learning initiatives which

focus on the development of the intellectual

scaffolds for engaging with and using

information for knowledge construction.

Inquiry based learning, not information literacy

or information skills, is the educative platform.

Outcomes articulated in terms of learning gains,

with evidence, becomes the strongest argument

for library support

2. Learning is about making and

maintaining connections: linking

concepts, ideas, meaning; linking

mind and environment; linking self

and others; linking deliberation and

action.

Need to situate information literacy advocacy

and initiatives within an empowerment model

towards knowledge construction, rather than

conveying a deficiency notion -- ie students are

somehow deficient because they do not have

these skills.

Ensuring instruction links needs to experience.

Giving learners responsibility for solving

problems and resolving conflicts.

Creating a physical and virtual environment that

is an invitation to connect, to get to know, to

know more.

Making sure my instruction makes explicit the

26

relationships of need to the curriculum.

Ensuring that I personalize interventions

appropriate to learners' circumstances and needs.

Gathering evidence on which to base learning

initiatives and decisions.

3. Learning is developmental: a

cumulative process involving whole

person. Intellectual growth is

gradual: advancement,

consolidation, reinforcement;

fostering an integrated sense of

identity.

Planning for the progessive, developmental

nature of each learning experience: instruction

should be additive and cumulative -> greater

richness, complexity.

Tracking student development of competence

(gathering the evidence).

Providing opportunities for trialing, testing,

reviewing, as well as opportunities for needs

assessment, discussion, reflection.

Systematic approaches to gathering evidence.

4. Learning is both individual and

social: Responsive to students'

personal histories and common

cultures; opportunities for co-

operative learning; cultivating and

inclusive community; valuing

human differences.

This might mean:

Opportunities for peer tutoring and learning from

each other; enable students from different

cultural backgrounds to experience each other's

traditions -- choice of resources;

creative approaches responsive to different

learning styles and development of self-learning

packages to cater for different learning styles;

creating learning zones in the library, depending

on social or individual needs;

librarians daring to have fun with their students

-- in the library!

using school, home and community as resources

for collaborative learning.

5. Learning is strongly affected by

educational climate in which it

takes place: value academic and

Ensuring that the library plays a key role in

building a strong sense of community.

Library conveys a clear sense that it values

personal success and intellectual

inquiry; involve all constituents in

contributing to effective student

learning feeling connected, cared for

and trusted.

intellectual inquiry and knowledge construction.

Library rules and regulations invite, rather than

forbid.

Learning environment in which students feel

connected, cared for, trusted -- and where they

do not suffer from LH ("Loans Harrassment") or

PFS ("Petty Fines Syndrome")

Clearly thinking about what you convey that is

important to your students by your attitudes,

values, and in-house behaviors.

Celebrate knowledge successes.

6. Learning requires feedback,

practice, and use:

Feedback -> sustained learning

Practice -> nourishing learning

Opportunities to use -> meaningful

learning

Instructional design encourages goal setting, and

opportunities for students to chart and measure

their learning gain.

Grab every opportunity to provide information

on their progress towards meeting learning goals.

Engage in a recurring process of needs analysis

and improvement.

Be prepared to take risk and learn from your own

mistakes.

Encourage development of learners as

constructive critics.

Ensure demands for behavior modification and

rules compliances are not your primary

feedback, rather your feedback is the feedback of

learning-partners.

7. Much learning takes place

informally and incidentally:

Activities beyond the classroom

enrich formal learning experiences;

Mentoring relationships beyond the

classroom;

Creative and imaginative approaches to

instruction -- not necessarily the group one-size-

fits-all approach.

Rethink distributuion of responsibilities.

Engage school staff as Information Literacy

support staff.

28

Learning in a variety of settings and

circumstances.

Identify strategies that ensure the library is a

learning portal to information and enrichment.

Develop pathways to extension and enrichment

on curriculum topics.

Provide a virtual or real space that links students

with peers, staff, community mentors.

Create a physical environment that is an open

invitation for mystery, intrigue, discovery --

where accidental discovery is highly likely: ie an

invitation to dance the "knowledge dance".

Use of volunteers and activities.

Provide on-line help points: quick-fix.

Learning is grounded in particular

contexts and individual

experiences:

Requires effort to transfer specific

knowledge and skills to new

circumstances;

Grounded nature of learning:

encounter alternative perspectives

and other realities

Provide opportunities to tailor education to

individual rather than mass-produced delivery.

Explore how you can use educational

technologies as tool for collaborative learning.

Make the library a hotbed of learning activism, a

space where they can encounter alternative

perspectives and other realities, challenge

conventional views, test application of new

knowledge, engage in dialogue with people of

disparate perspectives and backgrounds -- in an

environment of safety and respect.

Focus on the development of the experience, and

reflection on the experience.

Provide students with opportunities to share their

experiences with others that have shaped their

identities and learning.

Understand factors which affect student

cognition.

Curriculum co-ordination to contextualize

learning experience.

9. Learning involves ability of

individuals to monitor own

learning:

Understand how knowledge is

acquired;

Know how to work with capacities

and limitations; Awareness of own

ways of knowing; Ability to monitor

own learning.

Provide opportunities and processes to help

students understand their strengths and

weaknesses in learning.

Help students observe and record their own

progress in learning.

Show students how to think about their learning

and learning processes in a reflective way.

10. Learning is enhanced by

taking place in the context of

compelling situations:

Provides challenge and opportunity.

Stimulates brain to conceptualize,

contemplate and reflect.

Amplifies the learning process.

Students learn more when asked to tackle

complex and compelling problems that invite

them to develop an array of workable and

innovative solutions.

Students tend to engage more when they produce

work to be shared with multiple audiences.

Ensure instruction provides opportunities for

active application of skills and abilities.

Effective instruction takes place when students

are placed in settings where they can draw on

past knowledge and competencies.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of what I have said, and in summary, I would like to suggest the following

as a model of teacher-librarians creating an information-knowledge environment for

learning, one that focuses on information connectivity and empowerment for knowledge

construction and the development of meaning and understanding. At its heart is an

educational philosophy and practice centering on inquiry learning, and which drives the

transformative actions and evidence-based practices centering on knowledge

construction and meaning making. This focus underpins the nature and scope of

collaborations to achieve learning outcomes, and in the context of the educational role

of the teacher-librarians, is likely to give emphasis to the information search process and

enabling students to connect with, interact with and utilize information in the process of

knowledge construction. This shapes and guides the selection of resources amd how

30

information technology is utilized across the school. And this focus underpins the nature

of the management role of the information-knowledge environment and its

infrastructure to create a knowledge sharing community.

At the heart of a school library empowering learning are teacher-librarians and

educators whose philosophy and actions empower learners to connect with, interact with

and utilize information to develop their own understanding, to construct their own

meaning, and who have the evidence to demonstrate this. It is about adding value and

making a difference to people. Systems, structures, buildings provide infrastructure,

frameworks, contexts, locations, and linkages are important, but they in themselves do

not empower. It is people who empower, and people who are empowered.

Senge (1990) claims that empowerment is one of four components that are central to

transformational leadership. These components are "the Four Es" -- Envisioning,

Energizing, Empathizing, and Empowering. Caldwell & Spinks (1992) argue that

transformational leadership is about leadership that transforms rather than simply

maintains the status quo; it is about leadership that brings about meaningful and

purposeful change; it is about leadership grounded in actions and evidence that create

the desired reality. Transformational leadership is about creating and enabling preferred

futures, and this is achieved through people who are empowered to take evidence-based

action. It is commitment to making a difference through action. It involves envisioning,

energizing, emphazing, and empowering. Central to this is a shared inquiry centered

philosophy and process of learning.

This calls for conceptualizing the role of the teacher-librarian as partner-leader. Partner-

leaders demonstrate:

Purposeful leadership: have a clear vuision of desired learning outcomes for the

school;

Strategic leadership: have a clear blueprint for translating learning-centred

vision into evidence-based actions;

Collaborative and creative leadership: are able to creatively combine

capabilities, and mutually reinforce capabilities, to deliver real value to the

school community;

Renewable leadership: are able to be highly flexible and adaptive, continuously

learning, changing and innovating; and

Sustainable leadership: being able to identify and celebrate achievements,

outcomes, and impacts -- showing, through evidence, the role of the teacher-

librarian is the most prized role in the school.

A personal philosophy of mine is "You begin the road by walking it". Today I present to

you the road, the way ahead, and I challenge you to walk it.

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BILAL, D. Children's use of Yahoologans! Web Search Engine: 1. Cognitive, physical

and affective behaviors on fact-based search tasks. Journal of the American Society for

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DIDIER, E. Research on the impact of school library media programs on student

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FIDEL, R. et al. A visit to the information mall: Web searching behavior of high school

students. Journal of the American Society for Information Science. 50(1), 1999, 24-37.

Haycock, K. What works: Research about teaching and learning through the school's

library resource center. Vancouver: Rockland Press, 1992.

HAYCOCK, K. Research in teacher-librarianship and the institutionalization of change.

School Library Media Quarterly, 23, 1994, 227-233.

HERTZBERG, S. & RUDNER, L. The quality of searchers' searches of the ERIC

database. Education Policy Analysis Archives. 7(25), August Available at:

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HIRSH, S. Children's relevance criteria and information seeking on electronic

resources. Journal of the American Society for Information Science. 50(14), 1999, 1265-

1283.

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HIRSH, S. How do children find information on different types of tasks? Children's use

of the science library catalog. Library Trends. 45(4), Spring, 1997, 725-745.

KAFAI, Y. and BATES, M. Internet Web-searching instruction in the elementary

classroom: Building a foundation for information literacy. School Library Media

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KUHLTHAU, C. Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user's

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(ed). Concept, Challenge, Conundrum: From Library Skills to Information Literacy.

Proceedings of the fourth national information literacy conference conducted by the

University of South Australia Library and the Australian Library and Information

Association Information Literacy Special Interest Group, 3-5th December, 1999.

Adelaide: University of South Australia Library, 2000, 25-34.

WALLACE, R. & KUPERMAN, J. On-line search in the science classroom. Benefits

and possibilities. Paper presented at AERA, Chicago, 1997.

http://mydl.soe.umich.edu/papers/online_search.pdf

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Competence. In: Lighthall, L. and Howe, E. (Eds). Unleash the Power: Knowledge --

Technology -- Diversity. Papers presented at the Third International Forum on Research

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in School Librarianship. Seattle: International Association of School Librarianship,

1999, 191-200.

http://www.iasl-online.org/events/conf/virtualpaper2001.html

SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA ACTIVITIES MONTHLY/VOLUME XXIV, NUMBER 8/APRIL 2008

Reframing the Library Media Specialist as a Learning Specialist

BY ALLISON ZMUDA AND VIOLET H. HARADA

Allison G. Zmuda is an education consultant who has worked with schools throughout the United States and Canada. Email:

zmuda@competentclassroom.com

Violet H. Harada is a professor in the University of Hawaii"s Library and Information Science Program. Email: vharada@hawaii.edu

Preparing students to meet the challenges of the 21st century has solidified the need for information literacy and technology as

meaningful components of curriculum designs and instructional practices. The survey report Partnership for 21st Century Skills

states that, when polled, voters rank the following areas as high priorities for schools (2007):

computer and technology skills

critical thinking and problem solving skills

ethics and social responsibility

written and oral communications

teamwork and collaboration

lifelong learning and self-direction

leadership

creativity and innovation

media literacy

global awareness

In today's schools, a host of learning specialists joins classroom teachers in working with students. These specialists have no

formal classroom assignments, but they provide instruction for students, and, frequently, training for teachers. They range from

library media specialists and reading resource teachers to technology coordinators and math coaches. As learning specialists,

library media specialists, because of their deep content expertise about the nature of inquiry and the construction of knowledge,

are uniquely suited to develop 21st-century student learning skills. What would it look like if learners could determine their

information needs, solve problems, read for pleasure, effectively and ethically use information and ideas, debate merits of a point

of view, and create quality written and oral communications?

Such clarification of what the learners must do to achieve mission goals defines for all staff what good business looks like in the

library media center. Good business is work (instructional activities and assessments) that develops student learning around the

goals that are most important (again as defined by the mission). The recently published Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

requires students to construct knowledge through the exploration and analysis of ideas, information, and point of view, and to

communicate their learning through authentic, transfer-oriented tasks (AASL 2007). In his research of student learning in Ohio,

Ross Todd found strong evidence that:

Students unequivocally recognize that when school librarians have a clearly defined role as an information literacy specialist,

their opportunities for learning are enhanced. This role is a very active, learning-centered role where school librarians actively

contribute their expertise to that of the classroom teachers to enable students to transform information into personal knowledge

(Todd, 2006).

Bad business is work that is irrelevant, tangential, or counter-productive. These activities or 

assessments require students to collect information or resources in the library media center 

and   then   leave.   The   superficiality  of   this   acquisition   is   doomed   to   fail.   Students  will   not 

become wiser, more skillful, or more strategic; they will not become more prolific or powerful 

as communicators; they will not become more mindful of the validity of alternate points of 

view or the persuasive use of data. Bad business takes up precious resources of the library 

media specialist because of the time it takes to prepare and organize the resources as well as 

the orchestration and oversight of the experience. Major features of bad and good business 

practices are delineated in Table 1.

Table 1. Bad and Good Business Practices for Library Media Specialists

Moving away from bad business where... Moving toward good business where...

Success is defined by the number of staff who

collaborate with the library media specialist.

Success is defined by the quality of the work completed in the library media center.

Success is defined by doing whatever is asked

in order to be recognized as valuable or

important.

Success is defined by investing resources only in those tasks that are central to the library

mission.

Success is defined by helping students find what

they are looking for.

Success is defined by engaging students in the construction of deep knowledge through the

exploration of ideas and information, conducting of investigations, and communication and

evaluation of findings.

Success is defined by the number of

instructional sessions held in the library media

center.

Success is defined by the student learning that resulted from completion of work centered on

subject area and information literacy goals.

There is no upside to library media specialists collaborating with classroom teachers on tasks that are bad business. If library

media specialists participate in the design and orchestration of these types of tasks, even though they know that it is "bad

business," they become accomplices in the assignment of yet another task that dilutes inquiry to the level of answering the

questions on a worksheet, reduces deep reading to counting the number of pages read, and prostitutes construction of

knowledge to a cut-and-paste exercise. The library media specialist must insist that every learning experience in the library-

classroom aligns with the learning goals of both the classroom teacher’s curriculum and the library media curriculum. The key to

depersonalizing this transformation of "bad business" to "good business" comes from the continued insistence that this isn’t

about what the teacher or library media specialist prefers, but what the learner requires. The mission statement and AASL

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner should be prominently featured in all aspects of the learning environment—physically

hung on the walls, judiciously placed in curriculum binders and planning materials, and prominently displayed on the school and

library media websites. The library media specialist also should use the learning goals as a touchstone in every conversation with

staff. Such relentless consistency both models and reinforces to staff that the focus on the goals of learning is a "disciplined

mindset" that ensures that what students are asked to do on a daily basis is challenging and worthy of the attempt.

How the 21st-Century Mission Affects the Job Description of the Library Media Specialist

In their upcoming book, Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century, Zmuda and 

Harada contend that  library media specialists must refocus their  job descriptions and their 

daily   practice   so   that   they   target  direct   contributions   to   improve   the   achievement  of   all 

learners   on   defined   curricular   goals.   The   job   description   of   a   library   media   specialist 

predictably includes key components that appear in those of many other learning specialists 

employed in schools. A comparative analysis of reading, technology, mathematics and librarian 

job descriptions is shown in Table 2.

Table 2. What Learning Specialists Do

Assessment and Instruction (with

students)

Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction

(with staff)

Program Development, Leadership, and

Management

Provide instruction for

individuals or small groups of

students. Such instruction tends to be

supplemental to that provided by the

classroom teachers.

Work on short-term basis

with targeted students, then provide

strategies/processes for classroom

teachers to follow.

Curriculum

Serve on curriculum committees.

Assessment

Assist in the development of

assessment instruments (retelling protocols

and running records) and selection of

assessment instruments.

Assist in interpretation of test

Development and Leadership

Provide professional development for

teachers as part of the school staff development

program; also teach classes that teachers can take for

credit. Work with teachers in planning and conducting

professional development in the schools.

Work closely with the principal in setting a

schedule and making decisions about professional

36

Provide instruction, using

research-supported programs.

results with teachers and parents.

Share results of assessments with

public.

Instruction

Discuss and share ideas with

teachers about help for struggling students,

and materials and ideas that enhance

performance.

Hold collaborative planning

sessions to develop lessons and strategies for

working with students. These are held either

on a systematic, regular basis, as needed, or

"on the fly."

Demonstrate strategies for

teachers, observe, and provide feedback.

Participate in observations

(teachers observing each other) for

professional growth.

Provide a "friendly ear" for

teachers who want to talk about issues,

problems, or ideas that they have about

instruction and assessment for their students.

development.

Serve as mentor to new teachers by

modeling, providing feedback, and coaching.

Work with special educators and serve on

instructional support or pupil personnel teams.

Lead study groups (read a professional

book or article and then discuss).

Serve as a resource to allied professionals,

parents, other community members, volunteers, and

tutors.

Serve as a resource for parents

(communicate with parents, providing and accessing

information); conduct workshops on how they can work

with their children; provide workshops for parents of

preschool students.

Work with other school specialists.

Work with volunteers (provide training

sessions, coordinate schedules, recruit).

Management

Maintain center or location for various

materials.

Look for and assist in the selection of new

materials (including development of criteria for

determining quality of those materials); assist in the

piloting of new materials.

Coordinate program schedules.

While the parallels are evident in theory, will this "reframing" resonate with library media specialists? The authors tested out the

viability of the concept through countless conversations with library media specialists and their supervisors throughout the

United States. In one such exploratory conversation at a state-level conference, Zmuda asked over 100 library media specialists

to participate in a KWL activity on their ideas, concerns, and insights about being viewed as a learning specialist. This 

discussion is summarized in Table 3.

Table 3. Insights and Issues of Library Media Specialists as Learning Specialists

K

What do we know a learning

specialist to be?

W

What are we curious or concerned

about if the library media specialist

is reframed as a learning specialist?

L

What have we learned so far about what

reframing the library media specialist as a

learning specialist will require?

Someone who believes that all

students can be successful learners.

Someone who is up on the

latest trends in teaching and learning.

Someone who has work

experience in both the classroom and the

library media center.

Someone who uses

assessment data to determine student

strength and weaknesses to inform future

instruction.

Someone who can diagnose

learning problems and design ways to

address them.

Someone with deep content

expertise about how people learn.

Someone who works with staff

and students.

Someone who constantly

reflects on his/her own practice and how

How do we articulate our role

in an effective way so the message is

heard?

How do we use professional

learning communities to facilitate work?

How much do we really know

about how different types of learners

learn in the library media center?

How can we earn respect of

staff and the larger system as a learning

specialist?

How does the learning

specialist fit into the hierarchy of the

school or district organization?

Who has the authority to

make decisions about what instruction will

look like in the library media center?

How do we increase the

number of teachers who want to

collaborate with us in the design,

Just because it isn"t happening in front of

us doesn"t mean it isn"t happening—the teacher"s

classroom is an extension of the work in the library

media center.

We will never be considered learning

specialists without collecting evidence of student

achievement in our classroom.

Because disengaged learners learn

nothing, we have a responsibility to "fix" instructional

designs that are low-level, information retrieval tasks.

A learning specialist, like any teacher-

leadership position, is an inherently precarious, messy

job because it lives somewhere between the

administrative ranks and the teaching ranks.

Without a clear job description (on paper

and in practice), it is impossible to know whether we

are doing the right things.

Staff think that we are what they see us do

—if they only watch us organize, sort, manage, and

support, they will not see us as learning specialists.

to improve.

Someone who is able to break

things down into small, manageable

pieces.

Someone who is fluent with

the curriculum goals across grade levels

and subject areas.

Someone who can coach

performance (from staff and students)

through the design of challenging and

motivating tasks.

Someone who seeks out new

learning experiences, tools, and resources

because of what the learners need.

implementation, and evaluation of

learning?

How do we hone our

leadership skills so that we can improve

the effectiveness of our collaborative work

with staff?

How do we elevate the quality

of instructional and assessment practices

in the school/district?

Who are the other learning

specialists in the school? What

relationship do we have with one another?

What relationship should we have?

How do we facilitate learning

while running the library media center?

Note: Specific contributions to the KWL chart were made by audience participants at a breakout session facilitated by Allison Zmuda on

November 15, 2007, including but not limited to the reflections of: Debra Kay Logan, Hilda Weisburg, Dee Giordan, Linda Piscione, Pat

Slemmer, Diane Drayer Beler, Pat VanEs, Christine Lopey, and Dawn Henderson.

How This Affects the Design, Implementation, and Analysis of Student Learning

Instructional designs are always in a state of flux. While there are core practices, strategies, and resources that constitute the

basis of the learning experiences, teachers and library media specialists must constantly monitor and adjust their work in light of

their increased knowledge of the nature of their learners and the learning. This design cycle of construction, analysis, and

adjustment is grounded in the essential question: How do I know if what I did today worked? For an instructional design to "work,"

a teacher or library media specialist must investigate:

Did the instructional experience(s) cause the desired learning for every learner?

What evidence do I have to that effect?

Will the learning likely transfer to future learning experiences?

Ross Todd stated in an interview in 2006:

In the current educational climate there is a very clear mandate for a shift from putting our emphasis on finding and accessing to

knowledge building. It"s where education is going. We are talking about standards-based education. We are talking about

accountability. We are talking about evidence of achievements. There is incredible emphasis on meeting curriculum standards,

knowledge-based outcomes. Our instructional interventions need to put a richer emphasis on those knowledge-based outcomes.

How do we pedagogically intervene in the information experience of a child, to enable them to go beyond the amassing of facts

to the interrogation of those facts and to develop deep knowledge? That"s a very complex task (Kenney 2006).

What makes this inquiry even more complex is the inevitable reality that what "works" for one student does not work for all

students. Staff must work to troubleshoot inevitable learning problems so that students have additional opportunities to improve

performance through highly focused remediation, extension, and enrichment. Again, library media specialists as learning

specialists are uniquely situated to collaborate in this effort through their development and dissemination of resources,

curriculum leadership, and participation in professional learning communities. They also possess valuable skills in designing and

analyzing instructional activities and assessments tasks, modeling of processes and "best practices," and coaching of improved

staff and student performance.

How This Affects Our Short-Term and Long-Term Efforts

A mission-centered mindset requires a constant analysis of whether the daily practices of the library media specialist are having

the desired effects on student achievement. Such analysis will inevitably uncover areas of "misalignment" where significant

resources are expended to support the development of work and acquisition of materials that are tangential to established

curricular goals. This "misalignment" plagues not only the work of the library media specialist but of all educators. In their

seminal work on schooling and leadership, Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe state:

One failure of conventional schooling and of school reform in general relates to the deeply held belief that if we just get good

people trying hard to do good things, it will all work out. The truth is otherwise: excellence in leadership as well as in teaching is a

function of constant and deliberate self-correction, mindful of clear and agreed-upon goals while unflinchingly seeking out

feedback and thus dealing with the brutal facts of reality. The school reforms of the past twenty-five years continue—and

continue to be needed—because many schools are far from facing the information that cannot be ignored. That information is of

two kinds: feedback about how deeply and effectively students are learning and are engaged, and feedback suggesting that

many time-honored actions and policies in school are dysfunctional—counter to mission (2007, 179).

Library media specialists who reframe themselves as learning specialists will find the recognition, respect, and collaboration they

seek when they put an end to "bad business" practices that divert focus from the mission. This charge will not be easy. It will be

fraught with difficult conversations, political strategizing, repeated modeling, relentless data collection and analysis, and candid

feedback. But the rewards of good business will be spectacular: the sound of students engaged in the construction of knowledge

38

and the communication of thinking, the opportunity to see that the investment of resources positively affects student

performance on higher-order tasks and staff teaching practices, and the sense of satisfaction that the library media center is the

most information-rich, inquiry-rich, resource-rich, pedagogically-rich classroom in the building.

References

American Association of School Librarians. Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards (accessed

November 18, 2007).

Kenney, Brian. "Rutgers" Ross Todd"s Quest to Renew School Libraries."

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6320013.html (accessed November 15, 2007).

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. "Beyond the Three Rs: Voter Attitudes toward 21st Century Skills."

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/p21_pollreport_2pg.pdf (accessed November 15, 2007).

Todd, Ross. "It"s All about Getting A"s." http://www.cilip.org.uk/publications/updatemagazine/archive/archive2006/january/

toddjan06.htm (accessed November 15, 2007).

Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Schooling by Design. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007.

Zmuda, Allison, and Violet H. Harada. Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century.

Libraries Unlimited, 2008.

http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Zmuda&Harada2008v24nn8p42.html