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[CCBC-Net] more thoughts on scheduled and flexible library time
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From: Julie Corsaro <juliecorsaro2>
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 21:06:47 -0400
I've been fortunate to have worked in private elementary school libraries with more than one professional librarian, space to comfortably accomodate more than one class, competent clerical help, committed volunteers and an ample budget. Under these ideal circumstances, classes have been scheduled into the library on a weekly basis, with opportunites for classes to also visit the library on an "as needed" basis for research or other projects , and the opportunity to plan collaboratively with classroom teachers.
That said, I have also worked in school districts where elementary school students were left at the library door because it was the teacher's
"planning period" and were only a few teachers were interested in working collaboratively with the (one) librarian. In many of these schools, the librarian spent a great deal of time reshelving books and at the circulation desk checking out materials rather than providing reader's advisory because there was no assistant to supervise clerical tasks.
The good news is that the latter scenario has increasingly become a thing of the past, perhaps in large part due to the campaign for flexible scheduling and collaborative planning. Unfortunately, the flexible schedule has often also been accompanied by a certain rigidity to acknowledge some of the its disadvantages. Like Laurie, I feel that the biggest problem is that some teachers-no matter how dynamic or brilliant the librarian or his or her offerings-will not arrange to bring their students to the library, and some students-for any number of reasons-can not get to the library on their own.
While school librarians certainly can't return to the negative conditions of the past, I also feel that we need to discuss some of the current problems so that we can come up with creative solutions and truly leave "no child behind," at least where the library is concerned.
I have a good friend who is a dynamic school librarian in suburban Chicago. She is a big advocate for flexible scheduling and collaborate planning, but she also wants to ensure that all students check books out of the library on a regular , and that all teachers use the library. To this end, my friend has given the teachers the option of signing up for a weekly check-out period. Teachers accompany their students to the library and help with selection. At the end of each month, my librarian friend e-mails the teachers to see if they would like to continue with the same check-out time or make a change. In this way, my librarian friend ensures that all students get to the library, she stays connected with classroom teachers (who perceive her as being flexible), and she still has time to work collaboratively with classroom teachers and their students, and provide booktalks, storytelling, library instruction and other programming.
Julie Corsaro
>To: "Subscribers of ccbc-net" <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
>Subject: [CCBC-Net] more thoughts on scheduled and flexible library time
>Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:41:00 -0700
>
>Students need time in their school libraries on a regular basis both to
>learn research and library skills, as well as to be exposed to the joys
>of books through being read to and having time to wander and browse and
>discover their own interests.
>
>
>
>Too many young people see the library and reading as a chore, so it's
>clear they aren't getting the latter, but given the numbers of
>
>people (school age-through adults) who come to the public library who
>don't have basic library skills, it's clear they aren't getting the
>former either.
>
>
>
>We are letting them down by not providing opportunities for both, and I
>think scheduling is critical, because it gives the message that the
>library is someplace important to be included in our lives.
>
>
>
>
>
>Nancy Silverrod
>
>San Francisco Public Library
>
>100 Larkin St.
>
>San Francisco, CA 94102-4733
>
>_______________________________________________
>CCBC-Net mailing list
>CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
>http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
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Received on Tue 11 Oct 2005 08:06:47 PM CDT
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 21:06:47 -0400
I've been fortunate to have worked in private elementary school libraries with more than one professional librarian, space to comfortably accomodate more than one class, competent clerical help, committed volunteers and an ample budget. Under these ideal circumstances, classes have been scheduled into the library on a weekly basis, with opportunites for classes to also visit the library on an "as needed" basis for research or other projects , and the opportunity to plan collaboratively with classroom teachers.
That said, I have also worked in school districts where elementary school students were left at the library door because it was the teacher's
"planning period" and were only a few teachers were interested in working collaboratively with the (one) librarian. In many of these schools, the librarian spent a great deal of time reshelving books and at the circulation desk checking out materials rather than providing reader's advisory because there was no assistant to supervise clerical tasks.
The good news is that the latter scenario has increasingly become a thing of the past, perhaps in large part due to the campaign for flexible scheduling and collaborative planning. Unfortunately, the flexible schedule has often also been accompanied by a certain rigidity to acknowledge some of the its disadvantages. Like Laurie, I feel that the biggest problem is that some teachers-no matter how dynamic or brilliant the librarian or his or her offerings-will not arrange to bring their students to the library, and some students-for any number of reasons-can not get to the library on their own.
While school librarians certainly can't return to the negative conditions of the past, I also feel that we need to discuss some of the current problems so that we can come up with creative solutions and truly leave "no child behind," at least where the library is concerned.
I have a good friend who is a dynamic school librarian in suburban Chicago. She is a big advocate for flexible scheduling and collaborate planning, but she also wants to ensure that all students check books out of the library on a regular , and that all teachers use the library. To this end, my friend has given the teachers the option of signing up for a weekly check-out period. Teachers accompany their students to the library and help with selection. At the end of each month, my librarian friend e-mails the teachers to see if they would like to continue with the same check-out time or make a change. In this way, my librarian friend ensures that all students get to the library, she stays connected with classroom teachers (who perceive her as being flexible), and she still has time to work collaboratively with classroom teachers and their students, and provide booktalks, storytelling, library instruction and other programming.
Julie Corsaro
>To: "Subscribers of ccbc-net" <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
>Subject: [CCBC-Net] more thoughts on scheduled and flexible library time
>Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:41:00 -0700
>
>Students need time in their school libraries on a regular basis both to
>learn research and library skills, as well as to be exposed to the joys
>of books through being read to and having time to wander and browse and
>discover their own interests.
>
>
>
>Too many young people see the library and reading as a chore, so it's
>clear they aren't getting the latter, but given the numbers of
>
>people (school age-through adults) who come to the public library who
>don't have basic library skills, it's clear they aren't getting the
>former either.
>
>
>
>We are letting them down by not providing opportunities for both, and I
>think scheduling is critical, because it gives the message that the
>library is someplace important to be included in our lives.
>
>
>
>
>
>Nancy Silverrod
>
>San Francisco Public Library
>
>100 Larkin St.
>
>San Francisco, CA 94102-4733
>
>_______________________________________________
>CCBC-Net mailing list
>CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
>http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
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Received on Tue 11 Oct 2005 08:06:47 PM CDT
