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"Our library is a 21st Century resource hub which enriches teaching and learning through a deep understanding of our school community's needs"

The development of a dynamic and responsive modern school library at the site will depend on expanding the role of appropriately trained and resourced staff. To move towards the library's vision statement (above) the primary recommendation is to develop the role of the Library Coordinator at the site, then demonstrate measurable outcomes in order to refine and expand the role into that of Teacher Librarian. To achieve this the following recommendations will focus on fundamental aspects of the role which offer measurable benefit to the school community and demonstrate the potential value of the role. The Australian School Library Association [ASLA] Statement on teacher librarians in Australia (2016) notes that school libraries and teacher librarians serve many valuable functions, from learning and teaching, to management, to collaboration and leadership and community engagement. The breadth of the role necessitates the plan for improvement target key areas of teacher librarian practice which align with the site’s strategic vision and are of tangible benefit to the school community. As Crowley (2011) insists, it is essential that school libraries employ strategic planning and carefully align goals with appropriate time frames. An initial SWOT analysis (see Placement Analysis) was therefore undertaken which identified significant opportunities for best practice teacher librarianship to support the strategic vision of the site. These are outlined below, along with an indication of the suggested time frame.  

Digital Literacy

The understanding of what it means to be literate has altered significantly in the digital age (Bruce, Edwards and Lupton, 2006) but teacher librarians remain well placed to address these challenges. Hay (2007, p. 7) notes that teacher librarians understanding of curriculum, pedagogy and information science allows them to incorporate ICT into teaching in a manner which encourages higher order thinking and promotes the skill of information use, not just information access. The expertise of a teacher librarian therefore has clear value in terms of meeting the digital literacy needs of the diverse students at this site. Despite Quezzaire’s (2018) assertion that “… no library exists as a single, physical space,” the current absence of library programs, engagement with the school community, digital resources or a student accessible OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) significantly limits the library’s scope. Addressing this will improve the functionality of the library and support the development of those digital literacy skills which Foote (2016) identifies as essential for future ready students. There is overwhelming potential for improvement in this area which can add tangible and ongoing value to the school site, supporting student achievement along with the strategic vision of becoming a school of choice.

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Recommendations:

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First semester

  • Begin to curate digital tools suitable for staff integration into classrooms. Focus on free and simple to apply tools and create help guides on their use and possible applications.

  • Curate staff and student friendly resource lists aligned to units of work (beginning with research units in year 10 to further the strategic vision of SATE alignment)

 

First year

  • Make the OPAC accessible to staff and test its existing functionality as a portal to share resources.

  • Share print resources on digital citizenship and ethics (staff and student)

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Second year

  • Make the OPAC accessible to students with subject specific resource guides

  • Offer library courses on digital citizenship and ethics

Information Literacy & Inquiry Learning

Inquiry learning offers an exciting opportunity to foster the critical and creative thinking and collaborative abilities recognised by the Australian Curriculum as essential 21st century skills (Jones, 2013, p. 177). Indeed, Lupton (2014, p. 8) notes that the Australian Curriculum already embeds many of the inquiry skills. Although elements of inquiry learning are present in the curriculum plans of various departments, there is no cohesive approach to these at the site. This presents a significant opportunity to positively impact teaching and learning at the site. However, Jones (2013, p. 178) acknowledges the challenge of leading teachers to ‘embrace inquiry’ in the face of standardised curriculums and national testing and attempts. In light of the inchoate nature of library services at the site, the promotion of inquiry learning will therefore be a long term goal rather than an immediate focus.

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Hover for recommendations

Recommendations:

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First semester

  • Review opportunities for inquiry learning when mapping the existing curriculum plans

  • Consider inquiry learning needs when curating subject specific resource guides.

 

First year

  • Liaise with Pedagogy HOD and subject area HODS to discuss options for coherent approach to inquiry learning across the school.

 

Second year

  • Develop framework for common language of inquiry = reduce student cognitive load

  • Curate resources to support staff in the delivery of inquiry learning

  • Develop opportunities for collaborating with staff on the development of inquiry units of work

Promotion of Reading & Literacy

The promotion of reading has traditionally been a primary purpose of school libraries and despite expanding into new spaces it remains a core function. The literacy gap experienced by disadvantaged students is well documented. It has been demonstrated  that students with lower levels of socioeconomic status experienced a gap of nearly three years of schooling below that of students from higher levels of socioeconomic background (Thompson, De Bortoli, Nicholas, Hillman & Buckley, 2010). Encouraging a culture of reading is therefore a pressing equity issue. Johnson (2009) maintains that promotion is an essential step in ensuring this by making the value of the library clear and ensuring maximum uptake by current and potential users. A functional library OPAC is therefore essential in promoting literacy and reading. Furthermore, the school email, Twitter and Facebook pages could be useful in initial promotion of the collection and also encourage dialogue with users (Stueart, Moran & Morner, 2012, p. 113). Displays to promote the new acquisitions are also essential, particularly those which highlight the digital items which lack a ‘shelf presence.’ As the library software becomes more widely used, these displays can extend to digital displays.

Hover for recommendations

Recommendations:

 

First year

  • Continue to update physical displays, focusing on existing elements of the collection which represent our school community context

  • Use existing site social media channels to promote the library and its collection in a weekly Library Spotlight

 

Second year

  • Make the OPAC accessible to students with digital displays and book reviews

Collection Management

According to the Australian School Library Association (ASLA), it is the responsibility of a school library to “provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities and maturity levels of the pupils served” and “that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literacy appreciation, aesthetic values and ethical standards” (ASLA, 2018). To ensure a representative and relevant collection which will remain responsive to community needs, rigorous policies in line with best practice must be developed. Clark & Poulton (2011, p. 16) note that students with limited access to books are ill equipped to deal with the text rich digital world. A well-resourced school library is therefore a valuable tool for addressing inequality. The low circulation numbers at the site are in part a reflection of the lack of collection management policies, which have resulted in an outdated and irrelevant collection. Furthermore, it is essential that the library’s collection expand into the digital space. The development of an appropriate selection policy and the incorporation of digital holdings into eh library collection is therefore a priority.

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Hover for recommendations

Recommendations:

 

First semester

  • Roll out appropriate permissions with new school year so OPAC is legally compliant

  • Draft collection management policies for approval by executive

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First year

  • Curate digital items (ICT resources & guides, subject specific resource lists) through the OPAC for staff access

  • Finalise collection management policies in line with needs analysis

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Second year

  • Curate digital items (ICT resources & guides, subject specific resource lists) through the OPAC for student access

References

Australian Library and Information Association [ALIA]. (2014). AITSL Standards for teacher librarian practice. Retrieved February 20, 2020, from https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/AITSL%20Standards%20for%20teacher%20librarian%20practice%202014.pdf.

 

Australian School Library Association [ALSA]. (2018). Policy Statement – School Library Bill of Rights. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Policies/Bill%20of%20Rights_2018.pdf

 

Bruce, C., Edwards, S., & Lupton, M. (2006). Six frames of information literacy education : A conceptual framework for interpreting the relationships between theory and practice., 5 (1). http://www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/italics/vol5-1/pdf/sixframes_final%20_1_.pdf (accessed 23 February, 2006)

 

Crowley, J. (2011). Developing a Vision Strategic Planning for the School Librarian in the 21st Century, Second Edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.

 

Foote, C. (2016). Building Success beyond High School with Career- and College-Ready Literacies. Knowledge Quest, 44(5), 56–60. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1786515024/

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Johnson, P. (2009). Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management (2. ed.). Chicago: ALA Editions.

 

Jones, J. B. (2013) Fostering Creativity through Inquiry. In Creative Imperative : School Librarians and Teachers Cultivating Curiosity Together, edited by Jami Biles Jones, et al., ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=1489947.
Created from qut on 2020-06-03 20:56:04.

 

Lupton, M. (2014). Inquiry skills in the Australian curriculum v6: A bird's-eye view. Access (Online), 28(4), 8-29. Retrieved from https://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1636356892?accountid=13380

 

Mardis, M. (2016). The collection program in schools: Concepts and practices (6th ed.). Retrieved April 1, 2020, from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

 

Stueart, R. D., Moran, B. B., & Morner, C. J. (2013). Library and information center management (8th ed.). Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

 

Thompson, S., De Bortoli, L. Nicholas, M. Hillman, K. & Buckley, S. (2010). PISA in brief: Highlights from the full Australian Report: Challenges for Australian education: Results from PISA 2009. Camberwell, Vic.: Australian Council for Educational Research. http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/PISA-2009-In-Brief.pdf

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