Journal+Entries

9/17/2009

Reading //Administering the School Library Media Center// and //Curriculum Partner// has really opened my eyes to the responsibilities of the School Library Media Specialist. I kept trying to think back to when I was in elementary school and what kinds of interactions I had with the Media Specialist. It seems that things have changed quite a bit - especially when reading the story about the morning news program. I had no idea that was something the School Library Media Specialist would be a part of, let alone participate in. It's refreshing to read that, because this position is no longer the position I had always grown up thinking it was. This job really encompasses more than reading to students (which is primarily what my school librarian did - and I wasn't even in elementary school all that long ago).

Additionally, //Administering the School Library Media Center// talks a bit about technology and the way the schools/students/Library Media Specialist uses technology for projects. On page 83, Morris says that "students produce videos, HyperStudio, or Powerpoint presentations." I find this incredible that students are actually creating Powerpoint presentations based on readings and books. I'm not sure whether or not Morris infers that these students present these projects in the library or for their English classes. Either way, it's great to know that students are not just sitting and listening to someone read. It's so important for the Library Media Center to be interactive.

On another note, I read that Boston.com article about Cushing Academy - I cannot believe they essentially got rid of the library. Furthermore, the school justified it by saying they will buy Kindles for the students. That's wonderful, but what are those students suppossed to do when they get to college? They won't even be able to find a book or know what a Call Number is.

9/24/2009

This is just an observation from my internship this week. I'm currently working on a digital archives project at a very well known hospital in Manhattan. I've been physically working in the Medical Library, which is very well run and is used heavily. While doing work I heard a doctor ask the Library Assistant for some help. I assumed they were looking for something the library didn't have or had trouble finding a journal article. I overheard the conversation, and this incredibly intelligent doctor couldn't find out whether or not the library had the book the doctor was looking for, while searching in the online catalog. When hearing this conversation I thought back to Cushing Academy once again. If a very well trained doctor cannot figure out whether the book is checked out of the library or not, how will these students be able to use a library when they leave this school?

I really enjoyed Chapter 8 of Kearney's //Curriculum Partner//. On page 161, Kearney writes "if students are excited about an activity in the library media center they will discuss it at home with their parents, who will, over time, because supportive of the library media specialist as well as the program." As difficult as it may be to realize, the parents play a large role in the school (which is something we discussed the first day of class). I didn't realize how true this was until I actually started working in the pre-school library I'm working in now. You want the children to be happy, and you also want the parents to be happy as well.

10/1/09

I really wanted to comment on the readings for this week - which I found so incredibly helpful. I don't have too much experience with School Media Centers, aside from my current job as a Preschool Librarian. Between the class and my new job I'm learning a tremendous amount about the profession which will definitely help me when I graduate. The section in Morris about promoting the library was wonderful and had so many wonderful ideas. The suggestion about writing an article for the school newspaper was so inspiring. I was the editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper and the School Media Specialist never did anything to this degree. To be honest if she did I think the library would have gotten much more publicity. Looking back at it now, having an article about the library activities would have been incredibly beneficial. Everyone in the school receieved the newspaper and everyone read it during homeroom. Putting an article about library acitvities is great publicity and would've made the student body, as well as the faculty more aware of the library's mission and what it has to offer to the school.

10/8/09

I decided to base this weeks journal entry around the question posed at the end of class - knowing what I know about myself, what would I need to keep in mind to ensure an exemplary library media program? To start, the school library media specialist needs to be extroverted and go out to make connections. Personally, I know I'm a bit introverted and rather shy so that is definitely something I would need to work on when discussing the field. You need to be approachable and not afraid to speak to large groups of people, which is something an introverted media specialist would have to face and get over. That's something I would definitely something about myself that I need to improve in order to ensure an exemplary library media program. Additionally, the school library media specialist is someone who is not afraid of change and embraces new technology. I don't believe that I have any problems facing new technology, considering that there were constant changes in technology as I went through both elementary and secondary schooling. Personally, I believe I would just need to follow it a little bit more and make sure that my media center were up to date with the latest technology and programs. The library media program cannot fall behind in technology or other programs.

There was an interesting series of posts on LM-NET that I wanted to comment on quickly. A library media specialist commented on Wikipedia and whether or not students should be allowed to site it or consider it an authentic source. I was always told that Wikipedia could not be cited and was not a reliable source. I do use Wikipedia to do a check on certain subjects, but I'm not sure whether or not I would influence students to use it for research.

10/15/09

So I read this article on CNN this week that I wanted to comment about and how it ties into the reading for this week. While reading the entertainment section I came across an article about the movie version of //Where the Wild Things Are//, which comes out this Friday.

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I enjoyed this book as a child and actually planned on reading it to my students this week, which is why I started to read the article. Something that really struck me about the article was a mention about librarians when the book first came out. According to the article, many librarians were worried that children would be scared by the book. As a child I don't remember being scared by this book at all - all of my friends and I understood that there really were no such things as monsters and that our bedrooms would not turn into a jungle. It's interesting to look at because I can't imagine anyone today who would consider that book scary.

In a majority of the readings censorship was brought up, which is definitely a problem today. //Where the Wild Things Are// made me realize that this censorship issue and concern about content isn't really a current day issue.

10/22/09

I thought Chapter 11 of //Administering the School Library Media Center// by Better Morris was extremely helpful and incredibly informative. I do not have much experience working in public schools, so it was great to read about how the books for the library are actually acquired and the resources the library media specialist uses to buy books. The part about bidding was somewhat surprising to me - even though I don't have an education work experience I had no idea that there was even something called the bidding process. I always just assumed that the library media specialist had some kind of budget and picked the books that he/she wanted to buy for the students. I'm sure that's still also true, but with there is that aspect of bidding.

Additionally, I realized that if a library media specialist, or even the library clerk, are ordering materials online they will need access to a variety of websites and databases. I know that many districts block amazon.com from the computers, which must be difficult for the library media specialist who may need to order a book from there. I'm curious as to whether the blocker can be lifted for certain computers, like the one for the library media specialist.

Furthermore, I wanted to comment briefly on the readings in //Curriculum Partner//. The survey on page 67 provides a great outline for someone starting at as a library media specialist. This survey really shows what's important in the library, how it functions and what it's possibly lacking.

10/29/09

This week I added a message from LM_NET to the collaborative week for class participation. I wanted to elaborate on this thread of messages in my journal entries because it's incredibly important and problematic for those in the library sciences field. The particular LM_NET thread im discussing is about a New York City middle school library closing. The library is now full of recliner and computers for teachers and students to spend time in. I was horrified when reading this article, and that the library could just be used for a relaxation room instead of its actual purpose. It makes me worried in these times of economic hardship that this may happen to more and more schools throughout the country.

Additionally, the librarian is suppossed to go from classroom to classroom to teach students about using a library and academic research. However, how can the library media specialist educate the students without the proper facilities? I just don't understand the reasoning used by the administration. The library media specialist, in my opinion, cannot be an effective leader, educator, etc... without the library, proper facilities and resources. How are students even going to be able to take out books? Although the 21st century learner is supposed to use internet resources, students need to use books. Books will never be obsolete and we need to emphasize the value of print materials.

On another note, I wanted to mention an article recently that was published in The New York Times. Although this is not specifically library media centers, one of the libraries at Harvard University has closed. I don't understand why the library is the first to get the axe.

 11/5/09  This week I wanted to comment on Chapter 6 in //Curriculum Partner//. Kearney brings up some excellent points about the research process and how it’s done in the library media center. It’s so helpful to read situations and a guideline of how library media specialists actually go through the process and teach students how to conduct research. Additionally, I enjoyed reading the section about Bea Baaden, considering that she is my professor. Reading about actual situations allows me to understand how the process is done in the library media center. Although I’ve done plenty of research in college, I was a history major, it’s not so easy to teach someone else how to do research because everyone has their own style. These guidelines really make it easy for someone to understand how to at least explain the research process.

I am curious, however, as to how often this research process is taught and how much students learn from it. On paper it’s incredible helpful and the ideal way of teaching someone to conduct research, but do students fully understand how to do so once they leave the library media center? Additionally, do library media specialists actually teach the research process as defined by the seven stages in the Library Research Process (on page 93)? It’s ideal if they do, but I’m assuming that library media specialists have their own style of conducting research and not all of these steps are addressed. Furthermore, do students retain this information year after year? It appears that these students are formally taught about the research process during middle school, 6th-8th grades, and have major research projects every year. I’m curious as to how much time must be spent re-teaching the research process to 7th and 8th graders.

11/11/09 This week once again I'd like to talk about Morris and the wonderful ideas/suggestions in this weeks reading about budget. I honestly don't know too much about budgets and how one even receives a budget so I thought this weeks reading was so helpful (even though I obviously enjoy every weeks readings and find them all equally informative). I never actually knew how much a library budget was, and it's much more than I ever really expected, especially when observing in various library media centers. That really gave me insight into all the things that the library is responsible paying for. The library media specialist no longer worries soley about print materials and one time fees. Now, library media specialists are responsible for so much more, including online sources. Additionally, many of these sources have hosting fees and are not one time fees. I feel like that must be a difficult call to make when it comes to budget, because sometimes you don't know how much money you'll have the following year, which can really be a problem.

I know that library media specialists, especially in New York, are concerned about budget and whether or not their districts will have to slash their budgets. Usually when this happens the library gets the axe, which really makes the students, faculty, staff and the school in general suffer. How can a school run without its resources, especially when the curriculum and school itself seem so dependent on said resources? In most of the schools I visited it seemed that students needed more time in the library media center, not less.

Additionally, I think as a library media specialist, it's important to make some kind of budget for different amounts. That way the library will able to prepare itself for times of economic instability when the school district does not have too much money. I don't know if anyone actually has the time to do that but it seems to make sense. I feel it's better to plan for the worse when it comes to budget, that way if something happens you know what you'll be able to afford. I can't imagine having a large collection of e-books that the school constantly uses then having them made unavailable because of budget cuts.

11/19/09 This week we've read Chapter 7 - Facilities in //Administering the School Library Media Center// by Morris. Although I highly enjoy the reading and find it incredibly helpful, especially when thinking how I would run a library media center after graduating from Palmer (hoping I get a wonderful job) this is the first time that I've definitely seen clear differences between the book and my observations at schools. On page 278, Morris discusses acoustics and that "another way to reduce sound that reflects from barriers, especially hard surfaces, is to set the walls and ceilings on slightly irregular planes, rather than in the traditional parallel pattern." This is a wonderful suggestion, yet I must wonder, does this actually happen in the library media setting? Most of the library media centers I have visited have walls made from cinder block, like the rest of the building. I'm curious as to whether the school district considers acoustics when building a school or even a library. Is the library media specialist contacted if there is a remodel? In addition, Morris states on page 279 that "for best results, at least one-third of the area to be covered should be given acoustical treatment." I think the only place in most of the places I have observed are only concerned with acoustics when it comes to the music room and maybe the auditorium, but not the library.

Additionally, Morris makes mention of furniture in the library media center, including shelving on page 283. It is obviously ideal to have shelves that have some kind of backing to them. Recently, I visited a library media center in which the shelves did not have a backing. The library media specialist mentioned to me that the school district ordered them without a backing, which can make the retrieval of fallen books incredibly difficult. I'm curious as to how much input the library media specialist has when it comes to ordering or possibly a remodel. I know a library clerk who's elementary school had a completely new library built throughout the past year. I believe the library media specialist mentioned some things that should be included in the library, but I'd think that the engineer, architect, etc.. may be interested in discussing the library with the person who actually spends the most amount of time in there and the person who actually runs the library. This would be ideal, however this is not always possible.

This last point I find very interesting about this particular chapter. One page 280 Morris mentions that there should be "a color scheme that provides both variety and harmony [which] can help to make the school library media center a pleasant place to work and visit." Everywhere I've visited the walls are cinder block with no color. Does the color scheme refer to posters or an actual color paint?