Lost in the Reads

Hidden . . . Behold the reference section!  Oh wait, let me move the whiteboard- ta-da!  Revealed!  Underwhelmed? So are ALL of my school’s staff and students.   In fact, this collection is so underused at the start of this class I had to go on a hunt to remind myself just where the reference section was. Once I found it I slowly moved the white board back in front of it and backed away. Not even a little bit joking.  Theme three forced me to once again pull aside the whiteboard and really examine what we have in the library, what we need in the library, and what should maybe be allowed to leave the library. The lessons that focused on distinctive reference type resources and with each week readings it gave me the chance to compare our own resources with these topics. Especially helpful were the "Evaluation and Selection" tables provided by Riedling in Reference Skills for the School Librarian.  Via Giphy I essentially came to the

via Pixabay   “A good reference source is one that serves to answer questions, and a bad reference source is one that fails to answer questions.” – Riedling The physical Reference section of our library is outdated, hidden, and untouched by both librarian and patrons for the last few years.   Part of the reason for this neglect is our district collection of online databases . These online databases are useful, relevant, and should be gaining the main attention from teachers and students. However, online databases are not the only reference resources that should be available to our school community. Complementing these valuable resources with a useful print section of dictionaries, atlases, curriculum specific encyclopedias, and curriculum specific texts will increase student use of all references resources and better serve our patrons. Below are the steps necessary to overhaul this dusty, overlooked section of the library to enhance student learning in conjunction with

via pixabay As educators, we are continuously trying to refine our practice so that we can have a meaningful impact on student learning. Teacher-Librarians are in the unique position to be able to provide support to the entire educational community to achieve this goal. This is one reason why being a Teacher-librarian is such an exciting position. To that end, Leading Learning states that in order to be an effective Learning Commons “It is essential to support both student and teacher growth.” (Canadian Library Association, 15).  This type of collaboration is beneficial to everyone, teacher, students, and the teacher-librarian. The examples below use the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to identify how to best introduce and support change in a colleague’s practice. The following charts outline the Level of Use and Stages of Concern used in CBAM.    from  National Academies from National Academies Teacher 1: Mrs. Sinclair Profile Mrs. Sinclair is a