Post-literacy causing the end of school libraries?

All this discussion about a post-literate society has gotten me thinking.

A few months ago, I went to the UK to visit some friends. 

My friends twin boys, who are 12 and at the end of their first year of high school, are not big readers. 

One of the boys has dyslexia and struggles to make text work for him.   What amazed me though was how many books and the level of the material that these two boys were getting through. 

Both boys have their own mp3 players and smartphones.  When at home and not doing their homework, both boys can frequently be seen wandering around with headphones plugged in, pottering around or snuggled up in a comfortable chair.  Both boys are avid audio-book "readers" or, I guess more accurately, "listeners." At the moment Ben is making his way through Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy while Alex is almost finished JRR Tolkein's The Hobbit.

What astounded me most was the amount of content that they were actually taking in and could quite happily discuss major and minor plot points with you in a very animated discussion.

They have access to a number of speech to text programs both at school and at home, but as yet there are few text to speech options when it comes to their school material.

If only they had access to their school textbooks in audio format.  It might make it easier for them to negotiate the next few years of their academic lives. 

Since my return from this trip, I decided to  give audio books a try for myself.  In the past week I have finally finished the seventh Harry Potter book in audio format.  I enjoyed the whole experience immensely but have come to the conclusion that I would only use audio books for books that I am already familiar with as I miss too much content when my brain wanders.  My auditory processing is obviously not quite as advanced as these boys.

I think the important thing to consider in all of this is the fact that everyone has a different learning style.  I know that I am a visual learner and struggle to remember things  I hear.  These boys are obviously more aural  (or linguistic-verbal) learners.  I think the dominance of certain learning styles are starting to shift in this digital post-literate society.

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For a while now, I have been curious about how the digital reading revolution is going to impact the primary school library. 

I can see how secondary school libraries are likely to move across to digital text books and see a diminishing number of print resources available on the shelves.  It is much easier to visualise students in high schools and college (year 11 and 12 in the ACT) as students are more responsible and can be trusted to look after their own laptops or tablets (and by tablets I include everything from iPads to e-book readers).

What I cannot see is how pre-school and early primary school students can be expected to care for and safely manage a laptop or tablet when they struggle to look after a single book at the moment.

Digital collections are likely to filter through to the primary school environment in one capacity or another, but I think we are a long way of all print resources vanishing from the primary school library altogether.

As for those who are questioning whether or not school libraries are still needed have obviously not witnessed the joy of preschool and early primary school students when they share a book with an adult and have the freedom to choose their own book to take home for the week.  Children just learning to read are often ravenous for stories, eager to find one that they particularly enjoy and start to develop their own personal tastes.

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After my ranting though, I did just come across this video by Library Ireland.  It's a book domino video titled "Smart people use smart libraries."  Enjoy.

Dewey Decimal Rap

Just watched a video courtesy of one of my fellow ETL401 students.

A rap about the Dewey Decimal system and where you can find some information. I think that sections of it could be useful for introducing upper primary students to the filing system of their non-fiction books.

E-books and Audio books

Before the start of this semester of university, I finally splurged and bought myself an e-book reader.  There were a plethora of reasons behind the decision but my decision was made when I looked at my stack of printed readings from the one unit I was studying last semester.

With this in mind, my new investment had to be able to view .pdf files as well as standard format .epub files.  It also had to be able to allow notes to be taken directly onto the files, either in handwritten format or text notes.

I ended up purchasing the new release Sony Reader Touch edition.  It has a lovely clear e-ink screen and is slim and fits into the hand easily.  It also frees up a lot of space in my handbag which is usually occupied by a chunky paperback.

So far, I have only really been reading an .epub novel on the reader and  I am loving it.  I have played around with the .pdf format documents and they are a little bit more complicated to manipulate than I had expected.

One of the best features is that I can just drag and drop files into a folder on the readers harddrive without the need to use a specific program.

The main downfall of the Sony Reader is that the File name and the Title of a .pdf document are not always the same and whilst it is very easy to change the Title of a file, the Reader displays the File name of the document that you cannot change without an extra piece of software.  Now that I understand the nuances of this quirk, it is only a slight annoyance.

The other new piece of technology that I have been trying recently is audio books.  I have memories of listening to audio books on long car journeys with my parents, in particular Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.  Over the past few years though, I have been a little bit skeptical about the convenience of audio books for someone who doesn't go on long drives.

I invested in the complete Harry Potter series read by Stephen Fry.  After a few months of listening to 15 minute snippets on my way to work and more lengthy sessions whilst doing the housework or the occasional drive to Sydney, I have finished all 7 books.  And I think I may have fallen in love.  Stephen Fry is fabulous and has distinctive voices for each character and he transitions between them flawlessly.

After the success of Harry Potter, I am looking forward to listening to all of  Roald Dahl's books, read by famous British actors and actresses.

In conclusion, I think that my foray into new technologies (well I know audio books are not a new technology but they are new to me) has been very successful.  I will be intrigued to see how these technologies are integrated into the primary school library setting.

Currently reading: The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

That old book smell...

For many years, I have wondered why I love old books so much.
This might be part of the reason.

Absolutely fascinating stuff, right?

I also came across the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2011

Publisher and Library Resources

During my web browsing before the semester gets under full swing, I came across the following web gems.

2011 Top 10 Book lists.

Penguin Teachers Corner - has "Off the Shelf" magazine and lesson ideas.

Puffin Website - bright, cheerful website with great reviews.
And its education centre.

International Children's Digital Library - vibrant collection of childrens picture eBooks available to view online.


I finally decided it was time to investigate my local library and through their website I found the OverDrive site with a fantastic to digital collections and eBooks.


Well, semester started again today. I suppose that I should get on with my readings.

Edinburgh's mysterious book sculptures

This week, a friend of mine shared a link to something that I heard a little bit about a while ago.

Throughout this year, 2011, the libraries and museums around Edinburgh, Scotland, have had beautiful, intricate book sculptures appear anonymously on their shelves.  Each book contains a message about the importance of books and libraries and ties specifically to the location at which it was placed.

In total there have been 7 sculptures donated and they all have a link to Ian Rankin.

These are my two favourites.

The full article can be found at:

http://txikitoplanet.posterous.com/mysterious-paper-sculptures-at-edinburgh-libr

2012 - National Year of Reading

Just got very excited when I discovered that next year is being dubbed National Year of Reading.

Sounds like there are some fascinating events being prepared along with a nation wide moving exhibition of Alison Lester's original artwork for the book "Are We There Yet?"

http://www.love2read.org.au

Also came across Good Reading magazine today. Looking forward to reading this months issue and hoping for a subscription for Christmas!

Reflecting on my school libraries

Now that the first assignment has been submitted, I think it is time to reflect on my memories of school libraries.

I vividly remember the library and librarian, Mr Arthur, from my first school.

It was in a separate building of its own, joined to the rest of the school via closed tunnel.  It was split across three and a half levels with walls covered by student artworks and displays. 

The upper floor was a large open space, surrounded by the fiction shelves, sorted into junior and senior books along the walls.  Along the open balcony were a number of soft benches and each class’ book pockets.  These book pockets were still used to hold the book cards with the title and due date of any books that you currently had borrowed, despite the fact that on the middle entry level of the library was the computer based cataloguing system that was used with every loan.  I can remember the joy of being the library monitor for a session where you got to either scan the other students names and books onto the computer or got to date stamp their book cards.

 The lower level of the library was the non-fiction reference section.  This floor had books along all of the walls and a number of desks clustered on the main floor.  As a class we used to come in to research for assignments, making particular use of the encyclopaedias.  At the end of this lower floor were two small rooms with giant windows.  If I remember correctly, these contained a few computers which were the schools only computer labs.

 There was also a mini mezzanine level above the upper floor that contained a class set of personal tape decks and headphones and acted as a language listening lab for our Italian lessons.

I remember that we had a few visits from well known Australian authors.  The one that sticks out the most in my mind was Margaret Wild.

I don't remember much about the library at my second primary school.  I remember that there were stacks for the non-fiction books and I think the fiction books were around the edges of a small open space. There were also a number of tables scattered around.

My high school library and librarian, Miss Gershon, also stick in my memory.

It was a large space with the fiction books around the outer walls and the non-fiction books in tall stacks.  Around the fiction books were small circle of comfortable lounges and there were a collection of computer "nook" clustered in the middle of the library, effectively dividing the fiction and non-fiction.  Popular paperback fiction was also stored on rotating wire stands and there were a few small study rooms along one wall as well as a number of study carrels along the back wall.  To enter into the library, I can remember lining up as a class in front of the electric gateway in a small dark passageway where everyone had to leave their bags.  There was never enough space for everyone's bags on the shelves so people were always tripping over ones scattered on the floor.

The Google Generation

I have been thinking recently about the way that we no longer say that we are going to search for something on the internet.  We now say that we are going to "google it".  It scares me the way that Google has become synonymous with the term to search.

This video, entitled "Digital Literacy in the Google Generation" was mentioned by a fellow classmate on the university forums. It poses and interesting question about what we need to teach our students so that they become more informed critical thinkers.

This image was in the above video. It is one of my favourites.

Starting Again

After another slow start to the semester (assisted by the fact that I was overseas) I am back for my second attempt at ETL 401. I am still struggling with the whole work/life/study balance but am starting to learn to say no to things so that I can actually get on with some study.

After taking the time to explore the introductory module of this unit, I am starting to form a more concrete image of the role of the Teacher Librarian within the school environment. To me, the "role of the school library as the information centre of the school and the role of the teacher librarian as the school’s information specialist" (CSU ETL401 Introduction 2011) is a new perspective on how the library fits into the school context. Herring (2007, p27.) explains further that "school libraries do not, like many other libraries, merely support the community in which they exist, nor do they merely serve that community, but they are a vital part of the school. The school library should be seen as a centre of learning first and a centre of resources second."

However it comes as no surprise to me that to be an effective TL, one must have knowledge in a broad range of fields as noted below.

• library and information management
• education
• children’s and young adult literature
• educational administration
• organisational behaviour
• inquiry learning and information literacy
• information and communication technology (CSU ETL401 Introduction 2011)

I adore the way that Herring (2007, p28.) explains the value of the school library. "Using a school library well and learning from a teacher librarian can be a vital part of students’ education." Herring later summarises the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) School Library Manifesto where it states that ‘The school library equips students with lifelong learning skills and develops the imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens’ but it can be criticised for putting services before this in a preceding sentence (International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) 2006, paragraph 1).

The role of the Teacher Librarian within the school context encompasses many different roles, which must be prioritised in order to be effective. The TL in a school environment wears a plethora of different hats that cover the many different roles required to effectively run and manage a school library. The TL uses the knowledge from the fields stated above to effectively manage all of the different roles.

Now that I am beginning to understand more about the role of the Teacher Librarian in a school context, I am feeling more confident that I am heading in the right direction for assignment 1.

Currently reading: A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French 

Getting Started (posted March 17 on old blog)

After a slow start to the semester, I am finally getting into the swing of studying online. This blog has been started for the first subject of my Masters of Education (Teacher Librarian) and will hopefully continue to be used as a learning journal for the rest of my degree.

I am in my first year out from my undergrad degree of Bachelor of Education (Primary) and have decided that I prefer working with a variety of students across a school rather than sticking with one class the whole time. I have always loved books and my spare room at home is currently looking more like a library than an office. I worked for a few years in a large bookstore and my favourite part of the job was recommending a new title to another bibliophile.

I am struggling to find a balance between working part-time as a relief teacher during the days and working 6 nights a week as a nanny. The challenge now after my slow start is to catch up enough on the readings that I can start on my first assignment as soon as possible. That way I can stop having melt downs about whether I made the right choice to continue studying.

Currently reading: The Book of Lies by James Moloney