Tech-Savvy School Librarians Provide Value to Modern Learners

journalism, A. B. A. B. is an award-winning writer specializing in, Marketing, C.,

& Communications, B (2022, July 8). Tech-Savvy School Librarians Provide

Value to Modern Learners. Technology Solutions That Drive Education.

https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/07/tech-savvy-school librarians-

provide-value-modern-learners

School librarians are at the forefront of technology adoption and play a crucial role in integrating technology into education. Librarians partner with teachers to provide students with access to a variety of technology tools and resources. These tools help students develop the essential skills they will need for the 21st century workplace. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the role of school librarians in today's educational landscape. The author does an excellent job of highlighting the unique expertise that librarians bring to the table, particularly in terms of integrating technology into teaching and learning. One of the strengths of the article is its emphasis on the importance of school libraries as hubs of learning, creativity, and collaboration. The library is no longer just a place to check out books and do research. The author does a great job of highlighting the ways in which libraries are evolving to meet the changing needs of students, from makerspaces and 3D printers to flexible learning spaces and mobile devices. It is a great tribute to the important work that school librarians do every day. I would recommend it to anyone interested in education technology, school librarianship, or simply wanting to learn more about the vital role that libraries play in supporting student success.

Leveraging the Power of the Collective: Consortia and Collection Development

 Nunez, Sasha

Ballock, T., Ostergaard, K., & Heinlen, A. L. (2019). Creatively collecting: Leveraging the power of the collective to benefit our local collection. In M. Flinchbaugh et al. (Eds.), Transforming Acquisitions and Collection Services: Perspectives on Collaboration Within and Across Libraries (pp. 309-324). Purdue University Press. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/24368

Summary: 

This book chapter considers the value of consortia and building strong library connections as a way to successfully meet user needs in the face of budget constraints. It presents the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium (PALCI) as a case study: this consortium was originally established to facilitate easier sharing of print materials between participating regional academic and research libraries, but over time the partnership has expanded to include: 

• Consortial purchasing of electronic resource subscriptions (p. 313)
• A 39-library rapid interlibrary loan (RapidILL) pod that “supports collection management by supplementing our collection through quick and easy access to numerous resources for which we do not subscribe, allowing us to use our limited budget on other much-needed resources” (p. 314)
• A core “collective collection” of ProQuest and EBSCO e-books accessible to all member libraries (p. 316)
• shared remote storage and shared serials archiving initiatives (p. 309). 

The chapter’s authors describe multiple benefits of this consortium arrangement: saved time, saved money, and the ability to try out new resources and models with the financial and time risk dispersed. The chapter ends with thoughts on the future of consortia and whether it could make sense for participating libraries to consider something like approaching collection assessment and development as a collective task to benefit the consortium as a whole. “Twenty-first-century academic libraries need to operate more like networks, creating collections that complement each other rather than duplicating efforts and wasting valuable resources,” the chapter concludes (pp. 322-323).

Review:

I found this chapter very interesting and enlightening. While I’m familiar with consortia and libraries sharing resources as part of a network (two libraries operating within the same academic institution, for instance), this is probably the most extensive example of intensive material collaboration between libraries I’ve seen. I appreciated the great descriptions the chapter provides of services and resources these libraries share, and it can be read as a sort of roadmap for other interested libraries to follow suit. 

 Ambrosio, Heather 

The Only Grant-Writing Book You'll Ever Need

By Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox

I found this book on  the Candid grant writing site along with other free resources and e-books. If you make a free account you are welcome to read many free full length grant writing books that they have readily  available on overdrive. Some are even audiobooks!

Fox, A. S., & Karsh, E. (2023). The only grant-writing book you’ll ever need lib/E the only grant-writing book you’ll ever need lib/E. Basic Books.

This book contains plenty of practical information on Grant writing for newbies. It tells you to contact politicians, get on mailing lists, when to apply, when not to apply, how to do your homework, what information to gather before and after, vital terms, and sites to explore for grant opportunities. 

The most most important tools to explore include: The foundation center online at: www.foundationcenter.org,  for foundation research: the grantsmanship center at www.tgci.com and for federal grants information, go to www.grants.gov

What’s not to like!

Altobelli, R., & Lambert, N. J. (2022). LGBTQ-Inclusive Collections: School Librarian Self-Reflections    

            And Collection Development Guide. Knowledge Quest, 50(4), 22+.             

            https://link-gale-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/apps/doc/A697577817/PROF?u=csusj&sid=

            bookmark-PROF&xid=130d040d

Summary

In recent years school libraries have been experiencing an increase in book challenges, especially books with LGBTQ+ themes. This article hopes to supply librarians with the tools that they need to be confident when making decisions about adding these books to the collection and learning to defend them when necessary.

The article begins with some basic vocabulary around gender identity, gender expression, sex, attraction and sexual orientation, and gives resources for additional information, explores stereotypes, and discusses the importance of having a safe space for LGBTQ+ students. Several links to recommended book lists and award lists are given for easy reference. The author reminds us that when adding to the collection, it is also  necessary to examine the current collection and remove books that are incorrect or out of date, and this includes incorrect information about legal matters or health issues.

Adding books with LGBTQ+ representation to the library collection helps to increase visibility. Reading these books can help students identify with characters who are like them or who are like their friends.  Part of having an inclusive collection means that the collection will have a variety of different perspectives available to all. 

Review

This article was clearly written and well researched.  It explains the reasons why an inclusive collection should contain LGBTQ+ books and gives resources for librarians to seek out good books (both fiction and non-fiction).  Adding these books to our collections is vital, because it is stated that about half of all students have trouble finding LGBTQ+ books in their school library.  We need to support our students and give them what they need and want to read. Remember that by reading these students will find people they identify with, or people they see in their lives, and we want to continue to provide those doors and windows to see and walk through.

I enjoyed this article and feel it gives good information. The resources provided are good ones to keep on hand and help to further research on the subject.

Showing importance of diversity through mirrors, windows, and sliding doors.

 Miller, Tiffany.

What Are Mirrors and Windows? - WeAreTeachers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2024, from https://www.weareteachers.com/mirrors-and-windows/

Summary:

    Stories are used to act as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. It is important for mirrors (seeing ourselves) in stories to have a sense/feeling of belonging and that we are not alone. Windows (seeing others) are important to develop an understanding about the wider world and may be the only experience we have with differences in culture, skin color, religion, lifestyles, and more. It is very important for the introduction to be one of non-judgment and supportive acceptance. Sliding glass doors are a newer concept expanding on windows. The door allows the reader to walk into a story and become part of the world. This encourages reflection and action in hopes of changing perspectives.

Review:

    I love this concept as it is easy to visualize and grasp the difference. This refers to using it with children in a classroom but is the exact reason everyone needs to be represented in a the library and in stories. It is a quick way to explain to children and adults why it is important for diversity in our books in all the different ways, not just race. There is a list of books for different topics of DEI that would be good to have in your library. It also includes some books to further deepen your understanding of these concepts. I like how it talks about not just thinking of windows and doors in terms of literacy. We are trying to get more events/programs centered around more than just the majority population by celebrating different holidays or showcasing different cultures. Just a great article to introduce windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors that all librarians need to remember.

AI and Libraries - A Brief Discussion

Lund, B.D. and Wang, T. (2023), "Chatting about ChatGPT: how may AI and GPT impact 

academia and libraries?", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 40 No. 3, pp. 26-29. 

https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-01-2023-0009

Summary:

ChatGPT has considerable and worrying advantages for those in the library profession to be able to use in the coming years. It is important to note the ways in which to use ChatGPT and other AI technologies responsibly and understand the ethical implications that may occur when abusing the new and updating technology. Utilizing GPT as well as other AI programs can save on a librarian's time throughout the day, but it should never be the deciding factor on any decisions for a library. It is a great research tool and can be used to improve academic libraries, but there are drawbacks like any tool that librarians should be aware of.

Review:

I found the article rather insightful. I don't usually utilize AI tools in my day to day just because of the risk that they pose on potentially being wrong. I do think the article was insightful on both the dangers and the positives for AI usage, specifically that of ChatGPT which tends to be the most common AI tool so far. There is always going to be bias, whether it be human or AI standards, but again that is when we don't just focus on one person or tool to be the deciding factor when it comes to decision making for a whole library population.

-Smothers, Kelsey

Keeping Up with Patron Driven Acquisitions

Ashley Avila 

American Library Association (2014). "Keeping Up With... Patron Driven Acquisitions", American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/pda 

Summary:

Libraries usually use the "Just in Case" Model for collection development. The model was librarians buying items in anticipation for future needs by patrons. This led to books sitting on the shelves with little to no circulation. There was then a shift to using the "Just in Time" Model. This modal was buying titles on demand, also known as Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA). Prude University conducted a study comparison of circulation rates between the two methods. It was found that using PDA model the books were twice as likely to circulate. There are benefits and challenges to using PDA model with e-books according to the author. The benefit is there is immediate access to materials and it reduces the work load of staff. The challenges are the limited availability of e-books, publisher restrictions, Digital Rights Management (DRM), and long-term licensing concerns. 

Review:

This article gives an insight on the two different models of collection development. This is an example on how collection development practices can impact the circulations rates of materials. If we anticipating needs, then books are going uncirculated due to there being no immediate need. On the other hand, when materials are bought as requested, books are more likely to circulate and the library can map the community immediate needs.