Seeing the Clouds: Teacher Librarian as Broker in Collaborative Planning with Teachers

Teachers engaged in sustained collaboration with a teacher librarian were interviewed about the meaning of that collaboration. The findings suggest that the teachers recognized important contributions of the librarian to instructional planning and classroom instruction including knowledge, legwork, and support. In particular, they understood her role as a broker both to resources and to ideas for using those resources in instruction. While these resources were essential, they were not sufficient; they required a knowledgeable peer who also understood their application to the curriculum and what students were expected to learn. They required a librarian

Consider with Whom You Are Working : Discourse Models of School Librarianship in Collaboration

The question of why school librarians still struggle to fully enact the roles defined in Information Power and Empowering Learners may be viewed as a struggle to gain recognition from others that this is what a real school librarian does. Discourse Analysis offers school library research a new theoretical and analytical tool to explore how these roles or identities are created or contested in interactions with others by examining the moment-to-moment talk for the presence of larger meanings, or discourses. Applying a discourse analysis to an exchange that occurred near the end of an ethnographic study of collaborative discourse between a school librarian and a team of second-grade teachers, this study uncovered the presence of several alternative meanings of school librarian in the talk, or discourse, of the participants, including the stereotypical shhhh librarian or story lady. Discourse analysis foregrounds the ongoing struggle by school librarians to implement new roles and new standards

Does ALA Ban Books? Examining the Discourse of Challenged Books

The question Does ALA [American Library Association] ban books? was found on the ALA\u27s Frequently Asked Questions page for Banned Books Week. A critical review of the meanings students were ascribing to the lists of frequently challenged books published by ALA was prompted by the suggestions of two students that the Office of Intellectual Freedom bans books. Was it possible others thought ALA was banning books? This study employed a discourse analysis to closely examine how students talked about the lists and how ALA presents and markets those lists and Banned Books Week. Findings suggest the complexities inherent in the way ALA markets itself and how the public perceives the role of librarians in selecting and providing access to information and ideas

Anatomy of Advocacy: A Case Study of the White House Petition

Little research has been conducted examining advocacy efforts in the school library field despite the fact that program advocate is a prominent role for school librarians. One element of advocacy is the engagement in political initiatives that may affect school library programs. This case study investigates the effectiveness of one advocacy effort in response to a call for support of a national petition in support of school libraries. Data were collected, and factors underlying this advocacy campaign were analyzed. This report is a case study analysis of a time-constrained advocacy initiative, including the number of participants, demographic factors in relationship to participation, and the interaction of participants on an e-mail discussion list. With the emergent focus on lobbying for the reauthorization of ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act), this study has import for the design and development of successful advocacy efforts now and in the future

How Common is Common?

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010) aims to develop students who are college and career ready in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. The standards also emphasize students\u27 need to understand other perspectives and cultures (p. 7). Appendix B of the document includes lists of exemplar texts (stories, read-aloud stories, poetry, and information texts) to help educators choose texts that meet the recommended qualities of complexity, quality, and range. This study examines the Appendix B stories and read-aloud stories at the K-5 levels for diversity in regard to publication year, genre, setting, and protagonist characteristics, including gender and racial and ethnic diversity. Inclusion of diverse texts enables the development of critical literacy skills so that students can consider multiple points of view and other\u27s\u27 differences

After CLASS: What\u27s Next for School Library Research

The research process of the CLASS II research agenda is detailed along with findings from the formal final report of the project. Findings are organized by using the shared foundations from the 2017 AASL National School Library Standards and include highlights from the aggregated research. A discussion of innovative future directions for school library research builds on the CLASS II research findings

Up Close and Personal: Hosting Diverse Authors

Preparing diverse students to become lifetime readers and writers is best facilitated through experiences with high quality, diverse literature and through the models of the authors and illustrators who create those works. Nothing quite brings an author or illustrator to life like hearing from them in person by hosting an author visit. This chapter explores the value of planning an author visit as an authentic means to learn about diverse authors and their work. Information is provided about identifying and choosing a diverse author or illustrator, planning the logistics of the visit, and preparing to build background and interest within the school and the community in anticipation of the visit. This information is framed with the elements for an assignment that could be employed in a children\u27s literature course offered to pre-service teachers and librarians to create a mock plan for an in-person author visit in a school. Students could carry this assignment forward to their classrooms or libraries to plan an author visit or to write a grant to fund a visit

School Librarians Making Global Connections: Conjecture Mapping and Researcher Practitioner Partnerships

Dr. Barbara Schultz-Jones (University of North Texas), Dr Marcia Mardis (Florida State University) and Dr Sue Kimmel (Old Dominion University, Virginia) share their research on a way to support evidence building of causal relationships between the school library and a teacher librarian’s contribution to student outcomes

Pre-Service School Librarians\u27 Perceptions of Research Librarians\u27 Perceptions of Research Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study

This article is an exploratory study of graduate-level instruction on research designs and methods for pre-service school librarians (PSSLs). Using a focus group of one cohort of PSSLs, we examine students\u27 perceptions of understanding research methods, course content and delivery, and self-reported application of new knowledge from a sequence of two graduate research courses in a Master\u27s degree program. Findings indicate increased appreciation and understanding of the research process among participants and the ability to integrate the research findings of others into their own practice, while also indicating little or no confidence in their own abilities to conduct research in their new positions as school librarians or report on their findings to others. Findings point to opportunities to improve instruction through intellectual accessibility, focusing on action research for the practitioner, and scaffolding learning throughout the graduate program

Translated Literature in Your Library: The Mildred L Batchelder Award

Translated books represent a unique bridge between cultures for young readers. This article discusses recent trends and practical applications for award-winning literature that has been translated into English and published in the United States. Winner and honour titles earning the Mildred L Batchelder Award for their publishers often include European languages of origins and settings. Despite this homogeneity, the books represent a quality option as a way to diversify a library collection for English-speaking patrons, particularly young adults, and to enhance teaching lessons with the integration of this global literature