Classroom Library Research Articles

‘Scientists Like Me’: Using Culturally Relevant Information Literacy Instruction to Foster Student STEM Identity

In this case study, two librarians reflect upon our efforts to design STEM-focused information literacy instruction for undergraduate students at an R1, land grant university. Designed around the principles of culturally relevant pedagogy, our curriculum integrates community-focused and regionally specific topics reflecting our students' lived experience, features the work of scientists from diverse backgrounds, and fosters discussions about equity in the library classroom. Our experience shows that this approach can help foster STEM identity development in students while strengthening inquiry-based learning through information research.

Setting up classroom libraries in rural areas: The case of Mogodumo circuit in Limpopo

There is an urgent need to establish classroom libraries, especially in rural areas where learners hardly come across any reading material. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers set up classroom libraries in rural areas of the Mogodumo circuit in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature. Fifteen English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers from 12 schools participated in the study. Observation and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. It was found that while all participants recognised the importance of reading for their learners, only 7 of the 15 teachers managed to establish classroom libraries. The study revealed that teacher self-efficacy (TSE) played a crucial role in setting up classroom libraries, given the serious challenges of funding, resources and support experienced by rural schoolteachers. Teachers with high TSE managed to establish classroom libraries by using their own time, money, and resources, while those with low TSE failed to establish classroom libraries. We recommend that school managers should make time and resources available to rural schoolteachers to enable them to establish classroom libraries.

Setting up classroom libraries in rural areas: The case of Mogodumo circuit in Limpopo

There is an urgent need to establish classroom libraries, especially in rural areas where learners hardly come across any reading material. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers set up classroom libraries in rural areas of the Mogodumo circuit in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature. Fifteen English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers from 12 schools participated in the study. Observation and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. It was found that while all participants recognised the importance of reading for their learners, only 7 of the 15 teachers managed to establish classroom libraries. The study revealed that teacher self-efficacy (TSE) played a crucial role in setting up classroom libraries, given the serious challenges of funding, resources and support experienced by rural schoolteachers. Teachers with high TSE managed to establish classroom libraries by using their own time, money, and resources, while those with low TSE failed to establish classroom libraries. We recommend that school managers should make time and resources available to rural schoolteachers to enable them to establish classroom libraries.

Interrupting the Criminalization of Information in the Academic Library Classroom

Libraries have long been involved in conversations around book banning and censorship. The American Library Association noted that librarians and information workers in 2022 witnessed the most documented attempts at banning books ever recorded. This is in lockstep with contemporary examples of legislative efforts to censor, ban, and by extension criminalize information. The criminalization of information is one that has a direct impact on library users as well as academic freedom. In an effort to best support scholars at all levels in the University, academic teaching librarians will need to develop strategies to approach the information classroom. Understanding that book bans and censorship are a form of criminalization allows us to be in conversation with scholarship that focus on how to combat criminalization such as abolitionist pedagogy. This article introduces core concepts of abolitionist pedagogy as a means to create new educational justice pathways and to interrupt information criminalization.

Developing Mental Models for Examining Diversity in Children’s Literature

ABSTRACT Teachers need tools to build mental models of what makes a book diverse, how a book impacts the classroom community, and what contribution it makes within a classroom library. Beyond this, teachers need a resource that will offer cogent arguments and support for their book choices to administrators, parents, and colleagues. This article includes a rubric that can help guide and inform diverse literature selections. We share how we taught preservice teachers to use the rubric in their literature choices. We also provide a discussion of the rubric’s potential in empowering teachers to make purposeful, informed literature selections that reflect and embrace diversity for equitable classroom communities. To examine how the rubric might support the expansion of cultural models and multimodal interpretations of diverse texts, we used the rubric with 20 preservice teachers from one section of an undergraduate children’s literature course. The use of the rubric facilitated the development of mental models of diverse literature in preservice teachers. As these preservice teachers transition into their roles as classroom teachers, these mental models have the potential to actively transform the typical literature selections found in today’s classrooms, leading to more equitable classroom contexts inclusive of all children.

Establishing a university-partnership model to #EliminateBookDeserts in urban communities

ABSTRACT The purpose of this theory-to-practice paper on community engagement within education is to focus on developing a new collaborative model within a university-school partnership to address book deserts. Drawing on the historical work of previous scholars regarding equity, policy, and community engagement, this article adds to the existing research regarding long-term initiatives to eliminate book deserts. The focus of this work includes details of an ongoing community engagement initiative with a community development literacy partnership model to build school and classroom libraries in underserved communities of color. Implications for scholars, activists, and community advocates who focus on social action surrounding community development are discussed and delineated.

“Divisive Concepts” Legislation Reaching into Tennessee Secondary Classrooms Has “Chilling Effect” on Teachers

Recent legislation in Tennessee regarding “divisive concepts” in secondary education negatively impacts teachers. It causes them to question previously taught content for fear that parents or administrators might deem it too controversial, which could put educators’ jobs in jeopardy. Secondary educators used various approaches when handling potentially “divisive” material, such as changing “hot button” terms while teaching the same basic content, “watering down” lessons to ensure they will not be targeted, or cutting out all potentially controversial subjects altogether. These are examples of the “chilling effect” caused by certain types of legislation. Another example is the recent book banning in Tennessee that resulted in many teachers cutting out their classroom libraries completely to avoid trouble. The increasing legislative reach into secondary classrooms has important implications for both students and teachers, such as contributing toward the growing teacher shortage statewide or leaving students as unprepared voters and citizens. Therefore, educators must speak out about the negative impacts of legislative overreach.

Challenges faced by intermediate phase English First Additional Language teachers in establishing classroom libraries in Limpopo Province

Classroom libraries have an important function in the development of reading abilities for English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners in the Intermediate Phase (grades 4 to 6). This research aimed at exploring the challenges faced by the Intermediate Phase EFAL teachers in establishing classroom libraries in a rural circuit of the Limpopo Province to promote learners’ reading ability. A qualitative grounded theory approach was employed using observations and an interview schedule with semi structured open-ended questions. Nine participants were purposefully selected. The study found that there was limited relevant reading material, a lack of space for setting up a classroom library in overcrowded classrooms, teachers’ lack of knowledge on organising the classroom library books and a lack of strategies on how to control the checking in and out of books. It is recommended that schools should first allocate funds for buying books and seek donations for reading material from public libraries as well as non-governmental organisations. Inservice training should be conducted to equip teachers with the basic skills of organising and facilitating the checking out and returning of classroom library books.

Media and information literacy (MIL) in library classrooms: Content analysis of news evaluative criteria in instructional worksheets and checklists

This research aims to analyze the evaluative criteria the U.S. academic librarians employ in their instructional worksheets and checklists to understand how academic librarians teach media and information literacy (MIL)-related content. The study employs content analysis as a primary method to analyze these evaluative criteria and finds that academic librarians in the U.S. are mainly concerned with information literacy concepts while teaching news literacy topics (i.e., fake news, disinformation) and select criteria that revolve around the authority of sources (i.e., “authorship” and “quality of supporting evidence”) while media literacy concepts (i.e., “representation”) go vastly unrecognized.

Building community: DIY punk strategies for the library classroom

Building community: DIY punk strategies for the library classroom

Authors, Books, and Beyond: Taking a (Critical) Peek at Your Classroom Library

Authors, Books, and Beyond: Taking a (Critical) Peek at Your Classroom Library

Bias Starts Early. Let's Start Now: Developing an Anti‐Racist, Anti‐Bias Book Collection for Infants and Toddlers

AbstractDuring the first year of life, children begin to develop preferences for their own racial group over others. To interrupt the development of these and other biases during infancy and toddlerhood, educators can use books to promote anti‐racist and anti‐bias thinking and behaviors in children, while also supporting children's emergent literacy. This article presents criteria for educators to consider as they curate a collection of developmentally appropriate books for infant/toddler classroom libraries. In doing so, educators can expose children to positive representations of others and cultivate respect for children and their communities. We offer practical information about how educators can use these books to promote anti‐racist and anti‐bias education during the first years of life.

Mathematics Content in Early Childhood Classroom Libraries: Alignment with Common Core Mathematics Standards

Mathematics Content in Early Childhood Classroom Libraries: Alignment with Common Core Mathematics Standards

Storybooks in hand: A randomised control trial of a classroom library model

Significant progress has been made in evaluating effective programmes to improve the teaching of early grade reading in the Global South. Although sustained and continuous independent reading is key to developing the habit of reading and reading proficiency, very little is known about effective classroom library or reading corner models for resource constraint contexts. This study addresses this gap by using a randomised control trial to evaluate the cost effectiveness and ease of use of a low-cost classroom library model. A model that combines classroom library kits with onsite training and coaching was Implemented in Grades 1–3 classes in 101 no-fee, rural public schools in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Using a wait list control group design, schools were randomly assigned to receive the classroom library intervention. Halfway through the intervention period, learners in the two groups of schools were interviewed about their access to books within their classrooms. Additional evidence was gathered from interviews with teachers and analysis of administrative records of storybook borrowing. The findings show that the implementiaton of the classroom library model significantly improved children’s access to independent reading books in classrooms. On average, learners in the intervention group borrowed the equivalent of 10 storybooks in an academic year.

It's All Improv to Me

Inspired by a workshop on incorporating improvisational techniques into classroom pedagogy, the in-class game Research Roulette was conceived as a way to incorporate improv and physical movement, with the specific goal of bringing a playful element into information literacy sessions. What shifts when the stated goal in a library workshop is to have fun and explore, instead of the prescriptive set of instructions of a more traditional bibliographic instruction? What happens when we move on from games and invite actual play? For students whose primary goal in a classroom or educational setting is to complete the work and do well, incorporating a playful element can be destabilizing. This article will explore the ways in which play, critical pedagogy, and information literacy intersect in the library classroom environment.

Conducting a Diversity Audit: Who is Represented in Your Classroom Library?

AbstractThis article provides an overview of the importance of and the steps to undertaking a classroom library diversity audit. It begins by situating the importance of the classroom library in children's development because literature can reflect and expand worldviews. Next, statistics of U.S. children's literature publishing and U.S. classroom populations are provided to contextualize the need for a diverse classroom library. The article then covers the four steps a teacher needs to take to complete a classroom library audit ‐ visualizing, completing the inventory, reflecting on findings, and developing next‐step plans. It concludes with a call to action for teachers to consider their responsibility as curators of diversity.

Preschool Classroom Libraries in Turkey: Are They Used to Support Early Mathematics Skills?

The two studies in this paper considered the use of the classroom library as a means of socializing mathematics development in Turkish preschoolers. Study 1 (n = 80) documented whether classes had a library, its contents, and whether/how teachers encouraged children to use the library. Study 2 (n = 47) investigated the teachers’ confidence in teaching mathematics and the means that they used. Both studies used online surveys that were distributed via social media sites. There were four noteworthy findings. One, the Turkish preschool teachers reported viewing mathematics instruction as important to the development of children and were confident in their abilities to teach their students mathematics. However, they relied upon their general knowledge of children and their general pedagogical knowledge, rather than on their knowledge of mathematics, to do so. Two, the preschool teachers in Turkey had classroom libraries that they encouraged their students to use by having a set library time each day and by modeling how to sit and read in the library. They also encouraged family involvement in reading. However, these classroom libraries had fewer mathematics books than other types of texts. Three, while libraries were consistently present in Turkish preschool classrooms, they were not seen as venues for children’s mathematics development. Four, preschool mathematics instruction in Turkey appears typically to use whole groups and explicit instruction, and particularly during circle time/the morning meeting.

Interrogating Classroom Libraries: From Diversity to Responsiveness and Inclusion

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SOME INSIGHT ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES FOR PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE UK

No organisation performs best without good infrastructure and resources. The workplace can refer to the physical or the psychosocial work environment from the individual user and organisation's perspective, differing from one industry to another. This study focuses on the physical work environment from an architectural, interior design and performance perspective in a private higher education institution. Two factors characterise office work: the degree of interaction and the level of individual autonomy. Duffy created four types of offices: hive, cell den, and club based on this concept. Examples of such types of offices are provided within the higher education context. Office workers spend plenty of time inside buildings, where their physical environments directly impact their well-being and work performance and productivity. Buildings, classrooms, computer laboratories, and education infrastructure are crucial learning environments in higher education. There is strong evidence that high-quality infrastructure and resources (facilitates) improves student outcomes and reduce dropout rates, among other benefits. A high-quality teaching and learning environment and students' experience are dependent on classroom resources, libraries, computer labs, and equipment. Maintaining, adapting innovation, repairing existing infrastructure and facilities and investing in new structures and equipment all come with significant expenditures. The question of how to fund such development is becoming increasingly difficult.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0923/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The Role of Classroom Libraries in Promoting Reading: A Case of Rural Primary Schools in the Limpopo Province

The Role of Classroom Libraries in Promoting Reading: A Case of Rural Primary Schools in the Limpopo Province