Elementary School Libraries Research Articles

PENGEMBANGAN PERPUSTAKAAN SEKOLAH DASAR DI DKI JAKARTA

Development of libraries in this case focused on elementary school library. The purpose of this study is to determine the condition of the management of primary school libraries in East Jakarta and to obtain information about the strategic development plan for elementary school library in accordance with the standard of school facilities and infrastructure. This study is a survey research using exploratory and descriptive methods. Descriptive method used to analyze the results of questionnaires from respondents about the real conditions of primary school libraries in DKI Jakarta Province in terms of availability of facilities and utilization of library materials and library management. Exploratory method used to analyze the results of interviews from respondents about the development of elementary school library to National Standard of Education. Results of this study are : First, elementary School Library in DKI Jakarta Province has not been managed well. Second, not all state primary school in the provinces of DKI Jakarta has a school library standards. Third, Schools that have a library was not supported by adequate facilities.

Flexible Scheduling May Have a Positive Impact on School Library Circulation

A Review of:
 Gavigan, K., Pribesh, S., & Dickinson, G. (2010). Fixed or flexible schedule? Schedule impacts and school library circulation. Library and Information Science Research, 32(2), 131-37. 
 
 Objective – To determine whether a significant, positive relationship exists between flexible scheduling in elementary school library media centers and per-pupil circulation statistics.
 
 Design – Online survey.
 
 Setting – Library media centers in public elementary schools in two states of the United States.
 
 Subjects – A total of 88 elementary school library media specialists completed the survey.
 
 Methods – A 22-question online survey was created using Inquisite software. A link to the survey was sent via e-mail to a 600-person random sample of public school library media specialists whose names were drawn from the memberships of the North Carolina School Library Media Association and the Virginia Educational Media Association, with combined memberships totalling approximately 2,000. A random sample of 600 was chosen to provide a 95% confidence level with a confidence interval of plus or minus three points. The survey included questions about school schedules (flexible, partially flexible, or fixed), collection size, circulation statistics, total student enrolment, school type (elementary, middle, or high), school location (urban, rural, or suburban), percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price lunch, numbers of full-time professional library media specialists employed at the school, access procedures, and library closure information. The survey response rate was 29.3% (176 respondents). Because fixed versus flexible scheduling is an issue that primarily affects elementary schools, the authors further narrowed their subject pool to 88 elementary school respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 statistical software. Correlation analysis, including the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), was used to compare differences in the three scheduling types and to control for other variables (such as location, socioeconomic status, collection size, staffing, days closed, and others) that may affect circulation. 
 
 Main Results – Of the 88 elementary school responses, 33 (38%) had fixed schedules, 44 (50%) had partially flexible schedules, and 11 (13%) had totally flexible schedules. Fifty-three schools supplied data regarding per-pupil check-out, and the average number of books checked out per student per year was 52, across all types of schools. The number of book check-outs per pupil differed according to schedule type. Students in schools with fixed schedules checked out an average of 51 books per year, those in schools with partially flexible schedules checked out 46 books per year, and those in schools with totally flexible schedules checked out 71 books per year. When the authors adjusted the data for other factors affecting circulation (such as location, socioeconomic status, collection size, staffing, and others), they found that students in schools with fixed schedules checked out 57 books per year, those in schools with partially flexible schedules checked out 68 books per year, and those in schools with totally flexible schedules checked out 102 books per year. The authors concluded that schedule accounts for 21% of variation in the rate of book check-out per pupil.
 
 Conclusion – These results suggest that the type of schedule used in elementary school library media centers does have a significant relation to circulation statistics. Specifically, when library media centres employ flexible scheduling, students are likely to check out more books per year on average. Although these results are not generalizable, this study provides much-needed research into the relationship between scheduling and circulation, and establishes a basis for further studies in this area.

Fixed or flexible schedule? Schedule impacts and school library circulation

Despite more than 15 years of research into the implementation of flexible access to school library media programs in the United States, few empirical studies exist that examine the relationship between access scheduling and school library media circulation. This quantitative study examines the relationship between types of school library schedules and circulation. Examination of end-of-year circulation statistics for fixed, flexible, and partially flexible elementary school library media centers in North Carolina and Virginia indicate that there was a significant and positive relationship between flexible scheduling and per-pupil book circulation in elementary schools in these two states.

Job structure of elementary school library staff in Japan

Job structure of elementary school library staff in Japan

Features of Elementary School Library Poetry Collections: A Collection Analysis Study

An analysis of the poetry holdings of 72 elementary school libraries in one American public school district addressed the research question: What are some distinguishing features of elementary school library poetry collections? The study data was collected using the reporting feature of the district's online library catalog software. Nearly 90% of the poetry collections in the study sample were less than half the recommended size. Most collections were near the 14-year age limit for a state standards compliant school library collection, and poetry circulation totaled less than one percent of the average library's circulation.

초등학교 도서관 온라인목록의 인터페이스 분석

초등학교 도서관 온라인목록의 인터페이스 분석

Safety First

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 15 No. 1 (2005) ISSN: 1546-2250 Safety First Webber, Rebecca (2004). Compass Point Books; 24 pages. $19.93. ISBN 0756506263. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, “every day more than 39,000 children are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment” (2004). Unintentional injuries are “the leading cause of death among children ages 14 and under in the United States” (NSKC 2004). While motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury to school-age occupants ages 5-14, many other injuries are caused by pedestrian and bicycle accidents, fires, falls, poisoning and sports to mention a few. These injuries can happen at home, in the neighborhood, at friends’ homes, on bicycles, skateboards, roller blades and at playgrounds. Not all accidents are related to play. Some are the result of just being curious. Much has been written for parents and other trusted adults who oversee the lives of their children. Two recent books on safety were written for easy reading by children. The first book is Safety First by Rebecca Weber. Ms. Weber has woven eye-catching graphics with simple yet effective safety messages. I found the book to be thorough in that she included safety messages for many locations and situations where children spend time. A young reviewer, Katie, age eight, liked the pictures and thought the book would be perfect for first and second graders. As adult readers we thought the book would be great for kindergartners as well. 440 The broad nature of the material covered makes this a very good resource book to develop and promote safe behavior around the house. The chapter “Safe at Home” focuses on the areas that can be the most dangerous to young curious children. The book provides ways to constructively address these behaviors, instead of just saying “NO!” to a child. Finally, this book can provide insight to young readers so they can have some control over the places in their lives. Whether at home, at school, or on the playground, children should be aware of what is going on around them. The second book, Playground Safety by Peggy Pancella, focuses more specifically on playgrounds. It provides more detail and covers safety issues surrounding various pieces of playground equipment. The colorful graphics feature children at play on a variety of equipment. The author provides simple-to-follow tips and guidelines for swings, slides, and climbing equipment, among others. A young reviewer, Peter, age five, thought the pictures were colorful and that the book told him what not to do on the playground. Peter found this book a little longer to read than Safety First. As adult readers we believe Playground Safety can easily be read by second and third graders. A comprehensive playground safety program includes four important points: (1) standards and specifications for new equipment and playground surfacing; (2) a program for maintenance of the equipment and playground surface; (3) guidelines and procedures for playground supervisors; and finally, (4) information directly for the students on safe playground behavior. Playground Safety nicely fits the bill for point four. This book should be available in elementary schools for teachers and aides to use to introduce and reinforce expected behavior on the playground. In the event that a school does not have districtwide playground safety guidelines, Playground Safety can be used. Both Safety First and Playground Safety are appropriate for elementary school libraries. These books could be a focus for PTA fundraising efforts. In addition, the books could be made available for sale at school book fairs. 441 Parents and teachers alike can use both of these books to introduce and reinforce safe behavior. Children can read the books for themselves and be reminded of what they have heard and read about safe behavior. This is another way that parent and teacher “safety rules” can be accepted as first-hand information by children. Both of us spend a portion of our time developing and promoting safety programs for elementary school children. We are concerned with teaching children appropriate behaviors on our playgrounds. These books will be helpful in our goal to provide meaningful yet easy to use material for our teachers and teacher aides in...

University of Toronto

I hope it’s not out of place to begin a description of Medieval Studies at Toronto with a personal anecdote. In early 1995, as a newly-minted Ph.D., I came to Toronto as a prospective job candidate. Already aware of Toronto’s long-standing reputation in the field, I was prepared to be impressed; but I was not prepared to be seduced, as I was, by the collegiality of the faculty and students and the riches of the libraries. I can still vividly remember being shown the Library of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies by the then-librarian, John Magee, and whispering to him over and over again, “It’s like a candy shop, John!” It was indeed like a candy shop to those of us who, as bookish children, had grown up seeking out the few works on medieval topics in our elementary school libraries, and ended up spending our graduate careers buried in piles of paper and microfilm.

There is No Simple Way to Build a Middle School Reading Program

IN THE spring of 2001 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution featured an article on why students drop out of high school. Included in the commentary were current public high school graduation rates from the U.S. Department of Education.1 The figures clearly indicated that a significant number of students who entered high school were not earning regular diplomas four years later. The most recent figures (1999) for students not completing high school range from 13.7% in Nebraska to 49.6% in Georgia. An Atlanta high school science teacher quoted in the article said that, despite the fact that her ninth-grade science books are written at a sixth-grade level, her students can't read or comprehend the information in them. All these high school students having difficulty textbooks were once in the middle grades. This simple observation suggests that we need to provide instruction at the appropriate levels for all middle school students. New federal legislation calls for annual testing in mathematics and in grades 3 through 8. Obviously, there is a growing conviction that middle schools need to build strong programs. Yet there is no simple way to accomplish this task. The Nation's Report Card: Fourth-Grade Reading 2000 cites the fact that 37% of fourth-grade students read below the basic level.2 Unfortunately, as these youngsters move into middle schools, they may not have access to classes or trained teachers. As a result, they will have even fewer opportunities to improve their skills and increase their independent activities than they had in their elementary schools. In addition to basal series, elementary schools make a variety of programs available to their students. These include early intervention programs, such as Four Blocks, Reading Recovery, and Success for All. Why aren't there similar programs for middle school students? Comparing in elementary schools and middle schools is like comparing apples and oranges. Elementary school teachers are involved with early in their college classes. The majority of elementary teachers are responsible for instruction, especially those who teach in the primary grades. Thus programs such as Four Blocks are built on a strong foundation. Furthermore, elementary school libraries have high rates of book circulation. In contrast, the roots of middle school problems run deep. Academic licenses for middle school teachers have typically been restricted to the subject-matter disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and social studies. Many middle schools have either eliminated classes or offer such classes taught by teachers who lack the rigorous training required for a reading license. The rate of circulation of library books in middle schools -- an indicator of the level of independent -- is significantly below that of elementary schools.3 Given these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that many middle schools that seek to build a strong program must build on a weak foundation. Because achievement is the crucial link between middle school students and their future success, it is vital that middle schools provide the personnel, time, and resources needed to produce successful readers. Middle school students should have the support of teachers every day, just as they are also engaged each day with teachers of English, mathematics, science, and social studies. Moreover, special attention from teachers should be given to those students who read two or more grade levels below their expected level. And because the school library is the logical place for students to find materials with which to practice their reading, middle schools need to ensure that students have access to new books, along with support from librarians. …

Against the Flow: A Continuum for Evaluating and Revitalizing School Libraries

School libraries face challenges as they strive to meet their changing roles in today's schools. To remain relevant in the school, the teacher librarian must enhance the presence of the library within the school's educational mission. Our research explored exemplary elementary school library programs, and we found that context was an essential component in determining the roles and relevance of the library in the school. Context was multifaceted and the interaction among factors facilitated or hindered the implementation of exemplary practices and explained variations. A continuum of school library structures and practices was developed to evaluate current school library programs in a more flexible manner than existing standards of practice.

Elementary Malay Vernacular Schools and School Libraries in Singapore Under British Colonial Rule, 1819-1941

Earlier research on school libraries in Singapore has stated that school libraries were established there recently. Lim (1970) wrote that school libraries in Singapore were largely a post-war innovation, and Ho (1998) wrote that published records related to the history of school libraries in Singapore were available only from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. This article presents historical information that shows that an official policy on school libraries was initiated in 1899. It also presents the historical record of the development of schools and school libraries under British colonial rule and related information about the Malay school book production.

Preference as Performance: Doing Social Class and Gender in Three School Libraries

This study examines the construct of reader preference along the lines of gender and social class. Data were collected through focused interviews and participant observation from one third-grade class in each of three elementary school libraries that served children from a range of ethnic and social class backgrounds. The study argues that children's expressions of preference are often enactments of what they believe it means to be categorically male or female, whereas their ways of relating to different genres of text, as well as how they choose to read, often enact the “habitus,” or material logic, of their social class. This analysis is complicated by three events in which the doing of gender or class by students is interrupted by stronger desires. The article concludes with a reconsideration of preference as a construct, and questions why educators might want to know what children like to read in the first place.

First Contact

With the reduction in the number of elementary, middle, and secondary school libraries, more and more students must turn to other resources for assistance in collecting materials for their homework assignments. This can be a challenging experience as cutbacks in funding and hours of operation often limit the resources found at any library. If little or no communication is established between the classroom instructor and the library, what results is confusion and frustration on everyone's part, particularly, the students'. What follows are proposed homework guidelines for library assignments that can be easily implemented by instructors and aid in fostering a positive and communicative working relationship with the library, whether it be your school's or the local public or academic library.

The Retrieval of Information in an Elementary School Library Media Center

Abstract The problems encountered by elementary school children in retrieving information from a catalog, either the traditional card catalog or an OPAC, are the focus of this paper. This paper details an alternative system of classification using colors and symbols that was developed in The Common School of Amherst, Massachusetts. The case study finds that children do have the ability to use a classification scheme that is keyed to their developmental level and that employs both colors and symbols to facilitate their search efforts.

Banned Books: A Study of Censorship

immensely popular course, and I have taught it every year since 1992. One reason for its popularity, I believe, is that students put to a practical, real-world use the literary analysis and critical thinking skills they have been working on since ninth grade. The local newspaper has proven an excellent testimony to the immediate relevance of the course. This past spring, we read about the House of Representative's National Security Committee's vote to ban the sale of adult publications as well as sexually oriented audio and videotapes from all military bases and ship stores. We have also tracked a local censorship battle (in Lakewood, Washington) waged over the sex education book, It's Perfectly Normal (1994), from the initial complaint to the School Board's final decision to remove the text from the elementary school library There is no time like the present to explore censorship and no better place than the English classroom.

Information Technology in Iceland's Elementary School Libraries: A State-of-the-Art Survey

This study of information technology in Iceland's elementary school libraries was conducted as part of a 1995-1996 study of information technology in libraries of the Nordic countries. It was based on telephone survey all the schools in three administrative regions of Iceland and on existing data. Teachers and the students in Iceland have a high level of access to the computers to the national education network, ISMENNT. However, the use in elementary schools of automated library systems, CD-ROMs, online information systems, and the Internet has been slowed by factors related to the country's unique language and culture, the small population base, the lack of trained library stuff, And The reported unwillingness of teachers to use new technologies.

A Study on Introduction of Simple Science Experiment Programs as Reading Guidance in Elementary School Library

A Study on Introduction of Simple Science Experiment Programs as Reading Guidance in Elementary School Library

A Book in the Hand is Worth Two on a Disk

This article presents the argument that the school librarians need to make critical judgements with respect to the inclusion of technology in their elementary school libraries. Two concerns in particular are addressed: how technology may change the reading culture of young children and how business technological interests should be cautiously interpreted when children's reading development is considered.

Chemistry Learning Centers for Elementary School Libraries

This article describes a safe and attractive way to deliver a hands-on experience to students that they can engage in without direct adult supervision in elementary school library/media centers. In this case, a chemistry learning center was created for use by third through fifth graders.

Supporting Spanish Language Literacy: Latino Children and Free Reading Resources in Schools

Abstract This study attempts to describe the issues which affect availability of free-reading materials in Spanish in elementary and middle school libraries. Attention was given to documenting the processes and chains of events which result in the actual library collections in selected elementary and middle schools in the Greater Los Angeles area. Nine school libraries were visited to examine current collections and patterns of use as well as implementation of district policies. Secondarily, public libraries closest to each school site were examined in order to determine their role in providing language minority children with free-reading materials. Conclusions were drawn as to the effectiveness of the school library in providing language minority children with access to reading materials in their primary language, and whether the needs of language minority children can be met through use of existing reading resources in the schools and in the community at large. Implications for primary language literacy...