School Library Programs Research Articles

The Role of Schools in Literacy in Elementary Schools

Literacy is closely related to an individual's ability to read, write, speak and understand information and solve daily life problems. The current literacy level of students is at a low level because there is still a lack of students being asked to read. Interest in reading is the desire and encouragement of students to like and enjoy reading activities. Based on the aim of this research, namely to determine the role of schools in literacy, this research uses descriptive qualitative research with data collection techniques through observation, interviews and documentation. The object of this research is SDN 194 Pekanbaru. In this research, three indicators were tested, namely the provision of infrastructure, the provision of school library programs and services. From these three indicators, the results showed that the role of school literacy has a fairly good average in improving students' literacy skills. From the results of observations made by researchers, it was found that the role of schools in literacy is to provide facilities and infrastructure for literacy at SDN 194 Pekanbaru, such as providing book reading corners in class, wall magazines, reading corners, posters with motivational words in class and also providing literacy programs such as: reading 30 before learning begins, a reading journal program which at the end of the semester, the best students will be given rewards and SDN 194 Pekanbaru also provides a library.

Insights on first-generation students’ development of social capital for the rigours of college-level research

As a part of a larger study titled, First Years Meet the Frames, this work explores the perceptions of first-generation students (FGS) on their readiness for college-level research as well as their first-year college experience with libraries and librarians. Although, by definition, these students lack the cultural capital normally derived from parents who went to college in order to readily assimilate into higher education institutions, depending on their high school experiences, they may be able to build social capital. Accordingly, this article investigates such opportunities which lie in high schools with strong library programs that have a full-time certified librarian working in alignment with the national school library standards of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). It addresses what aspects of this preparation facilitate the development of social capital and follows FGS into the first year of college to see how they continue to build it. It also compares FGS to their continuing generation student (CGS) counterparts from the same high schools. Findings show that FGS can build social capital via these high school library programs and continue to leverage their high school experiences and skill sets in order to create new networks and to tackle college-level research during the first year of college. FGS demonstrate similar preparedness and similar confidence in research abilities as their CGS counterparts.

Expectations and Understandings of Critical Work in School Libraries

Libraries are tied to an American history and current context that oppresses, demonstratesprejudice, and embodies injustices. Preliminary findings suggest (1) school library standards insufficiently address schoollibrarians' roles in engaging in critical work and (2) school librarians need additional learningopportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and desire to engage in critical work.Although the study is limited to one school district, findings may offer insight into andpotential guidance for evaluating school library programs, and strategies providing supportfor anti-oppression work in school libraries.

Discursive Fluctuations of the School Library Program in Chile: A Critical Policy Analysis

Abstract In Latin America, school libraries were founded based on the hopes of fostering democracy and reducing social and educational inequalities. Nevertheless, current dominant discourses relate school libraries more closely to the demand to improve academic results. In this article, we explore what we consider to be an intensification of neoliberal discourses about school libraries by studying the case of the Learning Resource Centres (Centros de Recursos para el Aprendizaje, CRA) in Chile, a program that has been exemplary compared to other Latin American countries. With a Critical Policy Analysis (Bacchi 2009. Analysing Policy: What’s the Problem Represented to be? Australia: Pearson, 2012. Engaging with Carol Bacchi. Strategic Interventions and Exchanges. Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press, 2015. “The Turn to Problematization: Political Implications of Contrasting Interpretive and Poststructural Adaptations.” Open Journal of Political Science 5 (1): 1–12), we question the problems that the CRA produce and aim to solve and their transformations through time. We focus on four public policy documents tracing how school libraries are related to the global educational reforms of the late 1980s and the 1990s and how they are assessed in the 2010s. We read the documents sketching out three exclusions that, we argue, lay the foundation for a neoliberal intensification of the CRA program: the exclusions of pedagogical innovation, of other learning resources beyond books, and of the local community.

“We Collect TONS of Data … We Report What We Think Our Community Cares the Most About … We Learn so Much from It:” School Librarians’ Evidence Collection and Sharing Practices

Abstract Evidence-based practice (EBP) offers school librarians a systematic process for developing, assessing, and revising their school library programs. Two of the seven steps in this process involve collecting and sharing meaningful evidence with appropriate stakeholders, often for advocacy purposes, strategically selecting communication channels and methods aligned with target audiences. Through a survey collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, 161 school librarians in Kentucky, Virginia, and Texas shared their experiences with evidence-based practice. The study reported here focuses on school librarians’ evidence collection and sharing practices. Findings indicate school librarians collect easily obtainable data and share evidence of practice widely; however, they are most likely to share with building-level administrators, and the channels through which they communicate with school personnel differ from those chosen to communicate with other stakeholder groups. Approximately half of participants share evidence for advocacy purposes, and only slightly more than half share evidence of their practice with other school librarians.

Educating pre-service school librarians about race, racism, and whiteness

The racial makeup of the field of school librarianship is overwhelmingly white, standing in stark contrast to the racial demographics of today’s K-12 student population in our nation. Studies of white educators working with racially minoritized students show many detrimental effects, including deficits-based thinking and lowered academic expectations, highlighting how vital it is that pre-service school librarians learn about topics of race, racism, and the effects of whiteness in their school library preparation programs. Set within a framework of Critical whiteness Studies, my doctoral research investigates the structural and individual factors that influence the ways that today’s pre-service school librarians are taught about topics of race, racism, and whiteness. My methodology includes interviews with school library program coordinators, course instructors, current school librarianship students, and recent graduates of school library programs, as well as document analysis of course syllabi, educator preparation standards, and other relevant texts.

Nurturing a Democratic Planning Process: A Qualitative Case of Every Student Succeeds Act Requests for School Library Funding

Abstract Using bounded rationality in decision-making by Simon, H. A. 1957. Administrative Behavior: A Study of Decision-Making Processes in Administrative Organizations, 2nd ed. New York: Free Press; Simon, H. A. 1976. Administrative Behavior: A Study of Decision-Making Processes in Administrative Organizations, 3rd ed. New York: Free Press) and planning theory by Cervero, R. M., and A. L. Wilson. 1994a. Planning responsibly for Adult Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; Cervero, R. M., and A. L. Wilson. 1994b. “The Politics of Responsibility: A Theory of Program Planning Practice for Adult Education.” Adult Education Quarterly 45 (1): 249–68; Cervero, R. M., and A. L. Wilson. 1996. What Really Matters in Adult Education Program Planning: Lessons in Negotiating Power and Interests. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; Cervero, R. M., and A. L. Wilson. 1998. “Working the Planning Table: The Political Practice of Adult Education.” Studies in Continuing Education 20 (1): 5–22; Cervero, R. M., and A. L. Wilson. 2006. Working the Planning Table: Negotiating Democratically for Adult, Continuing, and Workplace Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, this case study explored 2017 Every Student Succeeds Act (Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESEA) 2015. Pub. L. No. 114-95 § 114 Stat. 1177) grant application documents submitted by state education agencies (SEAs). Specifically explored was the presence or absence of requests in the grant applications for funds that can be used to support school library programs and employ and/or provide professional development funding for licensed school librarians. The purpose was to provide a description of decision-making and planning at the level of state administrators who functioned in the context of SEA and Local Education Agency organizations and were responsible for writing 2017 ESSA plans. Collected was data in four phases. The findings of this research informed a new model that illustrate sources of power relationships among legitimate interests in 2017 ESSA planning. A second proposed model can be applied to all types of libraries and their decision-making and planning. Both models can be tested in future research studies.

Analysis of The School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas

Analysis of The School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas

Achieving Transformational Change in the School Library Program

Much of our professional conversations revolve around the concept of change—changing the way books are organized in a library or changing policy on checkouts and fines. These changes are exciting and oftentimes come with quick recognition and praise. But when we discuss changes in the way we collaborate with teachers or the way the school library program situates itself in the daily life of a school, frustrations mount, and our desire for silver-bullet solutions becomes evident. Differentiating the types of change we seek may help us understand how to frame our expectations and set our professional goals.

Enabling School Librarians to Serve as Instructional Leaders of Multiple Literacies

Research has demonstrated that school leaders have little to no understanding of the instructional leadership role of the school librarian and have received little to no training in how to lead this population (Lewis, 2018; 2019). Though the standards of the school library field state that school librarians should be equipped and able to serve as instructional leaders of multiple literacies in K-12 education, barriers exist that inhibit this from becoming a reality in many schools. One of these barriers is a lack of administrative support in the form of a district library supervisor to develop a vision for and provide support to the district’s school library program and its personnel. Very little research has been conducted to examine the support needs of in-service school librarians (Weeks et al., 2017), and no research has been conducted to explore how to equip existing leadership to effectively lead its population of school librarians in a school district that lacks an official district library supervisor. The purpose of this study is to explore how school district leaders can foster the development of an effective school library in which school librarians serve as instructional leaders of multiple literacies.

Perancangan E-Magazine sebagai Referensi Program untuk Perpustakaan Sekolah Menengah Atas (Design and Development di Perpustakaan Sekolah Negeri se-Kota Bandung)

The Covid-19 pandemic has made school libraries unable to provide their services, plus there is still a lack of school library programs to respond to the way of learning from offline to online. Even though libraries can use technology to continue to provide services for their users. The purpose of this research is to design library e-magazines at High School Libraries in Bandung city as a form of innovation for school library programs that can be run in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. This research can be used as an e-magazine blueprint that can be used at other school libraries. The research using a design and development model. The design of the e-magazine consists of three processes: 1) pre-production, which includes determining the theme, searching for articles, writing articles and correcting the text; 2) production, including magazine design, proofreading of design results, and trial printing; and 3) post-production, including printing and marketing. The results of the needs analysis show that suitable content in e-magazine are light reading types such as short stories, tips and tricks, various recommendations such as food, tourist attractions, movies, and books, as well as light like crossword puzzles. The response of librarians and students to the e-magazine is very good in terms of theme selection, material and language, and appearance. It is stated that the chosen theme is very relevant to the conditions and needs that occur. The responses obtained can then be used as an illustration and evaluation material for the next e-magazine design.

Implementasi kompetensi pembelajaran sepanjang hayat melalui program literasi di perpustakaan sekolah

Lifelong learning can be developed through literacy programs in school libraries. This study aimed to determine the implementation of lifelong learning competence through literacy programs in school libraries. The research method used a qualitative approach through research methods a descriptive to a librarian, four teachers, and 22 students at Al Haraki Islamic Junior High School, Depok, West Java. Through observation, data collection techniques were carried out using a lifelong learning dimension checklist form, semi-structured and in-depth interviews, and literature studies. Data analysis techniques were data reduction utilizing open coding, data presentation, and concluding. Study results indicated that the librarian organized literacy programs supporting the School Literacy Movement. In practice, the librarian acted as the initiator; the teacher became the facilitator and the librarian's partner in developing literacy programs in school. The literacy program had a positive impact on students, including shaping character, increasing knowledge, developing special talents related to communication and writing, adding experience, building positive relationships between librarians and students, and intellectual recreation. Communication competence in foreign languages was one of the lifelong learning competencies that the school library program did not accommodate. The literacy program's obstacles were managing study time and the roles of parents and family at home. This study concludes that the school library literacy program has supported improving the implementation of lifelong learning competencies for students in several dimensions.

The Influence of Teacher Librarians' Personal Attributes and Relationship with the School Community in Developing a School Library Programme

The ability of teacher librarians worldwide to develop and maintain school library programmes has been severely constrained by a number of factors ranging from inadequate budgetary allocations, lack of support from principals and other key stakeholders such as Ministry of Education personnel. However, even with limited funding and support, some teacher librarians have used ingenious strategies to develop and maintain their library programmes. This literature review synthesizes international research obtained from peer-reviewed journals, theses and professional papers on the personal attributes that a teacher librarian should possess in order to influence the development of a school library programme and the types of relationships the teacher librarian need to have with key stakeholders to be successful. The literature examined spanned a time period mostly from 2000-2018. The literature review found that leadership, collaboration, communication and interpersonal skills were the dominant skills a teacher librarian should possess in order to develop and maintain a school library programme alongside a good relationship with the school community.

Mind the Gaps: School Librarians' Job Descriptions and the Professional Standards for School Librarians in the United States

While previous studies have analyzed the contents of different librarians’ job descriptions (Brewerton, 2011; Park, Lu, & Marion, 2009), school librarians’ job descriptions have not received similar attention. The purpose of this study was to compare how well the performance responsibilities from Florida school librarians’ job descriptions agreed with the performance responsibilities from the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) professional standards outlined in their publication Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs (AASL, 2009). Rates of agreement were calculated by using thematic qualitative content analysis to compare the subjects and actions of the respective performance responsibilities. Analysis showed the ages and origins of the job descriptions did not have a consistent influence on rates of agreement, though job descriptions within the range of 11-20 performance responsibilities tended to have higher average rates of agreement. The various aspects of school librarians’ roles as described in Empowering Learners were present in their job descriptions to different extents, with some aspects more frequently represented than others. The differences between the performance responsibilities in school librarians’ job descriptions and Empowering Learners may be a source of role ambiguity, conflict, erosion, and overload for school librarians.

Investigating Technology Integration Practices and Competencies of School Librarians

The 21st century school has demanded the increasing use of technology integration. This study investigates technology practices and competencies of school librarians. An online survey targeting current school librarians working in Kentucky, USA was conducted through the email listserv for Kentucky Library Media Specialists (KYLMS). The survey data were analyzed and interpreted on the basis of, and in relation to, a cross-mapping of the following two criteria via the seven technology areas by the National Center for Education Statistics: (1) 2010 ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians, and (2) knowledge and skills specifications for school media librarians in the Praxis II Library Media Specialist test. The combined context can serve as a framework for comparative or evaluative analyses on the school librarians’ practices and competencies of technology integration. Implications of the results are discussed, including as a reference for school library program curriculum development and implementation.

The Impact of the Prince Edward Island School Library Policy on the Development of School Library Programs Across Prince Edward Island

In Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island (PEI), the PEI School Library Policy and its supporting documents have guided the development of school library programs since 1989. With a great number of educational changes as a back-drop, this study explored the impact that policy has had on school library programs in PEI. The researchers designed a comprehensive Survey of School Library Resource Centres that probed five key areas: facilities, resources, personnel, programs and services in the 66 schools across PEI. Following the completion of the Survey, 48 principals and teacher-librarians were interviewed for an hour each. 64 of the 66 schools took part and the Survey data and the interview data were analyzed using exploratory data analysis that resulted in dozens of visual and numerical summaries. Data was reported under each of the five major areas probed and 25 Actions were recommended.
 The study yielded specific detail on the status of school library facilities and resources, and provided a comprehensive look at staffing procedures and problems. The educational concepts of resource-based learning, cooperative planning and information skills that are embedded in the Policy have been well-accepted across the system. New documentation is needed to update learning outcomes and to provide direction for integrating new technologies and the concept of information literacy. Future directions for professional development for teacher-librarians, principals and classroom teachers were outlined and specific needs were identified in the areas of staffing, rebuilding school library collections and connecting technology initiatives and resource-based learning.

Power-up School Library Media Centers: New York Library Power

The National Library Power program, funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, was designed to create public elementary and middle school library programs that improve teaching and leaming. Using the school library media program as a catalyst for school reform, the Library Power program demonstrated how to change the role of the school librarian. During its eight-year grant period, New Visions for Public Schools' professional development program taught participants how to administer a collaboratively planned, flexible access library, and address issues such as management, collection development, and technology. The authors describe its features and its applicability to other school systems.

Implementing Flexible Scheduling in Elementary Libraries

Flexible scheduling in school libraries can provide a mechanism for achieving the learning goals and objectives of both the school library program and the curriculum by making information available at the point of need and by promoting use of the library and its services at a relevant moment instead of on a predetermined schedule. This study examined the successful implementation of flexible scheduling in six elementary schools where no funding was received to support implementation. Telephone interviews with librarians, principals, and teachers provided the data. The preliminary results indicate that, in those schools with successful implementations, flexible scheduling was only a tool to achieve another internal curricular objective, such as curriculum integration or literacy improvement. In addition, education of stakeholders is essential; and it must emphasize strategies for effective use of the programs supported by flexible scheduling and their potential learning outcomes rather than simply provide information on how flexible scheduling works.

University/School Library Collaborations to Integrate Information Technology into Resource-based Learning

If the goal of teacher-librarians is to work with teachers to develop information literacy, then how do we model this collaboration for pre-service teachers during their teacher education program? This question was explored in a research study involving university researchers, teachers, and teacher-librarians in six elementary schools in Canada. Learning projects arose from collaborations among the pre-service teachers, classroom teachers, and teacherlibrarian as they developed IT projects that were integrated into the pre-service practicum. Data were collected on the learning strategies children used and on the collaborative relationship established between the pre-service teachers and the teacher-librarian. This study tracked how pre-service teachers reacted to working with teacher-librarians. Results indicated these projects created authentic environments where pre-service teachers learned the role of the teacher-librarian and how the curriculum development process associated with resource-based learning develops through school library programs.

Blocking Access to Information and Ideas: The Use of Internet Filtering Software and Levels of Satisfaction in North American Schools

A primary purpose of the school library program is to enable young people to access and make effective use of information and ideas. This role has been enhanced through access to electronic resources. The Internet, however, is not a pre-selected menu of information sources deemed appropriate for children and young adults. Therefore, some libraries employ software to block or filter unfettered access to information. The purpose of this study was to measure the penetration of this filtering software in North America, to ascertain which types of software are used, and to determine librarians' levels of satisfaction.