Competency 5 cont. -LIBRARY LITERATURE AND BOOKS IN PRINT

Naive Question: In a school library, what are the duties of the librarian in regards to curriculum?

I chose this question because I believe there are many misconceptions of the role of a librarian plays in a school's curriculum. I have heard so many times that all librarian do is check-out and shelve books. In researching this question, my goal is to shine light on the job that librarians are really responsible for especially in regards to technology and curriculum.

Searching Library Literature

I first chose 3 facets to begin the searching process. On the database, I used the thesaurus feature to locate some key terms. Using the information I gathered, I created a Boolean statement. When creating my statement, I chose to keep it focused as a result of previous experiences. I know how important that first statement is in the overall searching experience.

Facets: duties, librarian, curriculum

1st facet - duties
*initial terms - responsibilities
**thesaurus terms - duties of librarians (616 records)

2nd facet - librarian
*initial terms - school librarian, library media specialist
**thesaurus terms - school librarian, children's librarian, media specialist, teacher-librarians

3rd facet - curriculum
*initial terms - lesson, lesson planning, reading curriculum
**thesaurus terms - school libraries/relationships with teachers and curriculum

Boolean Statement:
(duties of librarians) AND (school librarian) AND (curriculum)

Search Results:
I used subject headings when performing all searches.

1. ss1 (duties of librarians) AND (school librarian) AND (curriculum)

2. result - 22 records

3. notes - I expected more results than 22; however, I was satisfied with the actual results. I looked through the records and was able to find many that pertained to my question. However, I felt for learning purposes I need to try different searches.

1. ss2 - (duties) AND (librarians) AND (curriculum)

2. result - 49

3. Notes - This 2nd searched yielded 49 results which is still a good number of results without a lot of junk to weed through. For this search, I feel that the first search did a good job of focusing on my particular question. I did not see anything extra in this search that was needed.

1. ss3 - Although I didn't need to perform a third search, I noticed on the left had column a statement that said "new search by subject". It contained a list of suggestions for new searches. One of the suggestions was school librarians/relationships with teachers and curriculum. I chose this search to examine.

2. result - 1609

3. notes - This 3rd search provided a large number of results. I don't feel that the quantity of this search was better than the quality of my other two. As I scanned through the results, I did not find any new or better information. However, I do like this particular feature. Sometimes when using the thesaurus and searches, one can tend to be either too vague or too broad. This feature would be helpful in those situations.

My Selection:

One article that I found captivating was called The Librarian as 21st Century Leader which really explains the involvement librarians should have in the curriculum. It explained how librarians are experts in the information and technology field. Thus, it is reasonable that they should be involved in developing and integrating these programs in the school. I believe information such as this demonstrates the importance of the duties of librarians. We do so much more than shelve books.

Pulley, M. (2008) The Librarian as 21st Century Leader. Colorado Libraries, 34(1), 28-31.
Retrieved February 20, 2010, from Library Lit. & Inf. Full Text database.

Searching Books in Print

I searched this database using the same facets and key terms as noted above. I was a bit perplexed when I first began. I initially searched just using the keyword search, but the outcome was insufficient. I ultimately spent time learning the different searching capabilities of the database. I found that under the browse button I was able to search using the subject (all) heading. I typed in (school librarian) AND (duties) AND (curriculum). I got zero results. I decided to simplify my statement. I typed in school librarian duties. The first category was school libraries so I chose it. It contained 1476 results all dealing with school libraries in some capacity. I went back to the search feature and tried several different subject searches, but they contained no results. I went to the the school library results. Although there was a lot of information, I was able to find some that pertained to my question. One book I thought was interesting is call Tales out of the School Library: Developing Professional Dispositions by Gail Bush. It provides tips to help librarians meet the needs of students. Curriculum was a prominent topic. Another title that caught my eye is called School Libraries Head for the Edge: Rants, Recommendations and Reflections by Doug Johnson. So much in school curriculum today is focused on technology, and Johnson give readers an idea of what the new trends are and how to implement them.

Bush, Gail. (2009. Tales out of the School Library: Developing Professional Dispositions.
Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited Incorporated.

Johnson, Doug. (2009). School Libraries Head for the Edge: Rants, Recommendations and
Reflections: Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, Incorporated.

Conclusion:

Searching both of these databases proved very helpful in finding information regarding librarians duties with a focus on curriculum. Although I had to take a different pat using Books in Print, I was satisfied with the end result. Both Library Literature and Books in Print were successful resources in my quest for information.

Competency 5 - TAGGING

As a reading teacher and now as an elementary school librarian, it saddens me to see so many children that do not enjoy reading. Sure, up against fast paced video games, a book might not grab some. However, I just know that if those reluctant readers could find something that they "just couldn't put down", those feelings would change. Therefore, I am always looking for information regarding why children don't read and how can I make reading more enjoyable for students. In searching LibraryThing, I found a book titled "The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids become Skilled, Passionate, Habitial, Critical Readers" by Nancie Atwell. In reading the reviews, I can identify with some of the tips the book shares, but I know that I probably won't agree with all. In my opinion, it is always good to look at problems from different perspectives. Finding a tip that will inspire one student will make any resource I seek out well worth it.
Best of the Best, book suggestions , education, elementary library, IB, literacy , look for, march '07, middle school , non-fiction, parent resource , parenting, professional, professional development, professional resource , professional resources , professional study, reading, reading and literacy, reading instruction , Surrey Primary Teachers' Association, teacher professional, teacher resource, teaching, teaching reading, teaching reference, temp , Title 1 Funds, title 1 funds professional development, title one funds

This is the tag cloud found at LibraryThing.

Competency 4 - RSS FEED

I chose the RSS feed School Library Journal, Practically Paradise. I chose this feed because it contains information on elementary, middle school, and young adult news and issues. I am currently a librarian in an elementary school, but readers of all ages interest me. If I know where children are headed as they grow, maybe I can make a difference in the early years.
The very first article dated February 12th caught my attention. It is titled Unlucky Arithmetic: Thirteen Ways to Raise a Non-reader. I see so many children who are reluctant to read, and I am determined to find ways to change their attitude. Any information I find on that particular topic is priority to me.

World Cat and Eric Competency

Naive Question: What role does parent/community involvement play in a child's education? How can you create community involvement in an elementary school? What are ways to get parents involved?

I chose this topic because it is a reality of my everyday job. I currently have no regular volunteers involved in the library nor do parents typically get involved in any aspect at this campus. The only exception is three parents that are willing to help out for short periods of time during book fairs. The campus is a title one campus so I know that many parents are struggling to juggle work and parenting. I would like to know how important community involvement really is. I assume that the lack of parental involvement does not at all help these students, but I would like to know if it is proven to hinder their education.

I searched using the ERIC database first. In the beginning I came up with three facets or key terms, my initial terms or text words and thesaurus terms or subject headings.

Searching ERIC database:

Facets: community involvement, elementary school, students

1st Facet - community involvement
*initial terms - volunteers, parent involvement, participation
**thesaurus terms - participation, citizen participation, community action, outreach programs, partnership in education, family involvement, parent involvement, parent school relationship

2nd Facet - elementary school
*initial terms - schools, primary grades
**thesaurus terms - elementary schools, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3

3rd Facet - education
*initial terms - learning, reading
**thesaurus terms -educational outcomes, learning, student achievement

Boolean Statement:
(community involvement OR volunteers OR parent involvement OR participation OR outreach programs OR partnership in education OR family involvement OR parent school relationship) AND (elementary school OR grade 1 OR grade 2 OR grade 3) AND (education or educational benefits)

Search Results:

1. ss1 (community involvement OR volunteers OR parent involvement OR participation OR outreach programs OR partnership in education OR family involvement OR parent school relationship) AND (elementary school OR grade 1 OR grade 2 OR grade 3) AND (education OR educational benefits) - using subject headings

2. Result - 11758 results

3. Notes - I was overwhelmed with the amount of results I received from this search. After looking through many of the results, I realized that there seemed to be no real focus. The results were all over the place. I narrowed my search in order to provide the much needed structure.

1. ss2 (community involvement OR volunteers OR parent involvement OR family involvement) AND (elementary school) AND (education) - using subject headings

2. Result - 2676 results

3. Notes - I still had a broad range of results. However, I did find articles pertaining to my questions. I feel confident that I could find information that I needed from this search even with the vast amount; however, I decided adjust my search terms to really focus on the question. I made some changes.

1. ss3 (community involvement OR parent involvement OR family involvement) AND (elementary school) AND (student achievement OR educational outcomes OR reading OR learning) - using subject headings

2. Result - 153

3. Notes - 153 results is much less cumbersome to sort through than the previous searches. I found a several articles that fit my information need. I found the article: The Family - School Partnership: An Opportunity to Promote the Learning Competence of All Students. This article discusses the importance of family involvement for student success and ways in which to make it possible (Christenson, 2003). For me, it is important to find ways to involve families if it really makes a difference in student achievement. After all, the goal is to have students experience success.

Christenson, S.L. (2003). The Family-School Partnership: An Opportunity to Promote the Learning Competence of All Students. School Psychology quarterly. 18(4). 454-482.


Searching World Cat:

I re-examined my subject headings to make any changes needed while using a different database. I had to try different terms using the thesaurus in order to complete my search. Unlike using the ERIC database, World Cat did not turn up any subject headings when I entered community involvement, outreach programs or educational outcomes. I looked through all of the previous terms used and through trial and error developed my new searching statement.

1st Facet - community involvement
*initial terms - volunteers, communities
**thesaurus terms - parent participation, educational parent participation, volunteer workers in education

2nd Facet - elementary school
*initial terms - schools, primary grades
**thesaurus terms - elementary school, elementary school libraries

3rd Facet - education
*initial terms - learning, educational outcome
**thesaurus terms -academic achievement, success

Boolean Statement:

(parent participation OR educational parent participation OR volunteer workers in education) AND (elementary school) AND (academic achievement OR success)

Search results:

1. ss1 - (parent participation OR educational parent participation OR volunteer workers in education) AND (elementary school) AND (academic achievement OR success) - using subject headings

2. Results - 54

3. Notes - I decided to try and learn from my previous search through the ERIC database by focusing my statement the first time. It worked. The search yielded an adequate amount of relevant information without too much junk to look through. This search reinforced to me the importance of the developing that first search statement. By honing in on exactly what is needed, a lot of time and frustration can be eliminated. I found a study titled Accessing the effects of Parental Decisions about School Type and Involvement on Early Elementary Education that provided a great insight on my topic (Taningco, 2006).

Taningco, M.T.V. (2006). Assessing the effects of parental decisions about school type and involvement on early elementary education. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

Results:
The search process using both databases was beneficial. It is interesting to see the different outcomes when entering subject headings. For my particular search this time, the results from World Cat were more relevant with less junk. Although ERIC had information that could be used, a lot of irrelevant information had to be sorted through first.

Competency 3 - PODCASTS

Searching for a podcast was quite challenging. I searched through hundreds of podcasts before I could decided what would be both appropriate and beneficial in my desire to reach reluctant readers. I utilized many search engines including http://www.podcastzoom.com/, http://www.podanza.com/, http://www.podcastsearchservice.com/, and Podcasting 101 for K-12 Librarians. However, I found my podcast by using the search engine, Google, and searched using the terms toon book podcasts. I am a believer in book talks as a tool for hooking readers. Giving a child just enough information about a book that he/she can't help but pick it up and read it is powerful. The ultimate goal is that he/she will then develop the desire to read other books.

This podcast is a book talk over a graphic novel. The reader gives a brief overview of the graphic novel "Stinky" while encouraging children to read the book. With the current rage of graphic novels, a podcast of this nature might lure a reader to pick up a book. To some who do not call themselves "readers", graphic novels feel more like fun then work. The comic book layout must play a role in this. Whatever the reason they are becoming popular, if this podcast were to reach even one reluctant reader then it proves to be successful. This book talk and others can be found through the Multnomah County Library web-site.