Image: cc licensed ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) flickr photo by Enokson

The researchers conclude:

“In all of the multivariate studies considered here the library emerges as a consistent predictor of reading scores… Of course, providing access is only the first step: Even with access, some children (but surprisingly few) will not read. The research literature consistently indicates that rewards for reading are not effective (McQuillan, 1997; Krashen, 2003; 2004), but that read-alouds and conferencing do help. But in order for these approaches to work, the books need to be there.

But what is clear is that libraries definitely matter and they matter a lot.

Inspection of the betas in the tables reveals that access to books in some cases had a larger impact on reading achievement test scores than poverty (tables 1,3, 4), and in other cases had nearly as strong an impact (tables 2,5). This suggests that providing more access to books can mitigate the effect of poverty on reading achievement, a conclusion consistent with other recent results (Achterman, 2008; Evans, Kelley, Sikora, and Treiman, 2010; Schubert and Becker, 2010). This result is of enormous practical importance: Children of poverty typically have little access to books (Krashen, 2004). It seems that libraries can provide this access.”

Here’s the link to a copy of the pdf version of this research paper Is The Library Important? Multivariate Studies at the National and International Level.

You might also want to keep an eye on Jeff McQuillan’s new blog The Backseat Linguist. Jeff is a former university professor of applied linguistics and education, and now a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Educational Development in Los Angeles, California.

Lisa Oldham, Development specialist for school library futures at the National Library of New Zealand, discusses the future of school libraries with EDtalks.

Lisa describes how school libraries are a great way to achieve the creation of skilled students who are able to navigate in the knowledge economy. I particularly like the way Lisa details the information specialist and teaching roles of the teacher librarian in schools. An excellent 7 minute video for professional learning in schools regarding the contribution school libraries make to student learning.

Highly recommended viewing for TLs in training, educational administrators, principals, classroom teachers and parents.
Via www.edtalks.org

At David C. Barrow Elementary School in Athens, Ga., media specialist Andy Plemmons works with two students to learn how to use the technology they need for the Barrow Oral History Project.

Via Scoop.it – Student Learning through School Libraries

This converge article features a number of TL practitioners in the state of Georgia and explores how school library staff can work with teachers to integrate digital literacy into the  curriculum.

The article presents 5 digital literacy challenges:

1. Access to technology
2. Filtering
3. Sharing the importance of digital literacy
4. Instructional time
5. Teaching young children

with advice from TL practitioners on how to overcome them.

The article concludes:

“At these three libraries in Georgia — and in libraries across the country — library staff overcome challenges to teach students the digital literacy skills they need”,

with a final quote from one of our fave TL ambassadors in the US, Buffy Hamilton who sums up the work of the TL:

“At the end of the day, our emphasis is on learning and providing learning experiences and access to information in as many formats as possible.”

This article provides evidence of a range of ways that teacher librarians support students’ development as digital citizens who are content creators as well as critical users of information.

Note this article also features in Converge Magazine’s Top 10 K-12 Stories of 2011. If you are interested in technology integration, introduction of iPads in schools, bring your own device (BYOD) programs and flipped classrooms, these stories are well worth checking out.

Via www.convergemag.com

In the School libraries 21C: School library futures project report Ross Todd and I wrote in 2010 for the New South Wales Department of Education & Training’s School Libraries & Information Literacy Unit (Curriculum K–12 Directorate), we identified eight (8) principles underpinning 21C school library design as an instructional zone of which ‘literary learning’ was one:

A centre that supports literary learning, where students become immersed in imaginary worlds, explore personal reading interests, develop sustained voluntary reading practices, develops reading for meaning and independence as critically-capable readers literary learning. (p.16)

More of my musings on literary learning can be found in my post ‘Emily Rodda, Lu Rees Archives & literary learning‘.

So what motivated me to write this morning? Waking up to an email that contained the URL to this new YouTube clip which captures the magic of books, even in a time where e-formats are gaining much popularity.

I just love this clip! I think this clip would make a great feature on any school library website to promote the National Year of Reading.

For those just starting out, here’s a few places to check out:

National Year of Reading 2012 – official website

Love2read – the official National Year of Reading Facebook page

The love2read wiki – this is where information about a lot of projects and events is being recorded, and heaps of links to websites and resources for ideas

Join in The Amazing Read – a Twitter reading group for 2012. Share what you are reading  over summer with others, promote reading events you are organising, follow the hashtag #NYR12 to see what others are doing – check out the tweetfeed for starters and follow @love2read on Twitter.

Australia’s National Year of Reading 2012 is a great opportunity for teacher librarians to keep school libraries on the public’s ‘radar’. What are you planning to promote the great work of school libraries and TLs in supporting student learning?

Extremely valuable skills for Information Professionals of the future… The Institute for the Future and the University of Phoenix have teamed up to produce, this past spring, an interesting report entitled Future Work Skills 2020.   By looking at the set of emerging skills that this research identifies as vital for future workers, I can’t avoid but recognize the very skillset needed by any professional curator or newsmaster.   It should only come as a limited surprise to realize that in an information economy, the most valuable skills are those that can harness that primary resource, “information”, in new, and immediately useful ways.   And being the nature of information like water, which can adapt and flow depending on context, the task of the curator is one of seeing beyond the water, to the unique rare fish swimming through it.  The curator’s key talent being the one of recognizing that depending on who you are fishing for, the kind of fish you and other curators could see within the same water pool, may be very different.     

Here the skills that information-fishermen of the future will need the most:   1) Sense-making: ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed;   2) Social intelligence: ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions;   3) Novel and adaptive thinking: proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based;   4) Cross-cultural competency: ability to operate in different cultural settings;   5) Computational thinking: ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning;   6) New media literacy: ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication;   7) Transdisciplinarity: literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines;   8) Design mindset: ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes;   9) Cognitive load management: ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning using a variety of tools and techniques;   10) Virtual collaboration: ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team.

Executive Summary of the Report

Download a PDF copy of Future Work Skills 2020

Via apolloresearchinstitute.com

Here’s some sound advice for any newly trained teacher librarians about to commence their work as a TL in Term 1, 2012 from this principal regarding the TL role:

“I think it’s important that they (TLs) are visible. Teachers are like actors. You’re up on stage every lesson. They’re strong personalities. As a librarian, you also have to be seen. You have to be an extrovert, whether you are as a person or not. Otherwise you’re just going to get ignored. Once the librarian is visible, the next phase begins, where s/he teaches scientific method, language development and information literacy.”

Edward Jensinger also provides advice to principals planning a school library:

“Firstly, you have to decide what the purpose of having a school library is… The aim must always be for the students to get better results… what you need is an active teaching librarian.”

Good luck to all of our 2011 Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) graduates who are starting their journey as practising TLs in 2012.
BE VISIBLE from Day 1

Via webapps2.malmo.se

Many thanks to Marcia Mardis from Florida State University for alerting us on IASL_LINK about this, in her words: “Students work hard to prepare their research papers, but often, these papers get turned in and are never seen again. However, there is a great outlet for exemplary student work that can also be a great way to feature school librarians’ contributions to the research process. The Concord Review has been, since 1987, the only journal in the world for the history research papers of secondary students. So far, it has published 978 essays (average 6,000 words) by students from 39 countries and locations all over the world, including Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Sri Lanka, United States, Canada and South Korea (special issue Summer 2011).   School librarians play such an important role in developing student research and writing skills. I encourage school librarians to support this journal by subscribing (it’s only $40 per year to subscribe) and/or bringing it to the attention of your history and social studies teachers as a way to inspire their students and enhance collaboration with you!”

The sample essays section on the Concord Review website provide excellent models of essay writing skills for students, even the list of essay titles could be used to demonstrate the richness and breadth of history topics and to motivate students to explore a range of historical ideas or events as part of their learning in history.

Via www.tcr.org

The report stated “that parents did not have to be particularly well-educated themselves for this impact to be achieved. What was important was that parents read books regularly with their children – such as several times a week – and that they talked about what they were reading together.”

A summary of the results of this study are published in the OECD PISA In Focus 10 newsletter at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/4/1/49012097.pdf.

Teacher librarians in primary schools should be utilising results from studies such as these to connect with parents of those students entering Kindergarten in Term 1 of 2012. Such findings can be used to encourage a strong relationship between the TL and school library and Kindy kids (and their parents) at the very beginning of the school year.

Consider writing a short column in your school’s first newsletter of the year to parents about the importance of reading being reinforced at school and the home and promote the idea of the TL building a strong partnership with parents to support student achievement.
Via www.bbc.co.uk