Collaboration at Byrnes High School Library!!

 

School Librarians are expected to follow the AASL Standards to make sure the school library is supplying the best possible resources and learning outcomes at all grade levels. I was tasked with interviewing a few lovely librarians based on this Domain: 

Domain: Create

Competencies: Learners adjust their awareness of the global learning community by:

• Interacting with learners who reflect a range of perspectives.

• Evaluating a variety of perspectives during learning activities.

• Representing diverse perspectives during learning activities.

The first School Librarian I interviewed is Sheila Roberts. She is the School Librarian at Byrnes High School in Spartanburg Disrict 5. I explained to her that I wanted to know how she collaborates with students and staff along with any other activities that are present in the school library that would apply to implementing the competencies in the library. She started off by stating that she offers a monthly book club. In this book club, there is a very diverse group of students and it is always interesting to hear all of the different viewpoints when they are all discussing the books. She emphasizes that, “You can learn a lot about their backgrounds in the way they answer, or add comments. I think it is vital that these discussion groups allow students to speak freely.” 

Aside from book clubs, they work really hard to make sure there is a diverse collection of books. They make sure to research books and use Titlewave to make sure the selection of different types of books for the students. Titlewave is an online website that is used as a tool to compile all of your books into one location that allows you to filter choices based on topics. You can use this feature to see the wide range of books. Sheila said that, “we have 86 databases that are used for researching”, as well. 

The main topic of discussion is collaboration. Sheila is so excited to collaborate with teachers and she is thrilled to say it's not just English and Social Studies. She breaks down some of the projects she does with different subjects: 

World Languages: 

• Spanish: A unit where students study Spanish speaking countries. They create a tourist brochure. 

• French: Has students create a menu for a restaurant in a French Speaking Country. Students research an area and then create foods that would be eaten there. 

Math: 

• A project (similar to a science fair project), but it is about a math concept. Students find the best databases for their research. 

English: 

• The vast amount of teaching at one point during the semester is with essay writing, research, and of course MLA formatting. 

Science:

• Create research projects for a science fair activity. 

Sheila is very pleased to say that she has a great working relationship with the teachers at Byrnes High School and they feel comfortable asking her for help. 

I wanted to make sure I asked about challenges they may face when trying to implement these competencies. One of the biggest challenges that was expressed was booking banning and the new way of selecting books. Collection development has taken on a whole new dimension. Sheila voices that, “ I could rely on one or two reviews for a book, but now I spend on average, about 15-20 minutes researching a book to make sure it is appropriate for our students. I don’t mind the extra research, but the feeling like I can’t trust my own judgment is frustrating.” It has definitely become a very scary and irritating experience when you can’t put something on a shelf that you know would better your students, but you now have to jump through so many hoops to make sure it is appropriate based on the district's policies. Another challenge is the student's lack of interest. They are constantly coming up with some neat ideas, but getting students involved on a voluntary basis is very hard. She has witnessed, “that students today only want to watch videos on their phone. Very few students ask for maker space items on their own. If we offer maker space time during the day, students tend to sign up for it, but to just come in and create on their own, they would rather look at their phones.” 

There is so much that goes into making sure the library is a safe and engaging space for all students and staff. It is getting harder to do due to the advancement of technology..