The essential question?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 05:06AM Form follows function.
- Louis Sullivan
ISB student "using" the library, May 13, 2009
The question our team was to help answer was supposed to be: How can the MS/HS library program and facilities be improved to support student learning and achieve the ISB Vision for Learning?
But somehow it changed in a meeting with school officials this afternoon to: Does a school need a library when information can be accessed from the classroom using Internet connected laptops?
The new question is uncomfortable, messy, and incredibly important and not restricted by any means to one particular school. It is one to which all library people need a clear and compelling answer.
I've been addressing this question in articles since, well, for a long time, including:
- Why do we need libraries when we have the Internet? Knowledge Quest, Vol #27 no. 1 (1998)
- Are Libraries (and Librarians) Heading Toward Extinction? Teacher-Librarian, Dec 2003
- Letter from the Flat World Library Corporation, LMC, March 2006
- The Importance of Bricks, LMC, August/September 2006
Do you have a good response? What part does a facility play in a ubiquitous information environment? How does the librarian's role change? How do we assess our impact if physical visits become less frequent?
Your answers?
Reader Comments (51)
I think the internet is less important than any library will ever be. Libraries hold so much permanent information that the internet has never seen before. I think libraries are the building grounds for educated people and that a diversion away from libraries to the internet would not be a wise decision. You can physically touch and see knowledge in libraries where as the internet is just images and information that is not really "there" in a certain sense.
HI Eric,
Your comment about permanence is interesting.
I suspect that most educated people will use a combination of "static" resources like books along with electronic information sources.
I'd not want to be without either!
Thanks for the comment and good luck with your class.
Doug
Doug,
I do not believe that I can add to the body of well stated comments already expressed. While I find the prospect of school districts cutting funding very scary, I find the reasoning behind the cuts even more frightening. I would think that libraries would be viewed as vital considering the pace at which technology and information management has been changing. I agree with Kate's post that the internet is just a repository for information that is essentially useless until someone (a librarian) helps students view the information with a critical eye. This fact seems even more important as Web 2.0 gains momentum and information on the web is no longer gained in a passive manner but requires and encourages users to actively participate. While access to information has never been easier, it has also never been easier for the dissemination of inaccurate information.
Hi Taylor,
My sense is that the library is seen as vital only in those schools where the librarian is seen as supporting teachers and students experiencing the "pace" technology and information management change.
Thanks for your comment,
Doug
I have found reading these pages illuminating. In Australia we have stopped training Teacher Librarians years ago. You can see the danger there - no specialists= no libraries!!
I agree with the writer about the importance of the Library as a source of fiction. I believe getting our youngsters to empathise with novel's characters etc is very important. I agree with the widening of vocabulary and the exposure to correct grammar. I had not thought about yoga but will now use the idea.
Already I have not allowed my principal to simply argue we do not need a library. I have told him that he cannot prove that not having a library will improve literacy and that our special education classes will possibly be a waste of money without a library. He did accept the argument that books in the library have been peer reviewed.
I see that the Governor of California is going to stop issuing science and maths books because of the cost and students will access them from online. Considering the cost and the constant changes is that perhaps a good idea for the wrong reason? In Australia most of the text book costs are borne by the parents.
Hi Richard,
I know several library school professors in Australia so I am surprised to hear you say Teacher Librarians are no longer being trained.
The California proposition is an interesting one. I wonder if it will be a money saver in the long run (which is why it is being suggested.)
Thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts,
Doug
As a public librarian for the past 18 years, I have seen the public library constantly re-invent itself in order to stay relevant to the changing times. A school library must do the same and not cling too strongly to the physical concept of a library. A school library needs to justify it's existence at every opportunity, and if that means visiting classrooms that are equipped with smart boards and are wireless to do collaborative teaching, then so be it. School librarians need to take an active role at faculty meetings, volunteer to be part of special projects, and be as involved in technology decision making as possible. Librarianship is a multi-disciplinary field and the more the library and librarian can do for the school and its teaching faculty, the more the role of the school librian will be seen as indispensible.
As a product of the 21st century mentality which promotes computer-literacy and independence, I do believe that in an ideal situation students should be able to acquire information through the Internet which would cover most basic informational needs. However, as everyone knows, ideal situations are often just that: ideals. Further, I believe that while the library in its current form may mutate over the course of the next few years, librarians will become more important than ever as the facilitators and tour guides of the online information universe.
As someone pointed out earlier, while a library with comfy sofas and tables is nice, in a world where budget cuts are a necessity and the essential factor is student education, a nice, cozy library may no longer be a part of reality for most school districts. However, computer labs are an increasingly important part of school function and I for one could see keeping a certain amount of reference material and fiction on shelves within a computer area in order to amplify the effectiveness of the databases available to students online. And instead of getting rid of the books with the library, I could see the idea of distributing them throughout the various classrooms where they would fit best, with kids being able to take books to the librarian to check out during lunch hour or after school hours. And even if this idea is impractical, the point I'm trying to make remains: librarians should be coming up with ways to keep themselves useful, not bemoaning their inability to practice their craft the way they once did.
I am currently going through library school and am finding the information science part of my degree is becoming more and more necessary to staying current within the field. Librarians of the future may well be known as information technicians, with their role changing to become teachers of technology usage and information organization. While it is sad that a profession which has retained its traditions for millennia is changing, we no longer find scrolls or stone tablets for our patrons either. Change is a necessary part of any profession and instead of fearing it, librarians should abandon any preconceived notions of what their profession has to be and embrace the challenge of creating a new profession for themselves within a vital, fascinating, and frequently evolving field.
Hi Teresa,
Thanks for your considered response. I certainly agree that we need to reinvent ourselves on a regular basis. I also believe there are some core values we need to hold on to.
All the best,
Doug
Hi Pyrakanthe,
I guess I am a romantic since I hope a "nice, cozy library" will be a part of most students' school experiences. High tech, high touch and all that.
Thanks for the comments,
Doug
I received my "pink slip" this past week and have had to assess the decision of the school district. The library will become a computer lab and a library aide will oversee students, crowd control if you will. If a school district can remove librarians when the budget is threatened and put library aides in the space, what is the underlying message and value associated with the librarian's position? Is this action justified? Are the internet and the teachers all that is necessary for a school to function?
Hi Laura,
I think your questions are good ones to ask students, their parents and teachers.
Doug