BFTP: 7 reasons your school doesn't need a library

I know there will be some raised eyebrows seeing my name associated with the “nay” side of any question about the necessity of school libraries. But let’s be honest here. There are schools that don’t need library facilities, library programs, or librarians. These school’s teachers and administrators:

1. Are content to have their instruction be textbook and test-driven. Given the number of standards in the state-mandated curriculum and the state’s test-based accountability requirements, the staff does not see the need for in-depth study of topics, problem-based teaching, or authentic assessment. A single textbook meets teacher needs.

2. Are unconcerned about providing quality information sources to staff and students. Administrators feel that edited sources of information – books, commercial databases, or reference materials - are necessary when “everything is free on the Internet.” Questions of information reliability and authority are deemed irrelevant.

3. Believe students and staff can locate reliable information without assistance. Citing the ability of students to do a search in Google and find pages of information on which the search term appears, teachers dismiss the notion that more sophisticated strategies and search tools were needed. Kids can always change their topic if they don’t find what they need with Google in these schools.

4. Feel that the ability to process and communicate information in formats other than print is unnecessary. Students in these schools use standard written term papers as the sole means of communicating the results of research. That they are word-processed was cited as proof of “technology integration.” Having students communicate using audio, video, photographic or visual productions, is dismissed as irrelevant to preparing students for college.

5. Feel no need for F2F collaborative learning space. Classrooms and quiet study halls are the only places considered appropriate for learning in these schools.

6. View independent voluntary reading is a waste of time. Strict adherence to the basal readers and reading “skill building” software results in students scoring acceptably on standardized tests, so both administration and teachers are reluctant to “mess with success.” Developing a desire to read is not part of the district’s strategic plan.

7. Believe differentiated instruction is just babying the slackers. Providing materials at a variety of levels, in multiple formats meeting the needs of learners with divergent abilities, interests and learning styles is given a low priority by these schools.

Small classroom book collections that supplement the reading series and a word-processing lab with access to Google are all that such schools currently require. Since the skills of librarians are viewed as unimportant, the library can be staffed by clerks.

I would not send my own children to such a school, but it’s differences that make a horse race, I guess.

Published as a counter point in ISTE's Leading & Learning, Nov 2009

BFTP: Just as important as fact vs opinion

Yes, I noticed that difference is misspelled in the graphic above. But I still like the quote.

• Schools have been teaching how to tell statements of fact from statements of opinion for at least 40 years (Fact - I was teaching it in 1976.)
• Schools have not been doing a very good job of teaching how to tell fact from opinion. (Fact - a study by Pew Research shows that only 36% of Americans could discriminate fact from opinion.)
• I am good at telling facts from opinion. (Fact - based on a score of 100% on a quiz given by the Pew Research.) Or wait, maybe that's an opinion...

Knowing how tell whether something is a fact or an opinion has long been viewed as an important skill, especially for citizens in a country which is supposedly democratic. Yet with each passing day, whether because of current events or due to my encroaching senile dementia, I find telling fact from opinion seems not just more difficult, but insufficient in making good decisions.

Just a few random "skills" that are as important as fact/opinion discrimination:

1. Determining the reliability of the facts. Just because something is verifiable doesn't make it true. Many statements are verifiably false should we take the time to examine them.
2. Understanding the relationship among facts, opinions, and values. How do our values impact what facts we use to support our opinions? Opinions are the result of weighing and selecting facts according to personal values.
3. Asking if any writing can be free of bias. What is the purpose of the writing and how might that purpose influence the facts (and language) chosen for inclusion? Objectivity, like fairness, is perhap an unobtainable quality.
4. Understanding the context needed to determine the importance or value of a fact. If I tell you that I weigh 200 pounds but neither my height or body fat percentage, how much good does knowing my weight do anyone trying to determine whether I am healthy?
5. Accepting that no political stance is free of confmation bias. While Stephen Cobert's statement that facts have a liberal bias gets a nod and a chuckle from most of my friends, the sign of a genuine thinker is that she/he understands it is human nature to seek out the evidence that best supports one's personal values. And this includes liberals as well as conservatives.
6. Understanding that opinions can be valuable. Many opinions, espcially expert opinions, are judgements based on the collection and analysis of lots of facts - facts that have been substantiated and placed in context. A thoughtful opinion is an effective means of getting reliable information.

Oversimplification of good decision-making seems even more dangerous than not being able to tell fact from opinion. That's my conclusion.

But then as Arthur Bloch once said  "A conclusion is the place where you get tired of thinking."

Your opinion?

Original post 6/26/18

There ARE limits to free speech

The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic.  Justice Holmes in Schenck v. United States

Much has been made about Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon working to curtail messaging that they feel may incite violence or spread falsehoods. Political commentators (professional and amature) are calling this a violation of the First Amendment - Freedom of Speech.

As a librarian, I have always been a staunch supporter of free speech and intellectual freedom. In the column “The Neglected Side of Intellectual Freedom”, Library Media Connection, March/April 2013, I argued that even students have a right to free expression and need practice in doing so to fully participate in society:

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.   Intellectual freedom includes having the right to create and disseminate information and opinions as well as having the right to access the intellectual products of others. 

Given the difficulty and exclusivity of publishing in print (primarily books, newspapers, and magazines) prior to online publishing, the expressive side of the intellectual freedom coin has been largely ignored by school librarians and teachers. But given the increased importance of social networking, the availability of Web 2.0 tools, the realization that knowledge creation is a valuable skill, and the growing recognition of creativity as a primary means of securing a place in the contemporary workforce, all educators (especially librarians) should be advocating for students' rights to be read, heard, and viewed.

I fervently stand by the statements I made in this column. And while the column expressed the need for students to be able to express their opinions online, it certainly pertains to adults as well.

But being the Pollyanna I sometimes am, I did not specifically point out that I expect the responsible use of online communications as well. Cyberbullying, harassment, profanity, and other inappropriate uses of technology have always been covered by school policies related to technology use - and the penalty for technology misuse was often the loss of priviledges.

I would like to believe most people would agree that speech that causes harm - physical or mental to others - should be exempt from protection from the First Amendment. Statements that are libelous, statements that incite physical violence, statements that may lead to direct danger to others are inappropriate and should be illegal. Statements that demean others on the basis of race, gender or sexual orientation, while not against the law, do not have to be supported by private communications companies or services. (I have the right, I believe, to delete comments or not accept guest posts on the Blue Skunk I feel are hateful or illegal and my host, Squarespace, should be able to deny me service should my statements violate its terms of use.)

The rub, of course, lies in one’s interpretation of just how harmful, untruthful, or dangerous a communication might be as to whether it falls under the protection of the First Amendment. In fact, I would guess that while many people could agree in general on free speech rights, when it comes to specific statements, interpretations will diverge. Is not capitalizing Black when referring to a person of African-American descent racist? Did Trump’s tweets encourage violence at the Capitol on January 6th? Should I be able to block a highway during a protest march? And of course, as a writer, I have no control over others' interpretations of my message. Language will always be ambiguous to some degree.

This is a conundrum which may be better addressed by more thoughtful pundits and more informed legal scholars. But each person should think about what constitutes protected speech and what guidelines they themselves should follow in communicating responsibly - despite how passionately they may feel about the issue.

Image source Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images