college prep librarians: how integrated is your library with your school curriculum?

[Zaiga Alksnitis]

Hello all,

 

This is aimed at librarians who work in college prep school environments. After a few years working at my school I've seen how little the library is involved with school curriculum, outside the traditional history research paper. It's pretty hard to get people around here to consider deviating from the "time honored traditions". I'm not in anybody's information loop. I don't even know what the English classes are reading half the time! Faculty don't necessarily see how the library can help their students with all those important critical thinking and research skills. I'm curious to know if this situation is common in college prep schools? I'd love to hear about other librarians' experiences...especially if you managed to change your library program from minimum involvement to maximum involvement!

 

If you don't work in a college prep environment, but have good ideas in motivating faculty to change their perspectives, your thoughts are welcome. Independent schools are often so different, what works for one type may not work for another, which is why I'm appealing to the college prep crowd. Still, you never know what might work!

 

Thanks,

Zaiga

[Shawn Steidinger]

Hello Ziaga,

Does your library have a Professional Development section? Perhaps this will help draw faculty into their library, then you can show them how you are able to help the students as well.  Perhaps you can integrate into faculty meetings, create professional workshops for staff, things like that.  As for drawing students in - is there any kind of student librarian program? Or perhaps a student board that contributes book reviews, selection ideas, develops events like poetry slams, book writing workshops... Perhaps if faculty see the students learning in the learning center of the school, they will see the benefit of including you in curriculum development?

 

Hope this helps,

--SHAWN

[Zaiga Alksnitis]

Thanks for the ideas Shawn. The culture here is extremely structured--both teachers and students are scheduled up to their eyeballs, practically 24-7. There are a million things competing for their time and I'm still trying to figure out ways to approach them about library services without them feeling like it's just one more thing they have to think about. My position is not a faculty position, so I'm not allowed in faculty meetings. The library director is, and he's been here much longer than I have, but has not been able to make many inroads. Every once in awhile they'll give him a moment to share information about the library, but it's very low priority. I know who my student readers are, and we have a book club which is fun. The traditional "teen library activities" are not of much interest to my particular crowd of students though. My tactics so far have been to simply keep my eyes and ears peeled when I'm around faculty and if they are talking about something where I know the library can help them, I offer my services. Everybody "appreciates" the library, but there seems to be little opportunity to expand their ideas on what a library can do for their students. :-)

 

Zaiga

[Kathleen Johnson]

Zaiga, Being out of the loop is all too common. So I've found I have to mitigate against that constantly. Here are a few of the things I do, have done.

Our school uses moodle and I can go in and see what each instructor is assigning. Then I can offer to made a LibGuide (example here: http://guides.seattleacademy.org/content.php?pid=183051&sid=153...).

Another thing I do is pledge to buy books that students pick out for their projects. That way if our library cannot provide what is needed, we will just buy it. They take me up on this occasionally. But I need to keep reminding them I will do this. I also routinely buy all resources that teachers request and more than 70% of my disposable budget tends to be taken up by teacher requests. That way I know I am calibrating 100% to their curriculums - if they want me to.

Another way I connect is to use my library blog to feature student performances (which I make using flipcams)  and I also invite teachers to guest blog.  http://saaslibrary.wordpress.com

One experiment did not last:  I tried for one year giving IM help for students at night from 8-9pm. It was too much.

Two ideas I have yet to try: Prearrange with instructors to be available to teach info lit in their discipline should they need to be absent.  And, I am thinking of making a Powerpoint to tell students abit about me. One of our teachers did this very successfully.  It's all about relationships.  Hope this helps.

 

 

[Zaiga Alksnitis]

Thanks for your response Kathy! We use moodle too, but I am not privileged to go into their classes. Wherever I can, I constantly offer help in the form of libguides, an ever evolving website, buying whatever books the faculty want, going out of my way to get books for students that we don't have. As I mentioned to Shawn, it's really a matter of looking for appropriate moments to talk to faculty one on one about the library. Since I'm not faculty I don't go to faculty meetings (these are mostly about students and not about curriculum, anyway). I've met with the History dept on occasion, and I my relationship with the art dept. is good -- I collaborated on a couple of fun art class projects. In a way, I almost think it's about tackling the new teachers, especially the younger ones. I seem to get the most results there. The older ones have been teaching their classes the same way for time immemorial and have no desire to change things...especially if they have it in their head that it will be a lot of work. Time is EXTREMELY precious to everyone here, as I'm sure it is at your school. To some extent I'm grateful not to be faculty status, as that would require dorm duty, weekend duties, coaching a sport, taking a number of students as advisees, mandatory attendance of most school evening programs...yikes! There is no set curriculum here, although each dept. probably has it's own standards and requirements. But there is no documentation that I can pull out and use to show a teacher how the library can help them in areas x, y and z. I like that idea of offering my services if teachers are absent. Usually they just cancel class and assign students something to do during that time period. As far as I know, everybody likes me and everybody appreciates the library and what I do...it's getting them to realize my powers are endless that is the key! ;-)

 

Zaiga

[Trish Spadaro]

I think you're doing just about everything that can be done. You have identified the problem which is one of status and I think until you have an administrator on your (library) side you will be working very hard with little chance of payoff. If the administration really supports the mission of the library they will be more effective with a suggestion than anything you can do. Getting through to busy administrator is tough but if you pay close attention you may find a way in. Good luck.