This article just came out in the new issue of the School Library Monthly, Volume XXX, Number 6/March 2014.
Leadership: Collaboration for Summer Reading” (PDF)
Many school librarians and administrators have often wondered why the vast and various resources housed in the physical space of the library are not available to students and families during school breaks and the summer months. For many children and youth, the school library is the closest and most familiar (and free!) provider of reading material for independent reading. Whether they are seeking books and magazines for pleasure reading or to answer their questions and gain specific knowledge, the school library is their resource and the school librarian is their go-to person. In most districts across the United States, however, school libraries are closed for the summer and are shuttered over for fall, winter, and spring breaks.
Cynthia Strong from Seattle Pacific University submitted an article - “Importance of School Library Programs.”
This is a pre-print version of the article to be published in 2014.
Within the discipline of library science, over 20 research studies have been done in the United States attesting to how quality school library programs contribute to improved academic achievement. On the other hand, in the fields of education, school counseling, administration, and school leadership, and so on, there is a dearth of scholarship and recognition of the positive impact librarians and library media program have on student success. This conceptual paper first presents an overview of the empirical research on school library programs and the positive impact they have on the academic achievement of students in the United States. Second, the argument is made that if education is to remain sustainable, it is essential that collaborative relationships are developed between school librarians and other personnel within school buildings.
Libraries Unlimited published “Better Serving Teens through School Library-Public Library Collaborations” by Cherie Pandora and Stacey Hayman in August 2013. The main focus of the book is how school and public libraries can collaborate to better serve patron needs while minimizing costs. Much of the book is available to read on Google Books, and can be purchased from the link above or on Amazon.
This is a Masters thesis that was authored by Sarah Craig at the University of Victoria in Canada.
“Teacher and librarian collaboration: using servant-leadership attributes to create a culture of collaboration“
Issued Date: 2013-05-24
Copyright Date: 2013
The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the leadership attributes librarians need to create a culture of collaboration in their school community. A literature review and a scholarly content analysis were conducted on teacher and librarian collaboration (TLC) and Servant-Leadership to explore the role that Servant-Leadership characteristics play in the development and sustainability of collaborative relationships between teachers and librarians. Ten TLC articles were examined through the theoretical framework of Servant-Leadership. The theme of Servant-Leadership was analyzed through the subthemes of the Seven Pillars of Servant-Leadership as identified by Sipe and Frick (2009): person of character, puts people first, skilled communicator, compassionate collaborator, foresight, systems thinker, and leads with moral authority. Servant-Leadership as a search term was lacking in TLC literature; however, attributes of the subthemes were found in the majority of the articles. The themes of trust and building trusting relationships were the most commonly discussed attributes found in TLC literature. Through this research, librarians will gain a deeper understanding of their leadership role in collaborative partnerships and acquire practical suggestions on how to create a culture of collaboration in their school community.
I found this free ebook, School Libraries: What’s Now, What’s Next, What’s Yet to Come, that was edited by Kristin Fontichiaro and Buffy Hamilton to be a worthwhile read. Chapter 9 has a good section concerning collaboration. The chapter starts on page 117 (of 178) of the PDF ebook and page 90 (of 142) of the HTML version.
“Two Heads Are Better than One: Influencing Preservice Classroom Teachers’ Understanding and Practice of Classroom–Library Collaboration” was published on the American Association of School Librarians website. Judi Moreillon, PhD, wrote the report.
Two Heads Are Better than One: The Factors Influencing the Understanding and Practice of Classroom–Library Collaboration proposed to identify the factors involved in educating future K–8 classroom teachers about collaboration for instruction with school library media specialists (SLMSs). This longitudinal study monitored the growth of teacher education students’ understandings of collaboration through their preservice education, student teaching, and first year of classroom teaching. The participants were enrolled in a teacher preparation program facilitated by the researcher, a former SLMS. The goal of this mixed-methods case study was to suggest critical components of preservice education, student teaching, and first-year teaching experiences that influence novice classroom teachers’ classroom–library collaborations.
ALSO NEEDED: RADICAL COLLABORATIONS
One of our immediate goals is to affect the research/researchers/stakeholders enough to break down the walls of tradition and remove major roadblocks to these spaces of learning/permissions, particularly in the mind, such as standardized testing and set curriculum. And to do it in a way that is useful.
Angel Kymes wrote an interesting article for a recent issue of Action in Teacher Education. It is “Media Literacy and Information Literacy: A Need for Collaboration and Communication.” [Subscription required.] From the abstract:
Both media literacy and information literacy struggle for legitimacy in school curricula, and seek to be recognized as relevant to student learning initiatives. While each has a distinct historical context, a dedicated group of followers, and base of research and intervention, neither has alone achieved the scale needed to make systemic change in public education in the United States. The author proposes recognition of the strengths of each, a combined effort of supporters, and a dedication to the new approaches and initiatives working to make changes in education that could have a lasting effect on the ways students use, learn, and understand media in their educational and personal lives.
Take a look at “Teacher and School Librarian Collaboration: A Preliminary Report of Teachers’ Perceptions about Frequency and Importance to Student Learning” from the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, Volume 35, Number 1, March 2011. This is in Project MUSE, so a subscription will be required.
Abstract — Understanding teacher and school librarian collaboration is essential for school librarians to be able to comply with professional school librarian guidelines. While information exists about what school librarians perceive teacher and school librarian collaboration to be, little is understood about teachers’ perceptions of collaborative endeavors with school librarians. This study examines teachers’ perceptions of teacher and school librarian collaboration. The study surveyed 194 elementary school teachers in two school districts to determine how frequently teachers engaged in collaborative endeavors and how important to student learning teachers’ perceived the collaborative endeavors to be. A 16 item self-administered survey was used for data collection.