Curiosity may have killed the cat, (and in this photo, perhaps the bird, too) but it sure makes library learning better!  Unfortunately, too many school libraries still report seeing low-engagement, low-cognition projects that don’t challenge our kids.  

As much as we school library media specialists believe in inquiry, the reality is that sometimes, making the leap from low-level to high-engagement research projects is a bit more than a teacher can take on, for various reasons.  So how can school library media specialists implement the AASL Standards?

Perhaps it’s a case of the tortoise and the hare (sorry for all the animal metaphors).  Instead of leaping forward like the hare, a more pragmatic solution might be a gentle nudge in the direction of inquiry … and then another nudge …. and then another nudge, until the project evolves. 

That’s the theory behind a new page that will run in School Library Media Activities Monthly throughout the 2009-2010 season.  We’re calling it “Nudging Toward Inquiry,” and it’s our way of thinking practically about those small steps that can lead to a big change in student engagement. 

We’re seeking submissions for the first three articles now.  Click on the links below to read the scenario and share your ideas!

• Re-envisioning the Biography Report - closes Wednesday, June 17
• Re-envisioning the Country Report - closes Thursday, July 2
• Re-envisioning the Animal Report - closes Thursday, July 2

And if you have an idea for a “classic” but shopworn lesson plan that needs a tweak, leave a comment here or email me at slmamblog [at] gmail [dot] com!

Image from the calling and visiting cards collection of the George Eastman House, posted to Flickr Commons

Friday, June 12, was the official conversion day.  Anybody looking at a blank screen?

Note: Comments closed 12/27/09 due to excessive spam.

Dear Predecessor,

When I came to this school, I left your decades of neat, organized file folders with neat, organized notes and neat, organized handouts alone.  I stored my files as digital files or, quite frankly, jammed them in the half a drawer that wasn’t already full.

But four years later, I have a new one-year appointment and will only be at my school half-time so that I can do staff development for the other half (partnering with teachers and doing PD - which is still kinda like being a media specialist, right?).  So now there won’t be room in the media office anymore for your stuff and my stuff and my job share’s stuff.

So I’m finally cleaning out your stuff.  The meticulously filed 3.5″ floppy disks, the 1991 article ripped out of Instructor that gives step by step instructions for doing a literal bird unit, the annotated issue of National Geographic from 1984, your notes about switching from fixed to mixed scheduling, the volunteer phone list from 7 years ago.  I recycled your file of book reviews and your lists of books you had borrowed from the public library to see if staff would like you to buy them.  I pitched old publicity photos from long-ago author visits.

I cleaned out notes for classroom novels no longer taught, Dewey visual aids, nursery rhyme prints from the late 1920’s, OPAC lessons, database teacher guides from the CD-ROM era, and skills sheets.  And, from my early days of being a school librarian, some of my own.

Dear predecessor, as I cleaned, I wondered what you would think if you saw me tossing what you had so meticulously stored.  I felt twinges of guilt and sadness.  And some mild embarrassment at how my early career focused on “skills.”

But we’re on the brink of a revolution here.  Our kids are digital kids, so focusing on skills from the print-world era is no longer a good fit.  And so, just as you once pitched your predecessor’s notes on automation and maintenance of film projectors, I’m recycling yours.

While we’re turning away from some of the information skills of the past, we’re looking ahead to how we can promote inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving.  Some skills from the past are being updated to reflect reading and collaborating online, and others are no longer needed.

Some teachers who remember you from your tenure tell me how much you loved books and sharing that passion with teachers and students.  They say you and I are different and often point to technology for that difference.

But you and I know better.  Rest assured that our school’s students are still getting a librarian who shares your same passion with connecting kids with reading that brings them joy, excitement, and validation.   And while today’s generation is as likely to check out Sports Illustrated Kids, a video game cheat book, or a graphic novel as they are a regular chapter book, I hope that you would see that passion carried on in them. 

On Wednesday night, we graduated the last children who had you for a librarian.  And while they are spotted in the library to be seen Moodling, making stop-motion animations, or interviewing each other for a video, they’re still reading.  Reading is still alive and well. 

From,

The Whippersnapper Who Came After You