Every now and then I have to stop myself and ask the question: "Why am I in school to be a library media specialist?" For the last two years, the answer has revolved around my passion for education, my affinity for children, my relationship with literature, and my belief that kids today need to learn so much more to be successful in their lives...to be 21st century learners and contributors. I've always had an interest in new media and the possibilities for its application in education...so it all seems to come together quite nicely.
But, when I remember back a few years, before I knew the term "library media specialist," back when the person in the library was known as a "librarian," and the main tools for use in the library were books, and the technology that did exist was mainly used for finding books...
I wonder if kids today will have that same fond nostalgia for their elementary library media program as I do for mine.
The two graduate courses I am taking now coexist much how I imagine technology and books coexist in a library. My course on technology (LIS 629) is rooted in the present, but always thinking about the future. My course on young adult literature (LIS 729) is rooted in the past, attempting to find the present.
While 629 has inspired me to celebrate the new web tools and technologies that are out there and being integrated into Library curriculum to revolutionize the ways educators are preparing students for the future...729 has forced me to remember why I grew fond of the library in the first place: the books.
There is absolutely no reason technology and books (and technology-loving librarians and book-loving librarians) can't partner to provide the best of both worlds. In fact, that's exactly what's going on in model school libraries across the country. But class discussions in 729 have brought to my attention that there are people out there who believe that a little piece of library heaven is being lost with the integration of so much technology, and the lack of focus on good-old-fashioned books.
729 focuses on how to connect with Young Adults through literature, and how to allow young adults to connect with themselves through reading. It is an art to be able to find and recommend appropriate books for youth - books that will not only interest them, but inspire them to read and possibly help to figure out a thing or two along the way. It's a tough age for most, one where good role models and stories can really make a big difference. Having said that, the course also mostly focuses on public library settings, not school. School differs greatly, but most importantly in the realms of Information and Inquiry skills. Public librarians do not have to be concerned with preparing students for the 21st century...they have to be concerned with serving the personal needs and the desires of the child or young adult.
But, school librarians also need to be concerned with reaching students, recommending appropriate information sources as well as literature, and forming positive bonds between students and text. With all of the focus on web tools, computers, gadgets, and the 21st century, is there a danger that books are going to become foreign objects to our future students?
I was no early adopter of the Amazon Kindle, one of the first eReaders to hit the market, though it didn't take me too long to jump on the band wagon. At first, I thought I might miss the feel of a book spine in my hands, the motion of turning pages, even the sight of a book cover on my shelf or night stand. But then I thought about everything a reader gains by using an eReader...instant access to a dictionary, automatic bookmarking, similar book recommendations, previewing books before purchasing or borrowing them, the ability to carry an entire library every where you go...
Not to mention the educational value locked inside the gadget. I now love my Kindle. Nothing can keep me from purchasing my favorites in their physical form and storing them on my bookshelf. And I haven't stopped going to the library or reading physical books here and there, either, like many eReader critics say will happen. I've just adopted the use of a new technology into my reading habits.
However, I couldn't help but notice the concerned stares I got when I pulled out my Kindle during class 2 of LIS 729. We were about to discuss a few books on the reading list. One (Ender's Game) I had borrowed in its physical form; another I purchased on my Kindle. This was mostly because I didn't have the time that week to track down a copy...and it was only a few dollars to have instantaneous access to it on my Kindle. Why not? But the presence of my Kindle sparked discussion about the importance of physical books...the need to have copies of books to show young adults during book talks...the relationship that is formed between reader and binding, etc.
And I couldn't help but agree. It's not that one or the other is better - but they are certainly different. Are students who become attached to digital text online (and off) missing out? If they are inspired to read, does it really matter what form they use?
Another important aspect of LIS 729 is book talking and reviewing. We recently watched an aged yet valuable video on the art of book talking. The class and I had several initial responses to the examples we witnessed - book talking is often extremely animated, almost as if the book talkers are performing. The best talks are personal and engaging, eliciting audible responses from the audience. They pull people in and really make them want to read the books.
While completing a task for LIS 629, I stumbled across a web library of video book talks for kids in grades 3-8, called Bookwink. Bookwink's mission is simply to inspire kids to read. I thought--what a GREAT idea! What an awesome resource for school librarians. I brought it up for discussion in LIS 729 and received varied reactions. Some think book talking is a very personal experience, and videos are too passive to remain engaging. Kids will respond better to librarians and adults that they know giving the talks, rather than strangers online. Also, it's easy to become lazy if you can just rely on someone else doing the book talking for you. Granted...these are comments from the perspective of public librarians. Still, others admitted the potential for expansion of book talking with the unlimited resource that is the web.
I think the best point made was that...as librarians...sometimes we have to meet kids where they are. And, if they are on the web, not in our library, perhaps adapting our art to be on the web is not a bad idea.
The excitement garnered when I found Bookwink was not only because I immediately wanted to use it in my library, but also because it inspired me to make my own video book talks. How useful and engaging would it be to post video book talks by the librarians and even teachers on a school library's website? It accomplishes that personal connection AND the goal of meeting kids where they are. Is it traditional? No. Is it effective? I think so.
Even further, while exploring a web collaboration tool called VoiceThread for 629, I pondered a way to use it with colleagues to keep current on grade level reading. How useful would it be to create a wiki or pathfinder for school librarians that contains video book talks of new children's and young adult literature? (For all I know, this already exists). It can be hard to keep up with the new literature while also attending to all the other areas of a 21st century library. So why not tap into a good resource - each other. Video book talks created on VoiceThread could allow school librarians to discuss the books they are familiar with and recommend (or don't recommend), and allow others to browse and comment. Librarians can then take what they discover back to their schools and decide what might be good additions to their own libraries.
Finally - while tinkering around on Teacher Librarian Ning, I found Dr. Loopy's Profile (Doug Valentine), and was in AWE. Doug has his kids create impressive and 100% original video book reviews using artwork, audio, and professional-looking settings. They are educational, enjoyable, and all around amazing. I shot Doug an e-mail to ask him how he did it, and he sent me step-by-step instructions. It was his novel use of technology to turn traditional book reviewing into an interactive/technological activity, combined with his willingness to spread the wealth of knowledge, that convinced me that there cannot be too much technology in...anything.
I love books almost more than anything. I genuinely want students to form positive and meaningful relationships with books the way that I did. I believe that they still are...but I worry that it won't last forever. However, times are changing...and technology is allowing us to interact and engage with information in ways that we never could before. I think it's a struggle that must be dealt with by any librarian who is old enough to remember the times before the vast integration of technology in schools - but not one that isn't worth dealing with.
-LB
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