Reflection

Upon reviewing the data for the past school year and creating the slideshow recapping the year, here are the areas that will need work in the coming school year.  The areas identified in the reflection below are also identified as goals of the LUHS Library Future Ready Plan.  (Note the LUHS Library Future Ready Plan will be updated in the Fall of 2023 and presented for board approval.)

1. Evaluated library collection by diversity to identify areas of diversification needs: A diversity analysis was set up and run.  The analysis will now be a continual part of the Collection Analysis and utilized for informed purchasing decisions to meet the needs of all learners. 

I wonder...If a full redirect and evaluation of the library reading selections will impact personal reading by students. This has been a positive impact on our collection and students.  First, students "see themselves" in the covers; as even adults are first drawn to a book by the cover and generally this is something that one can identify with.  Second the creation of active book displays to entice and engage students, including the utilization of dynamic shelving. The Diversity Analysis is only as good as the identification and recognition of diversity of people.  Thus one can use this tool to build a collection for a pluralistic society.  Yet, recognizing that this process is never done.  A school library is to serve the students and people of the school. The American Association of School Librarians share with us the following:

The school library provides access to a wide array of resources and an environment in which teaching and learning are the primary emphases. The school library provides a space and place for personalized learner success; learners are encouraged to explore questions of personal and academic relevance. Under the direction of a qualified school librarian, school libraries are instrumental in fostering literacy and teaching inquiry skills to support lifelong learning (AASL 2018, 54). 

School librarians are not counters of books and checkouts, rather we are counters of the needs of our students to help them develop into learners who question and explore the world utilizing the library resources.  Yes, to a point we need to count and be fiscally responsible, we also need to be people accountable to build our students up.

2. Reading support across the curriculum is vital to building students who read.  This includes the activities of the MakerSpace as this space allows students to experience hands on what they are reading and learning.  Over the course of the year, many classrooms have signed up and utalized both myself as a resource and the space to tie hands on learning experience directly to the curriculum.  Students simply benefit from this experience as it truly meets learners needs to both see and learn differently.  The district financially supports these activities with the supply budget funding, this is fully utilized by classroom teachers and various other co-curricular activities.  The full benefit is realized when the whole class comes to the space for the activity, requiring myself and the classroom teacher to collaborate to ensure the learning targets are fully met. This continues to be the case with activities that have now become "annual events of learning."

I wonder...If all teachers were required to experience this type of teaching and learning once a semester what impact on engagement might look like for the classroom and how engaging with students on my part with the library skills and ethical engagement of information instruction would assist in building a culture of ethical learning and acceptance of all; while supporting classroom learning targets that fully support a culture of reading; as reading is an extension of the MakerSpace. 

3. We have used Noodletools at LUHS for a number of years.  I am finding that the usage is predominantly by the English Department.  Noodletools provides direction for proper citation and paraphrasing of information cited for research and to support one's ideas in writing of all kinds.  Our databases are increasing their collaboration and integration with tools such as Noodletools and Google to save the citation in the correct format and a copy of the work cited in an accessible format (Google Drive) that our students and teachers use.  

I wonder...If I provided more instruction on how Noodletools can be utilized across the curriculum to improve the honesty of student writing by providing a standardized accepted, and approved tool already provided by LUHS for all students and staff.  I wonder if this could be accepted across the curriculum to improve paraphrasing, citations, and bibliography formatted without taking away from the curricular focus of the assignment. Supporting writing across the curriculum. This musing and wonder remains as professionals in the building teachers set the stage for an ethical culture of learning, this tool continues to support this.