Big Ideas of ALiVE! Library

10 Strategies to Reinvent a School Library Led by a Dynamic and Credentialed Librarian

Credentialed School Librarians proactively take action in the following areas: 

1. LITERACIES: Promoting the love of reading expands to larger literacies such as: reading skills, writing, speaking, and listening; alongside initiatives such as digital citizenship, numeracy, and transliteracy. 

2. INFORMATION: Building a culturally relevant collection of printed books expands as the entire school community curates high quality information as a part of a student's personal learning environment. Books, databases, and multimedia in all formats can be accessed on any preferred device and connects learners to public libraries, museums, community organizations, each other, and open educational resources (OER).

3. INQUIRY: Assisting students in discovering what is known about a topic or question expands to a deepening sophistication across the grade levels as investigation complexity requires careful analysis and trust of information sources. Learners become adept at using the STIC Model, an information accuracy and confidence tool, asking who is saying what to me for what reason, what gain, through what channel, and with what evidence as they decide whether to let any information stick in their mind or just flush it.

4. INSTRUCTION: Teaching library skills and information location expand to embrace change and opportunities to partner with teachers to create deep learning. This leads to self-directed learning, design thinking, plus project and problem-based learning across the school and measuring impact on what learners know and are able to do.           

5. INNOVATION: Preserving traditional services of a library gives way to embracing change and constantly reinventing the Library Learning Commons, serving as the school’s incubator of new ideas. It facilitates and provides physical and virtual spaces and resources where students can learn to flourish and evolve in a changing world. 

6. TECHNOLOGY: Advocating for equitable access to technology at home and school expands to facilitating  the use of the digital learning tools to redefine learning experiences that promote communication, collaboration, creativity, invention, problem-solving, critical thinking and efficiency at the top of the SAMR Model.

7. EXPERTISE: Managing a library expands to the development of leadership to constantly infuse educational theory, technology prowess, librarianship, and innovation to create a learning commons culture across the school and into homes.

8. SERVICE: Helpfulness to patrons expands to service initiatives to self, family, school, community, and beyond. Proactive librarians create a safe, mentored, inclusive and exciting environment for all faculty and students.

9. SPACE: Preserving the layout of traditional physical spaces gives way to totally redesigned flexible learning commons, physical and virtual spaces, that adapts to the needs of individuals, small groups, and large groups as needed. The rule for physical space is: “If it does not move, does it really belong?” For virtual space, is it a vibrant community space of consumption, creation, and interaction rather than a one way connection just to databases?

10. PARTNERSHIPS: Aside from building relationships with classroom teachers and students, credentialed teacher librarians understand the valuable benefits of building lasting partnerships  with experts in the field, as well as parents and community members.  These important partnerships are instrumental in providing engaging and transformative learning opportunities for all students and support and enrich all nine of the strategic areas defined by the ALiVE! Initiative.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Superintendents, principals, boards of education, teachers, and parents: Do you have a vibrant, visible and indispensable library learning commons led by a credentialed librarian? It’s all about a rising generation who deserve nothing less than the best. Mediocrity is far more expensive than excellence.