[Publib] RE: Working with which schools

[Catherine Brown]

As an ex-teacher and a practicing school library director, I have been
reading the postings on this topic with great interest and find myself with
a few thoughts and comments: 

1.  Would that there was a liaison program firmly in place between school
and public libraries in much the same way that there is in academic
libraries between different academic departments and designated college
librarians.  This program would need the whole-hearted participation and
cooperation of librarians from both camps as well as that of grade-level
coordinators and, most likely, the district's curriculum coordinator.  The
program would need both a short- and long-term set of objectives that would
address learning objectives at each grade level as well as overall
objectives for the entire program.  

In other words, showing up to hand out new library cards to kindergarteners
is wonderful, but what if the first grade social studies curriculum dealt
with learning about my community?  Wouldn't that be just the time to have
the children come to the library to learn where it is, what it does, who
works there, how you can borrow materials, and what other services the
library has for you and your family?  

2.  Just wondering ... do the schools you've been discussing have libraries
in the schools?  Librarians?  I ask because I haven't heard word one about
either.  Were I the school librarian, I would be feeling pretty
insignificant at this point, as in here comes the real librarians from the
real library.  Couldn't this be a wonderful opportunity for cooperation
between public and school librarians -- hey, we're all librarians, right? --
and in fact be a teachable moment about the profession as a whole
(librarians work in lots of different kinds of libraries because information
is so important to everybody these days, no matter where they are or what
they're doing ...) 

One big thing that's very important.  Check with school officials as to what
might be the best time for this.  Watch out for grading periods, state
testing weeks, the school play and the band and chorus concerts.  Teacher
in-service days/weeks.  The week IEP evaluation/write-up's are due.  Teacher
conference weeks.  See what I mean? 


3.  TALK WITH THE GRADE-LEVEL TEACHERS ABOUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION
TECHNIQUES FOR THE GRADE WITH WHOM YOU WILL BE WORKING!  Kindergarteners
have about a 5-8 minute passive attention span; that can be extended to
about 15 minutes if you involve some kind of active learning in your
presentation.  The time goes up slowly and slightly through the grades until
about fifth when how friends are reacting to the message being delivered
overtakes a single student's individual reaction.  This is when you need to
ID the social leaders immediately and made his/her story the class's story
(... let's say a family was planning a camping trip -- Mike, I know your
family likes to do things outdoors in the summer ... can we use your family
as "our" family?).  And so on.  Working with the classroom teacher ahead of
time on the lesson plan, the nature of the class, her/.his suggestions for
engagement v. non-engagement, who should sit with whom, etc. will be
invaluable.  

4.  Again, work with the classroom teachers on classroom sets of resources
but don't leave out the school librarian!  Allowing her to be part of this
tri-part brainstorming session as you draw up the list is probably, in terms
of collection development, more time than she -- or the teacher -- have ever
had to sit down and talk about it.  Suggestion:  most states require that
teachers and teacher/librarians amass CEU's for recertification.  A session
like this would most likely qualify for those needed CEU's; check with the
principal first as to what has to happen, what kind of document needs to be
turned in, have the document with you ready to sign, and they'll be back for
more sessions like this in a flash.  Oh, yes, stop by a good coffee place on
your way over and spring for three large, hot, non-school coffees!  

5.  Don't attempt to make judgments about who knows what or needs the most
time with you based solely on demographics.  These are little kids.  Some
who you'd think know everything sometimes know the least in terms of
school-related things; video games? No problem.  But databases, no sir.  On
the other hand, the child you might assume to know nothing has been sitting
in his/her room day after day in the summer and has figured out more than
you might expect.  One big think teachers learn very early on about kids is
to never assume anything.  

I guess my only other suggestion for where to go with your new program is to
go slowly at first, doing what the kids can absorb rather than as much as
you necessarily need to get in, and most of all, doing it well.  Plan to
come back if only to stick your head in the door or read a story the
following week and the week after so that once or twice you can briefly
reinforce the lesson you presented the first week.  The school's
library/teacher would probably be delighted to work some re-enforcement of
your lesson into his/her plans for the next class to establish in the kids'
minds that the two or you "work together."   

Engage the help and support of administrators -- principals, curriculum
coordinators, grade-level managers, Reading Teachers, etc. -- as well as
parent volunteers, PTA, high school students looking for communing service
hours, etc.  Someone -- either your library or library regional unit, the
PTA, or the school district needs to handle PR for the program -- in the
local and regional newspapers, photos, local TV, a dedicated website (I bet
you could come up with a really clever name for the program), etc.  On a
local cable station, share children's public <==> school circulation
achievements with the community.  (Mary Ellen Twombley has been very busy
reading this month.  She has borrowed 10 books from the Great River Public
Library and 5 books from the Swamp Water Elementary School Library.  Fiction
books seem to be Mary Ellen's favorite this month since she just finish
reading abc, def, ghi, and jkl.  Mary Ellen found that two of these books
were not available here in Great River, but with her brand new public
library card (cut to Mary Ellen holding up her new library card) and the
help of her school librarian/teacher Mrs. Hing, Mary Ellen was able to
borrow the books from the Far Away Public Library and have them delivered
right here to Swamp Water School's library.  "How much extra did that cost,
Mary Ellen?"  "Not a penny," smile Mary Ellen,  "It's all paid for by the
public library system!"  

Make yourself visible in the building.  Drop by to see the
teacher/librarian.  Share resources; invite each other to presentations;
talk about common problems.  Remember that you're on the same side, that
you're not from enemy camps.  Volunteer to read to the little guys (and the
big ones if time allows) so that they get to know you.  Use it as an
opportunity to show a video of one of your story hours and invite them to
come to your library.  Sit in on a class that's going to be doing a project;
listen to presentation to get an idea of what the teacher will be expecting
in terms of research; volunteer to work with the school's teacher/librarian
to develop a resource shelf, etc.  

Nuff said.  If you want to talk more, contact me offlist
(kbrown at brevisconsult.com).