Library Learning Commons as Inquiry Catalyst

Learning Log #3

Module 7 struck a cord for me as I've been slowly (sometimes not so slowly!) transforming my library space into a more collaborative and inquiry based place for students, support workers and teachers alike to utilize. My experience was this, I was placed in a temporary job in the very inquiry driven Kerrisdale Elementary School for a year and then was miraculously placed permanently the next year in my own full time, giant, collaboratively functioning glorious library space. It was a Teacher Librarian's dream come true and I was inspired by my previous experiences at Kerrisdale. The library program was already well established at my new school, with some great inquiry based units taking place, but the physical space was sorely lacking as a conduit for such learning. My first year there, with a lot of help from other TL's, we weeded thousands of old books, removed 6 giant shelving units, re-allocated many resources to other locations in the school and began the process of revitalization and sprucing things up!

 Photo Courtesy of http://www.bythebrooks.ca/guidelinesandstandards/

Once we had cleaned up shop, I volunteered to be the coordinator and storage keeper of our new iPad carts which was another big step for our journey to becoming more of a LLC. We also received our district iPad cart with projector last year and I have put the library on the list to receive a new Smart Board. While all of this feels like great progress for my programming goals, I feel I'm a bit disoriented in what to be working towards next. In the article "From School Library to Learning Commons," (Ekdahl & Zubke) the "Performance Standards" section suggests for a LLC to be used effectively it must be physically fluid, with shelves and tables that can be moved easily for collaborative work, and have "technology and media [that] are...intrinsic and integrated," (pg.8). While I was able to banish almost all shelving to wall space, the area still feels a bit static. The iPad carts are split among the whole school so they're very often not available and I'm torn between being the promoter of technology use in classrooms and wanting access to use it myself in the library! I do have a bank of desktops in a library computer lab and was finally able to secure 30 for a class set, but they are cumbersome, old and out of date. Kids are frustrated with their slowness and certainly aren't inspired to work on them. We also have a large space with heavy table and chairs in a "teaching area" which is necessary as a work space but I would love to replace them with furniture on wheels.

So I guess my biggest challenges in creating a better inquiry space are.....money. Plain and simple. I would love to transform our novel set room to a maker space, but need money. I would love new furniture, but need money. It's hard when a vision and the resources to create it are so dissonant. In the Zmuda & Harada article they emphasize the importance of providing resources for diverse learners, in practice it can be a lot harder. For example in a class of 70% ELL students it would be great if they could watch and listen to videos as part of a research method but when your budget doesn't allow for 30 sets of headphones and neither do your school's families, it can make for a very disruptive learning setting. And that's if the desktop will even load or stream the video fast enough to be watchable!

I suppose that's what the LLC article means when it describes a Library Learning Commons as a "never-ending project, always in beta." As TL's I guess sometimes the next step is just making a plan so when the time and/or money comes we know exactly what to do with it!



References

 Ekdahl, M. & Zubke, S. (Eds.) (2014). From School Library to Library Learning Commons: A Pro-Active Model for Educational Change. Vancouver, BC: BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA).

Zmuda, A. & Harada, V. (2008). Chapter 3, Designing Instruction to fit the nature of the learning and the learner, Part 3: Persistent challenges in collaboration. In Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21^st Century. (pp. 55-65). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.