Activism and the School Librarian

Levitov, D. D. (Ed.). (2012). Activism and the School Librarian: Tools for Advocacy and Support. Santa Barbara , CA: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-61069-187-1

Publisher's Description 

This book provides practical strategies and step-by-step plans for developing advocacy initiatives for school libraries.

School libraries provide an essential service to the community, but without proper funding few libraries stand a chance to maintain the resources they offer—or to survive at all. School librarians can play an instrumental role in the survival of their programs. This how-to book provides school librarians with effective advocacy and activism strategies for promoting and improving their library programs.

Activism and the School Librarian: Tools for Advocacy and Survival offers straightforward, practical approaches for creating advocacy programs. This guidebook examines the characteristics for becoming an advocate, explores the meaning of advocacy/activism as an effort that is ongoing and proactive, and provides the steps required for initiating a successful program. The contributors address the various types of advocacy and activism, including legislative advocacy at the local, state, and national levels; school and district level programs; and community-based initiatives. The book includes expert advice from successful advocates and provides helpful reproducible tools.

Features

• Practical advice from expert advocates
• Step-by-step guidance for developing an advocacy program
• A comprehensive glossary of terms
• An examination of the proactive role of school librarians in successful advocacy initiatives

Highlights

• Covers various types of advocacy, including legislative, school-based, and community-driven strategies
• Includes helpful reproducible tools
• Reveals personal characteristics of successful advocates
• Contains resource lists for additional reading

Seven Steps

Martin, A. M. (2012). Seven Steps to an Award-Winning School Library Program (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-59884-766-6

Publisher's Description 

This comprehensive book takes the reader through the necessary steps to develop user buy-in and assistance in creating a learner-driven library program. The result? A unique, exemplary school library program that is eligible for national awards.

Creating an award-winning school library program involves more than simply following the guidelines and standards available that describe what an exemplary program should accomplish. Effecting the changes necessary is often a process that presents multiple challenges along the way—especially when there is insufficient buy-in to the changes.

 

This updated second edition of Seven Steps to An Award Winning School Library Program begins with a description of an existing model school library program and then describes steps that emphasize how to develop user buy-in and assistance in achieving the results of a learner-driven library program. In addition to providing descriptions of detailed actions to perform, advice on working with staff, and background information on change theory, this book also includes practical documents, diagrams, processes, workshop ideas, lesson plans, and tips when filling out applications for awards.

Highlights 

• Provides a framework in which the reader uses the national library program standards to meet local user needs
• Serves as an excellent resource for library management and administrative courses
• Presents a living model that helps readers understand the ways the national guidelines and principles for exemplary library programs need to be incorporated
• Identifies essential actions which will produce librarians who are active leaders

Leading the Common Core Initiative

Harvey II, C. A., & Mills, L. L. (2015). Leading the Common Core Initiative: A Guide for K-5 School Librarians. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-61069-491-9

Publisher's Description
Defining both the Common Core Standards and the school librarian's role in their implementation, this book offers ready-to-use lesson plans and other tools for grades K–5 and identifies opportunities for collaborative teaching.

As elementary schools in nearly all 50 states are faced with meeting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), school librarians need to understand the challenges and have lesson plans ready to help. This resource introduces the CCSS in English and mathematics to K–5 librarians and aides, helping them to understand the concepts, analyzing the impact on the school library, and providing lesson plans, resources, and other tools for implementation in integrated instruction with other curricula and collaborative teaching with other elementary teachers. Based upon the authors' own experiences in adopting the CCSS in their school, the included exemplar lesson plans and ideas are designed to support school librarians as they begin to collaborate with teachers in using the Common Core Standards in their daily classroom instruction. The book also discusses the opportunities for advocacy that result from the librarian's instrumental role in implementing the CCSS, both as a staff developer and a collaborative partner teacher.

Features

• Defines the Common Core State Standards in English and mathematics
• Draws parallels to American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards
• Discusses the impact of the CCSS on specific aspects of library administration, such as policies and collection management
• Examines how CCSS affects classroom and collaborative instruction in the library
• Identifies opportunities for the librarian to help in staff development in the CCSS

Table of contents

Collaborating for Inquiry

Wallace, V. L., & Husid, W. N. (2011). Collaborating for Inquiry-Based Learning: School Librarians and Teachers Partner for Student Achievement. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
ISBN: 978-1-59884-850-2

Publisher's Description
Student learning is enhanced when teachers and librarians work collaboratively. This cutting-edge guide offers a model for collaboration that incorporates information literacy and technology standards to engage students and move them to higher-order thinking skills and greater achievement.

Collaborating for Inquiry-Based Learning: School Librarians and Teachers Partner for Student Achievement is a step-by-step guide to collaborative lesson planning that promotes inquiry learning among students of various ages and abilities. With the best practices and the models outlined in this book, teachers and librarians can combine their expertise to create highly motivating and engaging units that meet standards and emphasize skills needed for the 21st century.

The book is directed at collaborative research projects that take advantage of the individual strengths of classroom teachers and school librarians. The recommended model can be used to create inquiry-based units that incorporate prior knowledge; higher-order thinking skills; essential questions; information-search skills; research models; authentic assessments (needs, formative, and summative); rubrics; and reflection. Ideal for both novices and experienced practitioners, the guide also addresses student variables (diversity, multiple intelligences, learning styles, cognitive abilities); state standards; increased information literacy; and integration of Web 2.0 tools.

Features

• More than two dozen ready-to-use tables, charts, rubrics, and sample lesson plans
• A research process explored through a variety of research models
• Sample collaborative units that illustrate key concepts, strategies, and implementation
• Comparison charts and grids showing AASL and ISTE standards
• A glossary of key pedagogical terms and their relationship to inquiry-based learning
• A bibliography of professional, practical print and online resources on inquiry-based learning and collaboration

 Highlights

• Shows how to create collaborative units that address state standards, increase information literacy, and integrate Web 2.0 resources 
• Enables classroom teachers and school librarians to differentiate instruction to meet the individual needs, multiple intelligences, and learning styles of their students, while encouraging the development of critical thinking skills
• Incorporates best practices culled from learning theory, brain research, research on student learning, and formative and summative assessment
• Identifies the best Web 2.0 applications and resources for creating constructivist student presentations and products as the culmination of collaborative, inquiry-based units

Reference...for Info Lit Skills

Lanning, S. (2014). Reference and Instructional Services for Information Literacy Skills in School Libraries (3rd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN: 978-1-61069-671-5

Publisher's Description
Students need to be able to distinguish good information from bad. This book gives you the tools to transmit those essential skills to your students.

Being an effective school librarian requires acting as an active instructional partner, an advocate for information literacy and information resources, and a reference librarian. Now in its third edition, this concise book provides you with a solid foundation in providing reference services to students as well as teachers. It details all aspects of providing essential reference services in the context of the AASL Standards, the Common Core State Standards, and the evolving role of today's school librarian.

Author Scott Lanning emphasizes service and instruction while addressing topics such as inquiry, critical thinking, building core reference skills, electronic and Web resources, leadership skills, and virtual reference services. The book begins with chapters that discuss information and the information-seeking process. The following sections cover the provision of reference services, methods for teaching information literacy, the use of electronic resources in general, and the creation of library resources that support reference and instruction. The text concludes with an assessment of the value of reference and instruction services to the school and beyond.

Features

• Covers theories of information behavior, models of information literacy, and provision of reference services in various mediums
• Emphasizes reference and instructional services and examines the impact of the Common Core State Standards on reference services in schools
• Explains how to conduct the reference interview

Table of contents