Dr Hilary HughesDr Hilary Hughes

Dr Mandy Lupton

Queensland University of Technology

mandy.lupton@qut.edu.au

Diversity Challenge Resilience: School Libraries in Action - The 12th Biennial School Library Association of

Queensland, the 39th International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference, incorporating

the 14th International Forum on Research in School Librarianship,

Brisbane, QLD Australia, 27 September – 1 October 2010.

Background

� Alan Bundy’s 2001 research “Essential connections: school

and public libraries for lifelong learning”

� Survey of PLs (approx 400) and TLs (approx 600)

Conclusions:Conclusions:

“School and public libraries have three goals in common:

� ensuring that students develop as information-enabled learners;

� providing access to a wide range of analog and digital resources;

� motivating students to use libraries and their professional staff for informational and recreational purposes.” (Bundy 2001)

Complementary aims

� PL-TL - literacy

� PL-TL - lifelong learning

� PL – early childhood literacy� PL – early childhood literacy

� PL – homework/study support after school

Bundy, A (2010) submission by Friends of Libraries Australia to the Senate inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/schoollibraries/subs/sub319.pdf

TL-PL connections at Queensland

University of Technology

� We encourage students undertaking the QUT Master of

Education (TL) to do some of their practicum in a public Education (TL) to do some of their practicum in a public

library

Barriers“The barriers identified by public libraries to greater cooperation with schools

include:

� schools not interested in cooperation

� frequent changes of school personnel, including teacher librarians

� primary schools, in particular, with no teacher librarians

� schools not advising potential demands on public libraries by their students

� teachers unaware of the roles and particularly the electronic resources of � teachers unaware of the roles and particularly the electronic resources of modern public libraries

� poor information skills of students

� poor discrimination by students and parents in internet use

� poor reading ability of students, especially boys.” (Bundy 2010)

� Bundy, A (2010) submission by Friends of Libraries Australia to the Senate inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/schoollibraries/subs/sub319.pdf

Research 2010Replication of Bundy’s 2001 study

� Survey sent through QLD TL listserv

� 42 respondents (compared with Bundy’s survey approx

600 respondents)

One interview (case study) – Margaret Spillman� One interview (case study) – Margaret Spillman

� One focus group 3 PLs

Still to come:

� Focus groups with TLs

� PL survey

� More PL focus groups

Survey questions� What is the current level of interaction with your local public library?

Low/average/high

� Has that interaction in the last five years:

Reduced/same/increased?

� What is the main factor that determines your current level of

interaction?

no need /lack of time/ lack of interest/responseno need /lack of time/ lack of interest/response

� Have public library staff ever visited your library for discussions?

Yes/No/Unsure

� Are you aware of any special services your local public library offer

to schools? Yes/No/Unsure

� What is your knowledge of public library issues & developments?

Very low/low/average/high/very high

� Are you a regular public library user?

Yes/No

Interaction with PL

60%

70%

80%

90%

2001

2010

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

low

high

average

Nature of the interaction

In the last 5 years

50%

60%

70%

80%

2001

20100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

decreased

stayed same

increased

unsure

Main factor that determines

interaction

50%

60%

70%

2001

20100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

need

time

lack of interest/response

other

PL visits school

50%

60%

2001

2010

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

no

yes

unsure

TL knowledge of PL issues

40%

50%

60%

2001

20100%

10%

20%

30%

40%

very low

low

high

very high

TL regular use of public library

50%

60%

2001

2010

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

no

yes

Case study: Productive Partnerships Margaret Spillman – MacKay West State School & Mackay Regional Council

Libraries

Evolved from 2002:

� Work experience (TL & PL plus support staff)

� GOAL – Grade Ones At the Library

Library Monitor program� Library Monitor program

� Database workshops

� MacKay West State School Library website http://www.mackwestss.eq.edu.au

� Promotion of PL in school newsletter & on school library

website

http://www.mackwestss.eq.edu.au/productive_partnerships.htm

Public library perspectives

Focus group – 3 public librarians from south-east QLD (all 3

in the programs section of PL – not branch libraries). One

of the focus group participants has recently graduated

with her Master of Education (teacher-librarianship)with her Master of Education (teacher-librarianship)

PL-TL:

� Spent 1 day per week for 6 months in a school library as

part of her MEd practicum

� Realised that the key to TL & PL connections was making

personal connections via TL network meetings, then

following up on Facebook & email

PL outreach

� Some branch libraries have excellent connections –

depends on the personnel involved – Book Week,

Simultaneous Storytime visits etc

� There is no systematic program in place – no systematic

effort to liaise about collection, programs and services effort to liaise about collection, programs and services

� Ad hoc arrangements, a couple of strong relationships

discussed

� Recognition that PLs need to go into schools

� Strong understanding from central program PLs about TL

issues (as exemplified in the Senate inquiry), but also

assumptions made eg leisure collection

PL-TL:[What]I hadn't anticipated was that a couple of the

[teacher]librarians were quite hesitant about having a

more formal relationship with the public librarians.

Mainly for reasons such as jeopardizing their funding.

They were concerned that why would they continue to still

be funded for resources if it was perceived that those be funded for resources if it was perceived that those

resources were available at [the public library] through a

library card… [the private schools said] “We might lose

our funding if we can get it, through the public library."

Whereas the state schools, it was much more: "Yes, bring

it on. We want to know about these things", because it'll

stretch our resources.

Collection

Marg Spillman: [re PL learning about age-appropriate

resources] So she took a list of all the series that we used

that were age appropriate and she then bought them,

and then there developed this wonderful synchronicity of

resources because then when our students go to the

public library they come back and say to us ‘do you know public library they come back and say to us ‘do you know

they have the same books that we have’.

PL-TL: Sometimes they [the students] would be able to get a

book a lot more quickly through the public library because

the school library can maybe buy three of a popular book.

We buy 27, or 42 or whatever the ratio is.

Duplication of resources - positives

PL: I was at a P&C meeting for the school that my child goes to.

They were talking about Intrepica, which is an online literacy

…learning through gaming sort of thing. The school was

subscribing to it for each student…The kids were using it at

school, and were able to access it at home. I pointed out to

them that the library also has a subscription, so that any

member of the public library system can access it. They were member of the public library system can access it. They were

really keen to see that, because they said a lot of parents when

they've seen it, had sort of been: "Oh that's so much fun.“ For

the other kids who maybe weren't at that school, older or

younger or whatever. For the parents themselves to say: "Well

I can have an account, and my child can have an account, and

we can do it together and interact that way." That's kind of

nice, and it's not a competition.

Lack of TL awareness of PL databases

PL-TL: Because they were certainly aware of the public

library and certainly not negative in any way to the

library. They were very supportive of the library and

actually went there themselves for their leisure reading,

but hadn't taken the next step and kind of explored. So but hadn't taken the next step and kind of explored. So

15 minutes over a coffee one morning and said "Hey, do

you know we've actually got this database and that

database?" Because the kids were doing Australian

explorers and we've got some fantastic resources.

Lack of teacher awareness of PL resourcesPL-TL gave a short talk to teachers at the school where she did her prac:

I actually gave just a 15 minute talk to the senior school teachers as part of their staff meeting. Did a bit of show and tell about our online resources particularly, and just couched it in the terms of:

"This is some of the new things. I know you've probably all been the library, or you've all got library cards, or you use the catalog to

reserve your books, and have them picked up. But you might not have explored some of these other areas.“have explored some of these other areas.“

I [said] “these are just some of the things that you can access. You might want to use it personally for your own professional

development, or for your own resources, or you might want to pass it on to the students”.

And people came up to me afterwards and said: "Oh that was great, because we didn't know, don't have time to play and look." So 15

minutes was really all that was needed.

PL ideas

� “Check out a Librarian” (borrow a librarian to come to the

school)

� Attend PD days at schools

� Run workshops for parents at the school � Run workshops for parents at the school

� Run year 7-8 information literacy program

Information user to information creator

PL-TL: They've got the chance to actually make it, make

themselves as part of the information. That they're actually

creating the content, not just sitting back and being told from

on high…

I had read about it, and heard about it as part of the [MEdTL]

course, and thought I understood it, but until I actually course, and thought I understood it, but until I actually

experienced it, and the light bulb went on, and I went: "Uh

huh. OK. Yes." That young people and kids going through

university now, they actually are very strident in their opinion,

about having been part of the content creation. They don't

want to just sit back and be told stuff, they actually want to

work with you on it, they actually want to collaborate, they

want to understand it and they want to create it.

References� Bundy, A (2001) Essential Connections: school and public libraries for lifelong learning.

Presented at Forging future directions the 17th conference of the Australian School Library Association, Sunshine Coast, QLD 30 Sept-4th Oct http://www.alia.org.au/publishing//alj/51.1/full.text/essential.connections.html

� Bundy, A (2010) submission by Friends of Libraries Australia to the Senate inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/schoollibraries/subs/sub319.pdf

� Spillman, M (2010) From small things big things grow. Submission to the Senate inquiry into school libraries and teacher librarians http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/schoollibraries/subs/sub370.pdf

� Spillman, M (nd) Productive Partnerships http://www.mackwestss.eq.edu.au/productive_partnerships.htm

Contact: mandy.lupton@qut.edu.au