I attended an intriguing and thought provoking English (educators) chat on Twitter tonight which discussed the future of school librarians. I enjoyed the lively conversations and made some great new colleagues. Here's an introduction from the moderators from engchat.org:
Join with ELA teachers and others in #engchat to consider provocative questions about the future of school libraries. Library services and librarians are being cut from school budgets all over the United States. Some school libraries are closed for some parts of the day or week. What key questions should we consider about the future of libraries - beyond financial ones?
Is the book dead? Is the school library a place of the past? Is the role of librarian obsolete? These questions challenge us to consider how contemporary tools and connectivity are impacting the school library as we have known it. What do users - students and teachers- value as library services? What needs to change?
These questions help us begin to answer a grand challenge for the future: How do we create and design school library services that serve contemporary learners and educators well?
There was such a great mix of educators and librarians. We discussed the role of the school librarian and how the school library has to change from its original paradigm. The stereotypical "shusher" librarian was mentioned where I argued for a multifunctional library with quiet spaces and collaborative spaces. How do librarians foster literacy? By whatever means necessary to get kids reading! Tweets also discussed what the three most important roles of a school librarian are, library design, and the ebook vs. paperback debate. I think we should focus on what kids are reading; not how they are reading it. We need to focus on what works best for them.
Overall, the chat was very engaging. I was happy to see some familiar faces from my classes (Marie and Shannon) were on chat too. Thanks to Barb Stripling for posting this announcement to her classes!
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