#lis773

School librarians are perfectly positioned to implement responsive scheduling to better support staff and student academic performance.

Here is a short ignite-style presentation explaining some finer details.

Libraries are the heart of the school and can function as an extension of the classroom. Library scheduling varies from school building to school building and from school district to school district. There are four core types of library scheduling:

Fixed

Flexible

Responsive

Hybrid

Here is an ignite presentation that will better explain the finer details of the different types of school library schedules.

*All photos used in the Ignite presentation are thanks to unsplash.com

As stated in the ignite presentation, the AASL supports responsive scheduling and offers in their Position Statement on School Library Scheduling that "Scheduling of classes should allow flexible, open, unrestricted, and equitable access on an as-needed basis to facilitate just-in-time research, training, and utilization of technology with instruction from the school librarian and the content-area educator. The practice of scheduling classes in the school library on a set schedule to provide educator release or preparation time inhibits best practice by limiting collaboration and co-teaching opportunities between the school librarian and classroom educator."

Too often, the library becomes a dumping ground for classroom teachers to drop off their students so they can glean a small amount of valuable plan time. The hope with responsive scheduling is that deeper connections to the curriculum can be made while at the same time supporting inquiry-based learning at the point of need (AASL, 2019).

AASL member Chiquita Toure, a public school librarian at Eastmoor Academy in Columbus, Ohio, offers insight into the current landscape of school libraries in her article My Transition from an Elementary to a High School Library. The article depicts the elementary school librarian as merely a purveyor of basic library skills that includes lessons on the Dewey Decimal System, safe exploration of the web, and the use of reference materials that aid in the functionality of learning (Toure, 2018). Toure also whistleblows about her experience that library sessions have evolved into a break/planning period for teachers and argues that this narrow-sighted focus on basic library skills is not the summation of what a certified school librarian is capable of given the correct support and resources (Toure, 2018). This inappropriate use of library sessions offers no benefit to the student or school community. It is in direct contrast to the aspirations and recommendations of the AASL's Stance on School Library Scheduling (Toure,2018). Toure notes that “school librarians can be agents for change if given the space, time, and resources” (Toure,2018).

The Information Literate Student: Embedding Information Literacy across Disciplines with Guided Inquiry by Jamie Gregory is insightful on techniques that can promote inquiry-based problem-solving by exploring multidisciplinary subject matter. However, these methods require schedule flexibility and staff/school buy-in. Gregory states that classroom teachers often assume that information literacy is subject solely to online searching strategies. This damages the student population's information literacy skills and frames the library and librarian as archaic, obsolete resources. Gregory states, “if students are to adopt an inquiry stance, they will need information literacy skills in each discipline throughout each stage of the inquiry process” (Gregory, 2018). These skills are more accessible in libraries that adopt responsive/flexible scheduling.

How do school librarians advocate for this change? The elusive elevator speech is a practical tool to have prepped in one's arsenal for advocacy. Here is a resource with 9+ templates that can be used to establish a tremendous professional elevator speech.

This is a professional and effective means to communicate needs on behalf of the library space; moreover, it will help facilitate smooth dialogue between decision-making stakeholders that can influence library operations.

Additionally, it is critical to understand three essential voices in implementing responsive/flexible scheduling in school libraries, and they are:

Principals-Partner & Supporter; implements concrete change

Teachers- Ally & Collaborator; implements lasting change

Librarians- Change drivers & collaborator; implements responsive/initial change

(McGregor, 2006)

In sum, the school librarian has the skills to positively influence students' information literacy skills and foster deeper curriculum connections through interdisciplinary and co-teaching models. Understanding and applying educational practices, especially those related to literacy and inquiry, are integral to school librarianship. This deep understanding and approach provided by school librarians will produce information-literate citizens who are prepared today and ready for tomorrow. They just have to have the schedule to do so.

*Additional resources

References

9+ Elevator Speech Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://www.template.net/business/word-templates/elevator-speech-example/

AASL. (2022). Retrieved 07 November 2022, from https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/advocacy/statements/docs/AASL_Scheduling_Position_Statement.pdf

Gregory, J. (2018). The Information Literate Student: Embedding Information Literacy across Disciplines with Guided Inquiry. Teacher Librarian, 45(5), 27–34.

McGregor, J. (2006). Flexible Scheduling: Implementing an Innovation. 9, 34.