Library Monitors in 2018

I wrote about library monitors last year as I began to introduce it in one school while in caretaker mode. Twelve months, I am doing it again at another school.

For the time being, I am based at Strathfield Girls High School and have in collaboration with the school's Learning and Engagement Faculty worked on creating a library monitor program to promote leadership opportunities for students but also to allow students to engage in community service.

Two students will oversee the monitors as "Student Librarians" who will coordinate the monitors e.g. train them etc.

Since the opportunity has availed, I have had a great response with 10 dedicated students already signing up. Apart from typical monitor duties like manning the circulation desk and shelving, they have been working with me to place genre labels on our fiction items as part of the Premier's Reading Challenge. We have had a production line where I (or a monitor under supervision) for instance will scan the item in OLIVER, then identify the genre/s. If there are cataloging issues or a genre cannot be determine, they are pulled aside so I can do some further research in between breaks before advising the monitors through a Post It notice.

Once stickered, they are contacted before being marked off.

It has proven to be a good exercise, because I have found 150 books that were not correctly labelled on OLIVER to add to 251 books that did not have a PRC sticker placed on them in the first place. Over 400 books are now on the school's PRC that there were not there.

I have also had to spend some time also updating cataloging records with a genre as I felt that they were being overlooked in SCIS uncatalogued records.

The introduction of library monitors has also had a spin off in that a book club is being created to meet once a week next term. A group of monitors will facilitate activities etc. I am keen to see how it goes.

I will have to update everyone further on this.

This BOOK Changed My Life

Trinity Grammar in Sydney recently produced a set of video clips inviting students and staff to identify the book that changed their lives.

It's worth viewing. Click here to view it.

I have been left to answer the question myself. Was there a book that I learn't something whether it is about myself or others? Did it help me make a crucial decision in life? Has there been a book that has come to define my career?

If I was asked this question, I would I have to say that the book that has stuck out most was Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Why?

• Matilda has a love for books, just like me. She likes to spend time in the library, just like me.
• The quest for independence in life.
• As a kid, I could relate to her sense of maturity and thinking.
• Just like me, she was an academic achiever. 

I think the book empowers me to overcome the demons that one faces in life, and the difficulties in human relationships, but being able to overcome them. 

Newspapers in the library - 2018

Two years ago, I reflected on the need for students to access newspapers in the school library and use it to support their learning.

My current school used to provide newspapers to students, but no longer do.

However, I am in the process of seeking the return of at least one daily newspaper.

I am currently surveying staff who have rallied behind the idea. I have asked them to identify which newspaper/s should be available and then asked them if they would use each of the major newspapers in the classroom. I am looking forward to what the survey results are.

It is encouraging to see classroom teachers valuing the relevance of newspapers to student learning!!!

What sort of Teacher Librarian are you?

This week I read through Mandy Lupton's 2016 article from School Libraries Worldwide - Adding Value: Principals' Perceptions of the Role of the Teacher Librarian.

What took my interest was at the appendix at the end of her article which provided a set of profiles that could be used to classify work practices and characteristics of Teacher Librarians.

I will not disclose where I am at, but have had an opportunity to reflect on it and identify what I might need to do to reach the ideal profile which is identified by Lupton as "Superhero".

I have cited the article below for those interested in reading the article.

Lupton, Mandy. 2016. Adding value: Principals' perceptions of the role of the teacher-librarian. School Libraries Worldwide 22, (1) (01): 49-61, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/docview/1785389866?accountid=13902 (accessed May 24, 2018).

Embracing Challenging Texts & Books that highlight themes

I recently read an article by author Will Kostakis in the March 2018 edition of ACCESS. Kostakis challenge those in school libraries to cultivate a diverse collection and not to ignore themes or issues that affect young people today. He cited how some schools refuse to include his novels in their library collection because of homosexual themes.

I have spent the past two days organising resources for Year 7 students to use for an English Assessment task where they will present a speech on one of the following themes:

• Gender Stereotypes
• Environmental Management
• Cultural Identity
• Human Rights

Related texts like novels, picture books, films and poetry must be referred to within the speech to support their argument.

I have enjoyed this challenge in curating related texts, because its giving me insight as to how my collection address these themes. If I feel there are not enough texts in my fiction collection for instance on these topics, it may mean having to purchase texts with the themes embedded. 

Today I had one group booked into the library for a session on the related texts obtained so far. I told the students that they need to consider how an author might represent those issues. Books by authors such as Jeannie Baker contain notes at the end of the story where she explains her motivation for writing the book. Baker for instance highlights themes associated with Environmental Management in her books.

I have even encouraged students in any analysis to consider researching the author because there is often a motivation for why it is written. They need to identify the possible purpose for the compling the text. Will Kostakis has been motivated to write his novels to highlight the challenges facing gay youth and relating it to his own experiences. 

Sometimes this might not be so clear and requires anaylsis. It is a matter of reading the texts and identifying possible messages conveyed. 

 

The use of "Graphic Novels" & "Picture Books" in tertiary institutions - Survey Results

As promised to the member's of the OZTL_NET forum, I would publish results of my recent survey.

As of May 11, 130 responses had been received and the results are listed below:




Overwhelmingly, 88 % of schools  refer to their Graphic Novels collection as Graphic Novels. Just 1.5 % of schools refer to their Graphic Novels collection as Graphic Texts. There is general consensus that Graphic Novels be referred to as Graphic Novels.




There was also general consensus with more than 90 % referring to their Picture Book collection as Picture Books. Other responses included Junior Fiction (which can work in K-12 school libraries and is widely used in public libraries), Children's Fiction and Picture Fiction. 1.5 % only refer to the Picture Book collection as Visual Texts (see below for further comment).




More than 80% of respondents felt it could cause confusion for students if the Graphic Novels collection was named as Graphic Texts and that if the  Picture Books collection was named as Visual texts.


I invited participants to provide additional comments which was an optional response. A selection has been included:

Even in public libraries, where students visit during holidays, or as an extension to their school library, the terms "Graphic Novels" , and "Picture Books" are used. This will be consistent with what they know in other libraries, to keep the terms you want. Also, not all students will go onto University, but it will be interesting to hear if all universities use the terms that you mention. I would be interested to hear what feedback you receive. Good luck with your project!

CBCA [Children’s Book Council of Australia]  use the term Picture Books

Graphic novels is the name used by the industry therefore it is the most appropriate to use in the library, just like how picture books are no longer called picture story books. Collection/genre names are a part of literacy education and should therefore stick to terms that can be understood in a broad range of circumstances, if you were to ask about graphic texts at a book store or a comic book store you may get some puzzled looks, not to mention that many people may not make the connection between that term and graphic novels. Also visual texts is something of a tautology as all texts are visual.

I personally dislike the word 'text', particularly in the main library area. Something about it feels harsh and uninviting. 
We tend to use 'text' just for our book hire/textbook resources.

We are an Indigenous school in the middle of the NT. Terms such as 'Graphic texts' and 'Visual text's would most definitely confuse our students. I would have lost the reading battle before i even got started. KISS principle rules here.

Yes, becuase Year 7 have a unit in English on Graphic Novels, and from talking with students in their Library introduction lessons, they know the term Picture Books from primary school and refer to them using this term.

Remember we they are children, not corporate people. Simplify!

These terms, particularly visual texts, are not ones that children would normally use so I feel using these would be quite confusing.

A graphic novel IS CALLED a graphic novel. Same with a Picture Book. That's what they're called in the trade. Graphic Text sounds like a chart with pictures. So does Visual Text. Horrible terms that you shouldn't even consider. I've never seen them in a school. If you want to put Graphic Text and Visual Text into catalogue records somewhere, fine, but wouldn't re-name collections to these.

I have never heard of either of these terms to describe these formats of books at my school library (and other school libraries I've worked at) nor the public library where I also work.

Although I am now in a secondary school library, I worked in a university for many years and picture books were always picture books! There were no graphic novels held at that time, but I doubt that they would be named graphic texts

I don't think they'd be confused if they were taught what the terms refer to; however, students know graphic novels as graphic novels and picture books as picture books. Therefore, calling them anything else seems a bit ridiculous. These are syllabus terms, not library terms.

The terms "Graphic novels" and "picture books" follow that old golden rule: The rule of "common sense".

Everyone knows what Graphic Novels and Picture Books are - why create confusion? The terms "Graphic Texts" and "Visual Texts" could apply to anything from comics, graphic novels, picture books, films, cartoon strips...
( "Comics" could also be used for Graphic Novels if you wanted to. Graphic Novels are generally in trade paperback format and are often a collection of previously published, serial 'comics' .)

We need to use terms appropriate to our clients. If our clients are students in Years 7 - 12, then using terms like "Graphic texts" is not appropriate.

There are lots of different sorts of visual texts, including graphic novels, posters, websites, big chunks of the non-fiction collection and even poems with strong visual imagery

Final Findings

• Schools prefer to name their Graphic Novel Collection as Graphic Novels.
• Schools prefer to name their Picture Book Collection as Picture Books. 
• Very few schools refer to the Graphic Novels Collection as Graphic Texts.
• Very few schools refer to the Picture Books Collection as Visual Texts.
• We need to apply “common sense” and standard library practice. 
• We need to avoid confusion. 
• Providing names such as Visual Texts and Graphic Texts are seen to possibly confuse students. As pointed out last week referring to Graphic Novels as Graphic Texts is in fact misleading. 

Can Visual Texts be used to name a Picture Book collection?

An email arrived in my inbox from a senior Teacher Librarian after I shared some preliminary results one week ago on the OZTL-NET Forum. A picture book collection can have the name Visual Texts applied as it is a curriculum term. It does encompass more than picture books. It can include TV shows, films, websites etc. 

However, I would not use it if the collection had picture books only, but was prepared to include a variety of formats under that umbrella.