Image from Strategies for Creating and Delivering Value by Brian Mathews 2013
Brian Mathews is an Associate Dean at Virginia Tech, and I always enjoy hearing what he has to say about the future of libraries. I find his writing style refreshing, clear, and always full of great examples. This paper talks about how academic libraries are being barraged by advancements in publishing, pedagogy, and user preferences. The intent of this paper is much broader than academics however and is simply: What do people need to do and how might libraries help them?
If I haven’t convinced you yet, and you are a football fan, Brian’s epilogue discusses when the “forward pass” was introduced into the game, and how it was a game changer. This change made the players faster and more nimble. It reinvented the role of the quarterback too, much like the role of librarian can be reinvented. We all struggle at times with fast and nimble, but the times we are in dictate it! Although seventeen pages, this paper is definitely worth a read!
Are you looking for great pricing on a hosted software solution to manage your library collection? CMLE became aware of needs in this area several years ago. Some schools with extremely tight budgets were contemplating a return to their card catalogs, which is simply not acceptable anymore. There was a serious need to find solutions to jump start school library collections again!
Destiny is a state-of-the-art software solution that supports K-12 students and staff in the classroom, media center, or from home. Its higher-end, school-specific functionality is typically priced outside of the reach of small districts, unless they have access to a consortial buy. The North Star Library Consortium is now a statewide opportunity open to any school media centers. By working collaboratively with other multitype library systems over several years to get a group of 110 districts, and 230 individual school sites, we are able to keep the pricing formula which offers affordability to even the smallest school districts.
It is not necessary, but we strongly encourage all schools in a district to join the Consortium at the same time. In this way, media specialists within a district can see all parts of the district’s collections, work together to solve problems, or assist each other with software tweaks too. And, by being part of the Consortium, these people also have over 200 other schools on a listserv using the very same product, solving the same problems. For media specialists who have been working in acute isolation, this can be energizing, and offers a huge layer of support in their daily work. By having the software hosted and maintained at Region 1 in Moorhead, MN, media specialists no longer have to rely on assistance from over-burdened tech staff in their district. Region 1 staff backs up Consortium data every two hours and attends to software updates too.
The full Consortium is currently represented by 110 districts, with 230 individual sites. Over 2.7 million library titles are managed through this system, with an estimated value of $57 million, serving over 172,000 patrons. The following CMLE school districts (and associated number of school sites) are now part of the North Star Library Consortium, with interest from others in the region as budgets and staffing allows. NSLC members from the CMLE region include:
Image by 401 (K) 2013. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
Sartell (4 schools)
Rocori (5)
East Central (2)
Melrose (2)
Aitkin (2)
Long Prairie/Grey Eagle (2)
Cathedral-John XXIII (1)
North Branch (4)
Kimball (2)
Monticello (4)
Paynesville (2)
Becker (4)
Maple Lake (2)
McGregor (1)
Royalton (2)
Eden Valley Watkins (2)
Osakis (1)
Go to http://nslc.pbworks.com/w/page/12282518/FrontPage to see all of the schools in the Consortium and to access the process for requesting a bid for joining. Note: Requesting a bid does not obligate you to join, but it can give you the information to do some possible tweaking on your budget!
This is one possible solution. Have you found other cost-effective solutions for managing your school library collections? Interested in other CMLE services? Additional information can be found on our website.
Image by The Italian Voice. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
In a world that is increasing dependent on cloud technology, privacy concerns will never be too far behind. Many patrons rely on libraries as their main resource to acquire software and web access. As a result, the task of protecting privacy defaults, to some extent, to the providers. Libraries are important stakeholders in these conversations.
In the article, Libraries & Privacy in the Internet Age (2013), Eric Phetteplace stated, “Privacy almost always involves some kind of trade-off, for users and for libraries. We need to ensure we’re making the right trade-offs with due diligence.” Phetteplace noted that an important key is to isolate user sessions by supervising access. More proactive approaches to prevention include modifying browsers and educating the public about why their privacy matters. Click here to learn more about online privacy for your library.
I love articles that focus on creatively incorporating books and/or bookish themes into functional, whimsical design. At the very least, they can be conversation starters. The post, 22 Things that Belong in Every Bookworm’s Dream Home (October 2013), is sure to please.
Just for fun: Consider constructing one of the featured seating options to double as a workstation for your home office and maybe even your library/media center.
Would new books in a library display similar to #1, #9 or #20, attract attention and draw readers to peruse the titles?
Would students be encouraged to study independently if a library contained seating depicted in #18?
Your Voice is a column that shares Quick Question Poll (QQP) results from libraries/school media centers in the twelve-county, CMLE region. Whether a statistical response or textual response to open ended questions, your voice matters. Invitations to engage in the polls arrive in your email; please participate! Most poll results will be shared in aggregate form unless stated otherwise in the poll or through additional approval arrangements.
Last year in April, we asked a total of five questions of school media center staff in our twelve-county region about 1:1 Initiatives. When we refer to 1:1, we are referring to schools who have moved to an educational setting where each student is furnished with a dedicated device, sometimes a laptop, sometimes a tablet or other similar portable device (in BYOD schools, students furnish the device). In some schools, students are allowed to take devices home, some schools allow them to use devices in the summer too. In some 1:1 schools, no print textbooks are used, and new needs for simultaneous use of affordable online content is the most pressing issue. Teachers and media specialists often share this pressing issue, and are looking for opportunities to hear what other schools have deemed appropriate for teaching different subjects at various grade levels.
CMLE serves 265 schools, and there is a broad range of interest, adoption and/or engagement in this topic. Our sample size was small, a total of 33 schools participated in this poll, which was a bit disappointing. In part, these results could help inform some of our future programming, so a larger sample would be more useful in future QQPs. However, this data helps us pinpoint the state of 1:1’s for 33 schools. The questions and their results are shown below.
1. Has your school incorporated a “one-to-one” (1:1) initiative? Please select all answers that apply.
My “school” currently has a 1:1 initiative (19%)
My “school” is currently planning a 1:1 school initiative (22%)
There has been some discussion at the “district level”, but no plans to move ahead at this time (31%)
We are NOT planning a 1:1 initiative at my “school” (38%)
2. If you answered “yes” to question 2, what types of devices is your school using in their 1:1 work?
iPads: 68.97%
Laptops: 34.48%
Chromebooks: 27.59%
iPods: 3.45%
3. Are you part of a team discussing or implementing 1:1 initiatives at your school/district?
Yes: 53%
No: 25%
Not sure if such a team exists: 22%
4. Who is the primary contact in your school regarding 1:1 initiatives?
Media Specialist or Director: 31%
IT Department Staff: 34%
Curriculum Director: 9%
Tech Integrationists: 9%
No one at this time: 28%
Other: In most cases, these responses were principals or superintendants
5. In closing, we asked participants to indicate the grades engaged in 1:1.
By far, 1:1 is most heavily implemented in high school, with a slight increase in ninth grade, where students entering high school often receive their device as a beginning high school experience. Middle school grades followed closely behind high school, with lightest, almost no 1:1 engagement until sixth grade.
As CMLE refines its focus on the needs of school media centers, it is important for our staff to understand the changing role of the media specialists in 1:1 schools. Kudos to the media specialists who serve as the primary contact or part of the team at their school for 1:1. It is an exciting, yet challenging time, and teams that prevail and succeed feel stronger and often re-invigorated in their practice! And, everyone in the school understands the power of having the media specialist as part of the team.
Did you know that the highest ranking need of school media staff in our region (69%) is to engage in opportunities to talk to/collaborate with peers in the field. Yet, many of those people do not feel they are able to leave their setting to do this important work. See our full post next week to hear other results of that poll and to hear of ways CMLE is prepared to help meet this need.
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
