School Library of the Future, Now?

[Demetri Orlando]

Partially due to the generosity of a donor we are evaluating the changing role of our school library in the digital era. Several trends are evident which impact the role of the library... 

• the digitization of content 
• growth of multi-media content 
• "anytime-anywhere" access to digital content
• open access and publishing to “the information commons”
• powerful search tools easily accessible
• a greater emphasis in education on collaboration, teamwork, and global citiizenship

These trends are fueling a shift in how our students interact with the library. In many ways the role of the library (and librarians) is more important for schools than ever before. With ubiquitous instant access to a plethora of information and content, our students are in obvious need of skills for searching and critically evaluating what they find. With the resources of libraries such as subscription databases and ebooks accessible online, students no longer need to come to the library for physical access to these resources. They can access “the library” in classrooms, hallways, and at home. In many ways, the traditional skills taught by libraries are more important than ever, since students inhabit this information ecosphere 24x7. Access to the world wide web has supplanted much of what used to transpire within the walls of libraries. This shift from using a limited subset of critically chosen materials to accessing an immense body of unvetted information presents striking challenges for us as educators. How is your school library thinking about these shifts and supporting students’ skill-building?

If we were to identify the goals of the school library and our needs in the digital era, I’d include: 

1. supporting curriculum by providing information resources (books, databases, etc.);
2. supporting information fluency (critical consumption and use);
3. providing a supportive space for students who are studying;
4. encouraging a love of reading and literature.
5. Furthermore, I think the library plays an important role in being at the heart of the school’s mission. Surely if the goal of school is to educate students, then the library is the most obviously central element in that enterprise. The extent to which the library is seen as a resource for each discipline is a measure of its importance to the school.

Regarding #1 above, it seems rare for students to tap into the subscription databases when Google hits are accepted as a reasonable effort at research. I think we need more work within each discipline to move beyond accepting the surface level of information provided via Google and require students to delve into more peer-reviewed and primary source materials. I also think we need each discipline to think about how it utilizes library resources and librarians’ skills.

Regarding #2, I think we need a concerted effort between the librarians, classroom teachers, and ed-tech staff to develop curriculum that truly builds critical thinking, problem-solving, and ethical understanding around information and knowledge-building. We also need to embrace the greatly increased access to (and ability to produce) multimedia. Students of the digital era consume and produce video, images, music, and hyperlinked pages like never before. How much are we teaching students to create hyperlinked work and use multimedia within assignments? 

Regarding #3, I think we need flexible spaces with rooms for studying, collaboration, and supported engagement with information resources.

Regarding #4, I think we need to look at our students’ busy schedules and expectations, and think about our own experience as readers. If we truly value a life-long love of reading, we need to make time for it in students’ schedules and model it ourselves.

Regarding being at the heart of a school’s mission, I think the library needs to continue to be a place where students can study, hang out, read, and work together. Comfortable furniture, ubiquitous access to technology resources, and a variety of tables and types of study rooms can make the library useful for all types of needs. Hosting authors, musical events, and poets can help the library be seen as vibrant and dynamic part of the school.

So what does your school’s “library of the future” look like? Is it like Cushing Academy where eReaders have replaced paper books? Are there computer terminals as you walk around and laptop-friendly carrels? Do you serve espresso and have bean-bag chairs? How do faculty and technology staff support and enliven what happens at the heart of the school?

[Bruce Lemieux]

In 2009, The Fisher-Watkins Library underwent a digital transformation. The Academy replaced the majority of the library's 20,000 printed books with electronic sources as a natural and integral outgrowth of the school's strategic commitment to becoming the national leader in 21st-century secondary education, and to providing students with the necessary tools to become lifelong learners in a socially – and globally – connected world. We wanted to create a library that reflected the reality of how students do research and fostered what they do -- one that went beyond the stacks and embraced the digital future.

Cushing's library now delivers thousands of web-based electronic books and authoritative database content directly to our students' laptops, while also supporting offline reading with immediate access to hundreds of thousands of downloadable electronic books delivered to our nearly 200 e-ink eReaders.

Highlights of our dynamic, interactive learning center include:

state-of-the-art computers with high-definition screens for research and reading
quiet cyber-carrels
open classroom space
monitors that provide students with real-time interactive data and news feeds from around the world
faculty lounge
cyber-café in a convivial setting for formal and informal student and teacher interaction
Above all, it is important to know that Cushing Academy is not going "bookless." While the library is focused on providing books in electronic format, many teachers continue to assign printed books in their courses, and students are encouraged to read and markup this literature in any format they find most convenient.

The Fisher-Watkins Library is now the most-used space on campus; it has become a hub where students and faculty gather, learn, and explore together. We hope Cushing’s success will inspire other schools to think about new approaches to education in this century.

Fisher-Watkins Library - Mission Statement
The primary goals of the library are to promote information literacy, support the curriculum, and provide a setting where students can feel both supported and inspired in their academic pursuits. Through both formal and informal instruction, the library plays a crucial role in helping to prepare students for academic success at the college level. Students develop their skills in accessing and utilizing digital inormation with the aid of current technology, including subscription databases, eBooks, and web-based resources.

The library strives to meet the intellectual and academic needs of a diverse student body by providing resources on a wide range of levels. Through programming and the maintenance of a strong collection of recreational reading materials, the library seeks to promote reading and the sense of wonder and connection which literature can provide. In all these ways, the library endeavors to help each student develop a foundation for further education and a lifetime of learning.

Fisher-Watkins Library