Week 6, Thing #15

I read with great interest, the series of articles published by OCLC. The library scene is definitely changing. In fact, I remember being in the car and listening to Bill Wattenburg on the radio when he was railing against communities who are building brand new libraries at a great expense. At the time, I was appalled that such an educated person would have those thoughts, but now I think I understand his some of his thinking. However....take a look at my shared item on the right side of this blog for another perspective!

Still, much of what I read about Library 2.0 is specific to public libraries, so I was happy to find Christopher Harris' article, "School Library 2.0; say good-bye to your mother's school library," in School Library Journal that specifically addresses Library 2.0 in our environment. I embrace much of what he says, and I will strive to integrate Library 2.0 tools into our library program. Still, I am in-the-moment.....in this wonderful tutorial which has introduced me to tools for a new way (for me) of finding information, of creating my own meaning in what I am discovering, and of sharing this all with others. I think I understand the shift in the role of the library in this context, and right now I am excited about the prospect of introducing some of what I have learned to my staff when school starts in the fall............Then, I remember..........our district filters many web 2.0 sites, our teachers are burdened by NCLB and state testing, and are further tethered to the idea that "there is no time to learn new things; they don't have time to teach what they are supposed to, as it is." Not to mention, that many of our students, age 10-14, may not have access to all of this once they are off campus.

This is not an excuse! My goal is to move some of our teachers to think about the world we are preparing our students for; to think about the skill sets our students need to be successful; to raise the bar for what we expect from them. This after all, is not a new concept, and this will be my challenge.