Sadly, over time she slowly started to notice that the number of patrons in her library were starting to diminish. There seemed less excitement in the air. She was particulary surprised at how few students and teenagers were visiting "her" library anymore. What was happening? Where had everybody gone? More importantly, what was she going to do to make her library the happy place of learning that it once was or at least make sure that the students, teenagers and other patrons that had once frequented the library, had a way to access the information that they needed anytime and anywhere?
OK...I didn't intend to write my entire post as a fairy tale but at least I caught your attention (I hope you're not too disappointed.)! By the way, this was not a personal narrative as I am not a teacher-librarian (yet) and only made up some fictitious character, although I imagine this young librarian is probably out there somewhere if they have not yet discovered the world of the virtual library!
As a classroom teacher for the past 15 years, I've lived a bit of a sheltered life from the developments of public and school libraries and was unfamiliar with the term "virtual school library". After some primary investigations and asking the pointed question to our course instructor, "What is a virtual school library?", I discovered that it wasn't really something new to me but a term that was just new!
An obvious beginning for me was to explore various "virtual libraries" that were out there. I began with Joyce Valenza's virtual library and was welcomed with an eye-catching, graphically appealing, user-friendly site! I was in awe and had a field day clicking through her links! I couldn't help thinking, "Could I do this for my school some day? Is it possible?".
So why exactly does a TL need to make a "virtual library"?
I found a book through Amazon.com entitled, Your Library Goes Virtual by Audrey Church. Unfortunately, it wasn't realistic that I had time to read this now (or to find it at my local bookstore without ordering it) so I searched the internet for Audrey Church to see if she'd written any articles and found a conference presentation site that contained a PowerPoint she had presented in November 2005 that was available for downloading entitled, "Your Library Goes Virtual: Why?When?How?". I only wish I had been at attendance because her PowerPoint was full of terrific information. Her PowerPoint resources lead me to an article by Joan Lippincott entitled, "Net Generation Students and Libraries" that really drove home the need and main reason why virtual libraries aren't so much an option for libraries anymore but more of a necessity!
Lippincott pointed out that "students often find library-sponsored resources difficult to figure out on their own, and they are seldom exposed to or interested in formal instruction in information literacy, they prefer to use the simplistic but responsive Google. Libraries need to find ways to make their information access systems more approachable by students, integrate guides to quality resources into course pages, and find ways to increase their presence in general Web search engines."
Joyce Valenza reinforced this same point in her article, Find Your Path! Making Research Easy with Virtual Libraries. "If students are going to be effective seekers and users of information, they need two types of guidance: information skills critical for the twenty-first century, and customized, appropriate, and well-designed online learning environments. Virtual libraries do the job on both fronts."
With such excellent "arguments", the role of the virtual library seems absolutely essential to me for any viable and up-to-date twenty-first century library (school or public) to meet the needs of today's "patrons" (students or the general public)!
So what do these virtual libraries need to include in order to be most effective?
I guess it's obvious that different types of libraries will need to address the type of "clientele" that they serve most frequently. When "checking out" the various virtual school libraries that exist for either elementary, high school, university or a city's public library, they all have basic elements in common but also contain other more specific tools that aid their particular users. Joyce Valenza has been compiling a list of some common features in school library websites in her wikispace. Here are some of the common features she has found in her study:
-online catalogs OPAC
-subscription databases
-web references
-links to news sources
-pathfinders
-links to Web search tools
Valenza includes a few others in her article, "Find your Path!" :
-mental maps and navigational aids "virtual libraries let students envision the scope of their resource choices by helping them create mental maps for the information landscape and by using physical library metaphors to organize Web resources."
-documentation advice
-handouts, lessons and activities
-reading motivation (This is one of my favorites...especially for the middle school library!)
-"ask-a-librarian" type reference service
-parents' page
-library events
Among these features, the term "pathfinders" was new to me also! Valenza describes a pathfinder as "a web-based tool customized to meet the needs of a particular group of students for a particular assignment, linking students to the specific resources recommended by their teachers and librarians." Now that's something I could see myself wanting to explore in my own classroom. I'd love to be able to work with my TL to create one for my students on a particular unit of study so they would learn that there is more out there than Google and AskJeeves!
Where can I find some great virtual libraries to model and learn from?
After being absolutely amazed by Joyce Valenza's virtual library, I wanted to see what was a little bit closer to home, so I began exploring our school division's various websites in search of "virtual school libraries".
Here are a few worth sharing, that really caught my eye as great examples:
-Bairdmore School Library
-Van Wallegham School Library Wiki (not as glamourous but good information)
-Fort Richmond Collegiate Library Wiki
- Linden Meadows School "Techtalk" blog (This is actually one of my school's blog pages that is currently inactive due to staffing changes but is a great start towards becoming a type of virtual library.)
Some other virtual libraries I spent time perusing were:
- Walter Reed Middle School Library
-Greece Athena School - this had a great link to the Big 6
-Kentucky Virtual Library - this site had a great research link for kids "How to do Research"
-Menasha Public Library - of course I was directed to this virtual library through my KidLit blog -Tomlinson Middle School - I loved all the resources available for teachers AND students on this library site. The librarian seems to be very involved in everything going on in the school (as a great librarian should be!) I bookmarked the Google Earth link as I'm interested in learning more about how to use this in my own classroom!
John Newbery Elementary - This was a terrific site with a great example of Pathfinders! It was colorful and attractive for the younger learner (and me)!
What are the pros and cons of virtual libraries?
The "pros" seem pretty obvious to me:
-reference access 24/7
-helping our students in finding authentic, appropriate information off the web
-making the library "user-friendly" and inviting for the "non-reader" types
-helping teachers to access professional development material and resources for their students
-keeping up with our digital learners on their terms
and much, much more!
It's hard to believe that there may be any "cons" to virtual libraries. Here are a few things to consider:
-keeping all websites and reference links current
-updating it regularly
-keeping it fresh and fun to visit
-not getting an audience after all the hard work of putting it together
To me, these "cons" don't seem that difficult to surmount! With the extra work that might come from the updating, the time will return to you two-fold in the time saved pulling these materials from the shelf or helping sift through the same material, year after year.
As for attracting an "audience", it's all about promotion and regular referrals to your virtual library on an LCD projector or Smartboard everytime a class enters your library!
I am totally sold on the idea and concept of virtual libraries and can't wait to have the opportunity to create one of my own someday! In the words of Joyce Valenza ,"If you build it, they will learn!"
Campbell / from the UK library journal "Ariadne"
(found on library_mistress' photostream on Flickr)
Hopefully today's teacher-librarians will become more comfortable with technology, making virtual libraries part of their library world and won't need to be using "white-out" on their computer screens like Miss Faversham!
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