1 Regional Conference on School Librarianship Bacolod City,
Philippines April 26-27, 2012 The Future of School Libraries: Where
do we go from here? Diljit Singh President, International
Association of School Librarianship
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2 Before I begin Thank you for inviting me Thank you to
organizers for arranging this seminar, and congratulations for a
job well done Congratulations to all participants for attending the
seminar; two days of learning and exchanging ideas
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3 Our children are our future; we need to invest in them School
libraries are important for their success School libraries are
facing challenges. What is their future? You can help shape their
future
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4 Outline of Presentation The need to invest in our children
Role of school libraries in education The future of school
libraries The need for action by all
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5 Our children are our future (Pictures taken from various
sources on the Internet )
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6 Our children are our future One of them is going to become
the leader of the country
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7 Our children are our future ? ? ? (Pictures taken from
various sources on the Internet )
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8 Our children are our future Some of them are going to become
professionals in the country
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9 Our children are our future
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10 Our children are our future Most of them are going to become
the workforce in the country
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11 Our children are our future
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12 Our children are our future All of them are going to need an
education to be successful
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13 Our children are our future
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14 Our children are our future We have an opportunity to
prepare them for the future Their knowledge, skills and attitudes
will affect their peers, and us We have an opportunity to create a
better future for them, and for ourselves
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15 Our children are our future We need to provide them with the
best possible education for their future, and ours
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16 The Future The future will be very different from today
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17 The future will be very different from today
YesterdayTodayTomorrow ? ? ?
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18 The future will be very different from today
YesterdayTodayTomorrow ? ? ?
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19 The future will be information intensive
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20 The future will be information intensive
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21 The future will be information intensive New products and
services come about through research and development But research
and development requires education and information
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22 Need to invest in education
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23 Education Education is important for success in life
Education in school is only the foundation; need to continue
learning for life (L4L) Education in 21 st century is different
from the 20 th century
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24 Need to invest in education Education is more than school
buildings and teachers Education = school building + teachers +
policies + curriculum + textbooks + . + . + . + .
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25 Education Education for 21 st century is different 20 th
Century21 st Century 1 2 jobs in lifetimeMany jobs in lifetime
Mastery of one fieldMaster of many fields Jobs are localJobs are
global Work is routine, hands-on, based on facts Work is
non-routine, technical, creative, and interactive Education is
school centered, formal degree is important Education is learner
centered, L4L is important Top down approachMulti-directional
approach (top- down, bottom-up, side-to-side)
28 School library is an integral part of education Education =
school building + teachers + policies + curriculum + textbooks + .
+ . + school library + + . + . + .
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29 School library is an integral part of education School
library the foundation for success in an information society
Information comes from many sources Develop information literacy
Transliteracy = the ability to read, write and interact across many
platforms, tools, and media
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30 School library is an integral part of education School
library = resources + services School libraries are changing Learn
to read read to learn Information literacy Transliteracy School
libraries contribute to student achievement
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31 School library is an integral part of education Important
component of school library is librarian ( teacher-librarian, media
specialist, information professional, )
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32 School library is an integral part of education But school
libraries are facing challenges Perceptions Support and funding
Human resources Collaboration Management Technology
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33 The Future of School Libraries What is the future of school
libraries?
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34 The Future of School Libraries OR
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35 The Future of School Libraries What is the future of
society?
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36 The Future of School Libraries OR
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37 The Future of School Libraries Will we still need school
libraries? Will we still need school buildings with teachers? Those
who want to learn can do it online The world will be run by a very
small number of people, no more than 10, who will control the
massive computer and electronic transmissions, and the rest of the
world will either build highways or join the army Kurt
Vonnegut.
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38 The Future of School Libraries What is a school library? The
schools physical and virtual information-to- knowledge commons
where literacy, inquiry, thinking, imagination, discovery, and
creativity are central to students learning in all curriculum areas
Ross Todd School Libraries and Learning: What are the
challenges?
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39 The Future of School Libraries What is a school library? The
school library provides physical and intellectual access to the
resources and services required for learning in a nurturing
environment. Teacher librarians collaborate with others to provide
access to resources and instruction in developing the essential
learning skills needed for education A school library is not just
defined by its physical features, but also by what it does
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40 The Future of School Libraries The school library does not
exist alone It is affected by social political economic, and
technical changes School libraries must change
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41 The Future of School Libraries What changes took place in
the 20 th century? Electrification Transport (land, air, space)
Electronics and computers Womens vote Immunizations Safer and
healthier foods Political conflicts and wars Population growth and
migration New media
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42 The Future of School Libraries What changes can we expect to
see in the 21 st century? Aging population Conflicts, combat and
peacekeeping Cultural diversity vs. ethnicity Digital technology
Economic rises and falls Globalization economic, health,
environment Movement, migration, refugees, Sustainable development
Christopher Spencer (2011). Global Issues of the Twenty-First
Century and United Nations Challenges
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43 The Future of School Libraries We need to prepare for this
increasingly diverse, globalized, complex, dynamic world We need to
prepare our students, and ourselves Students need to be able to
communicate, function and create change personally, socially,
economically and politically at the local, national and
international levels We need a new paradigm for education,
including perhaps a redefinition of school, teacher, learner,
curriculum,
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44 The Future of School Libraries Changes are taking place in
the world We cannot be doing things the old way we cannot be having
more of the same School libraries must also change We have to start
now
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45 The Future of School Libraries What skills are needed in the
21 st century? Critical thinking and problem solving Collaboration
across networks and leading by influence Agility and adaptability
Initiative and entrepreneurialism Effective oral and written
communication Accessing and analyzing information Curiosity and
imagination Tony Wagner (2008) The Global Achievement Gap
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46 The Future of School Libraries 21 st century literacies
Proficiency with the tools of technology Build relationships with
others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and
cross-culturally Design and share information for global
communities for a variety of purposes Manage, analyze and
synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information Create,
critique, analyze, and evaluate media in many formats Attend to the
ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments
National Council of Teachers of English, 2008
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47 The Future of School Libraries Skills for the 21 st century
learner Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge Draw
conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new
situations, and create new knowledge Share knowledge and
participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic
society Pursue personal and aesthetic growth American Association
of School Librarians (2007) Standards for the 21 st Century
Learner
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48 The Future of School Libraries 21 st century skills are more
than information literacy they include digital, visual, textual,
technological, financial, health, literacies Critical for all
Development of these skills requires Reading, listening, viewing
Inquiry Technology skills Equitable access But who is to develop
these new literacies?
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49 The Future of School Libraries Libraries play an important
role in developing information literacy Efforts being made to
involve all teachers (e.g. Media and information literacy
curriculum for teachers developed by UNESCO) But who is to take the
leadership role?
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50 The Future of School Libraries Developing school libraries
is a collaborative effort
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51 The Future of School Libraries All of us have a role to play
in developing school libraries to strengthen the foundations so
that future generations are better prepared for the world they will
inherit from us
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52 The Future of School Libraries School libraries make a
difference "A substantial body of research since 1990 clearly
demonstrates the importance of school libraries to students'
education. Whether student achievement is measured by standardized
reading achievement tests or by global assessments of learning,
research shows that a well-stocked library staffed by a certified
[teacher librarian] has a positive impact on student achievement
School Libraries Work (2008) Although socio-economic factors
continue to be the strongest predictor of academic success, school
library characteristics may account for up to 8% of the variance in
reading-related test scores. Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (2003)
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53 The Future of School Libraries School libraries make a
difference "The review focuses on studies conducted since 1990,
which show that school libraries can have a positive impact on
student achievement". Michele Lonsdale for Australian Council for
Educational Research (ACER), 2003 The school library is an
important part of school life Report on the School libraries 21C
online discussion, commissioned by School Libraries and Information
Literacy Unit, Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of
Education and Training, 2010