Textbook Read and Reflect Week 5

One section of chapter 8 that I really found interesting was the section on weeding the collection.  One thing the previous librarian told me a number of times was that I would have to weed the biography section.  Prior to reading this, I really had no clue what the criteria for weeding was.  I now know that four types of things need to be weeded:  1) materials to store, 2) materials with reading levels either too high or too low, 3) materials that need to be repaired, and 4) materials that need to be gotten rid of (140).  Another statement that really struck me was that, "Encyclopedias need to be replaced every five years, and the old copies should not be sent to the classrooms" (140).  Interesting enough, that is what has always happened in our district.  I can see this practice dwindling though due to the availability of  information on the Internet.  The chart on page 141 will also be helpful when weeding my collection.

Chapter 10 talks more about the library and the services it can offer.  "Teachers and students may expect few services because they have not been introduced to the wide variety of experiences they may choose in a media center" (161).  This is such a true statement in many libraries who have not yet come into the idea of the learning commons.  Unfortunately, I know my school is one of those.  I will be the one to change that perception in my school by collaborating and supporting the teachers, students, and curriculum in many ways.  I think because I have been a classroom teacher and have served on various curriculum committees, I already have a good background that will make supporting the classroom even easier.  I also am going to make sure that I will get copies of the curriculum guides that are currently in progress of revision, to make sure that I know what is going on in classrooms.  Empowering Learners also stresses this, "With a deep knowledge of the wide variety of high-quality reading materials available in the library and beyond, the SLMS has a key role in supporting  print and online reading comprehension strategy instruction collaboration with classroom teachers and reading specialists" (22).

The stressing of information literacy is also another job that I will be doing this year.  It is often overlooked due to teaching of the tested curriculum, but it needs to be integrated into lessons to make learning more meaningful for students.  On page 168, Woolls states that, "While the current focus is testing, media specialists can encourage teachers to continue to focus on individual students and their preparation for the workplace and lifelong learning."