Oberg, D. (September 30, 2009). Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture. Library Trends, 58, 1, 9-25.
As I read though week one’s assigned readings, annotating and highlighting along the way, I noticed that my annotations started to burn up the margins during a particular reading. “Libraries in Schools: Essential Contexts for Studying Organizational Change and Culture,” by Dianne Oberg was the article that I found the most compelling and had me responding out loud to her assertions. Therefore I have decided to blog my thoughts relating to this article.
On page 11 of her article Oberg states, “research has shown that an integrated school library program, appropriately resourced and staffed, can contribute improved student achievement.” Schools around the country are facing cuts, Michigan being hit very hard by this latest economic downturn has “extras” cut from schools across the state. What concerns me is, in many districts, school see the media center staff as an, “extra”. As our district started to eliminate jobs, one full-time middle school media specialist was not replaced after retirement. This leaves our school’s media specialist to drive between the district’s two media centers to run programming and keep the center open while the paraprofessional has her scheduled breaks. It seems apparent then that the well-staffed portion of the statement cannot reasonably be fulfilled and should be cause for concern for teachers and the principal. Moreover, it would be a huge asset for the government to invest in school media centers as an essential part of school funding rather than only allowing media centers to obtain their budget though the general fund.
Oberg’s opinion differs from mine as she asserts that the “conservatism of the teaching profession is what attracts individuals to the profession” (12). I take issue with this statement and her reasoning. She states, “factors tend to attract individuals who found their own schooling a rewarding experience and who are not likely to see the need for changes in the schools or to invest the time and energy needed to make any major change in schools.” In my opinion, this statement follows faulty logic. My colleagues and I strive to give quality experiences to our students that are more organized and student centered than schooling was for us. We use new teaching models and are not afraid to drastically change lesson plans when we think we can do something better, we get bored of doing things the same way or our kids need a different approach. Perhaps my retort is only antidotal well Oberg’s assertion is too broad.
In addition, a person who found their own school experience rewarding may have experienced a lot of teachers who used best practices to make the experience pleasant. It should then follow that individuals who were the most immersed in classes where teachers used best practices and innovate strategies, have the broadest knowledge of how to combine those practices to make school more rewarding for the next generation of learners.
In her next statement on page 12, Oberg highlights an interesting problem in teaching. In summary, she states that teachers are given full responsibilities and then not given time for proper mentorship or collaboration. In some school districts this is a very harsh reality. I believe that it makes it difficult for districts to retain newer teachers and for seasoned teachers to expand and create the change they need to create to keep up with the culture of the school.
Near the end, Oberg gives us some hope when she sites the work by Hay et. al. stating that, “the teacher-librarian improved the quality of teaching and learning through in-serving staff, through cooperative planning and teaching, and through collection development” (18). In my experience, this is the truth. When our school’s media specialist collaborates with me on a project, the students create work that is of higher quality then when I teach them alone. When she teaches the students I learn from her and am able to improve my lesson plans. By including her in my planning she is better able to develop her collection as she works with the kids, getting to know the ever changing culture of our school. As the next group of media specialists enters the field, a strong desire to collaborate will improve schools, teaching and learning.
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