Library Websites as the Tool
This article was first published in the MSLA November Forum
Six years ago when I moved from the classroom to the
library, I had a vision that the Pentucket Regional High School library would
be the “Hub” of the school. An integral
part of being the “Hub” is having resources available 24/7 and that set me on a
journey to build a dynamic website that in and of itself was a tool for student
learning. The website that
exists today is the result of a marathon not a sprint. The first year I added the Research Guide, the next
year the Databases Page,
but each in very much a beta form. Each year I have tweaked and added pieces as
I saw other’s sites that I liked, and as I learned new technology tools. Having
been a classroom teacher, I am sensitive to designing tools that all students
can easily navigate, and access; identified students as well as regular
education students.
In those early days I didn’t have control of the library
website so I had to find tools that could be linked on the website, but could
be accessible to me outside of the library website. That’s where www.netvibes.com came in. Netvibes is a
start-up page similar to igoogle. David Loertscher
would describe Netvibes as my personal learning environment, it is where I
house my PLN (personal learning network), and where I organize my personal
digital life, but more importantly each free account provides a public space
thus allowing me to organize and share my professional life as well. I actually
have several Netvibes accounts; the Online Resources Page is
used as a place to share all the cool tools around books and technology that I
find or create, and the Pathfinders
Page is where I house the research paths that I have created for
reoccurring projects in which I collaborate. Additionally, I have set up a
public page for my school’s NEASC E-portfolio and another page I am using as a
professional portfolio for certification (each of these require a separate email
address or you can pay for a premium site).
Being the “hub” of the school while students are at home is
a challenge, but Jing and screencast.com bridge the home-school gap. My first
thought when I am teaching students or staff, is how will I reach them when
they are not in front of me. Screencasting is that answer. I am a strong
proponent of the flip-curriculum model, and I use screen casting for
everything, many videos to teach all the great features of my MassCat catalog.
I have screencasts on how to renew ones library books and how to take a
screenshot. I use it to teach lessons like Photostory and how to check the
audio controls on the library computers. I use screencasting for many of my Digital
Literacy Challenges (DLC) and to teach the staff how to use the electronic
gradebook. At one point last year, I even had the experience of being in two
places at the same time with the help of Jing. On one side of the library I was
teaching (live) part of my Anti-Plagiarism lesson, and on the other side of the
library I was teaching (virtually) students to create an outline for their
research papers in www.mywebspiration.com
via a screencast.
The librarian whom I did my student teaching under and whom
I eventually replaced, Sheila Callahan, gave me the best advice ever. She said
document everything! She (and now I) kept records on student use of the library,
and she strongly encouraged me to prepare an end of the year report to share
with administrators. The reality is your library program can only get
appreciation and support if everyone (teachers, administrators, parents and
students) knows what you are doing. When I can say 31,412 students walked
through the doors of the library and received services last year-that’s
powerful! I am a data fiend and couldn’t
live without Googleforms. I use
googleforms for everything from getting student suggestions for the summer
reading program, to assessing my library orientation, to gathering information
about our student’s home computer and technology use. I used Google forms to
collect information for our NEASC self study and long range planning, to collect
staff’s favorite books for a display, and I use it every time I provide
professional development.
The two things that have made all the difference for the
Pentucket Regional High School library website site has not been technology but
collaborations. I am a founding member
of Pentucket’s Grassroots Technology Group and this is where I learned much of
the technology that I used for the library website. We meet every Friday
morning for a half hour before school, and it’s a group of teachers teaching
teachers to use technology to improve classroom practice. One week someone
presents a tool and the next week we play with the tool, and then try to use it
in our teaching. The second group is my Student Library and Technology Advisory
Group, we spent last year’s meetings looking at exemplar library websites, and
then analyzing our own website. The student perspective is crucial when
creating a tool for student use.
When we switched webhosting companies two and half years
ago, I finally gained “control” of my website to the relief of everyone (I was
a bit of a pest to the webmaster, which I think helped in finding a host which
would allow each Department to maintain their own web space). This website is
not finished, it will always be evolving as student needs evolve. I recently
added a mobile library site when I realized seventy-five percent of our
students own a handheld device. In five
years I will think that the 2011/2012 version of the site was a beta version. Websites,
like life, are journeys not destinations. The Pentucket Regional High School library
website is the home for gathering and sharing, teaching and learning; it has
become the tool itself.
List of electronic
tools and tips
www.jingproject.com
and www.screencast.com –screencast tools to teach when they are not physically
present
Googledocs – to collect data
italk App- Recorded all the research guide audio files on my
Ipod touch
audacity.com- recorded the podcast option for library
orientation
Evanced-Provided free by MLS for summer reading
program, but I use it all year as an Online Book Club
http://www.proprofs.com
– for the research guide quiz
photostory3
– Free Download, I use it for the video option for Library Orientation, but
teach this to many classes
www.glogster.com – where I house
the whole of my library orientation, and I teach this to many classes
winksite.com – hosts my mobile library site
Get an electronic catalog and link it
on your website- I cannot say enough good things about MassCat.
Teach yourself to take a screenshot, and
then learn to crop it in Paint.
If you don’t have access to your
library website, then find a tool that will give you access and then link it to
your school website.
Use your student Learning Management
System, to improve your library’s scalability. Our LMS is School Loop ($3.75
per student). They have a webhosting, gradebook, and student/teacher accounts.
I use the calendar feature to post library related items on every student and
teacher's portal. I use the News feed to share library related information and I
use the Groups feature for our summer reading program and as a private blogging
tool, and I use the Loopmail feature to communicate with students
