LIBE 477 - Reading Review C
What I find most challenging with research and inquiry, is knowing when to stop. I often find myself ‘going down the rabbit hole’ much like Alice does in Wonderland, and find myself lost or diving deeper, as I go from one search to another. I have never really seem to hit a definitive ‘endpoint’ and maybe that is part of the learning. Rather, I get to a place where I felt I have enough to begin my process, I know that my understanding was deeper than before, and I am confident I could continue researching as I went along. This is what I think is missing in research projects taught in schools, and what I really value about inquiry. The circular process of learning in this way allows for flexibility, change, and course correction. I am still finding new sources and information despite the research I have already done.
For this assignment, research meant looking at probably more than fifty websites and articles, many of them unhelpful. It meant trying many different keywords too. This learning is so valuable as I become more adept at educational research, website scanning, and searching. As the research progressed, I found my question began to change. It moved from an abstract ‘what makes an effective school library website’ to how can I create a school website that fosters connection and creates community? I am invested in this project, and I want to bring it to life. So in addition to online research, I was also doing some investigative research at school which raised even more questions. Is this something that I can make happen? Who will need to give permission? How will I convince them it is a valuable endeavor? Who will be responsible for decisions and material posted? Online, I purposefully tried to draw from a variety of sources. I was hoping for some journal articles, some concrete examples of live, up-to-date sites, and guidelines from the Canadian Library Association. However, since last week, I have come across even more. Notably Jennifer LaGarde aka Library Girl’s blog which is recent, and an excellent source of tips and inspiration.
One of the disconnects I am feeling right now is that things have shifted so quickly that I am looking for information that addresses the COVID, anxious, disconnected reality we are living in now. This is what I want my library website to be, the hub of the community that is missing from my school while the space is closed. There is not much available for my specific search for the world we are living in. This is why I was so excited to find Jennifer LaGarde’s blog post. It addresses exactly what I felt was missing, and although a lot has changed since May, the context has been provided. It even includes an entire presentation on what makes a great school library website, with a COVID context, and is where I am going to begin my next step.
The two journal articles referenced earlier, by Hartshorne and Unruh, are the two least helpful resources found. Although both have good foundational information, are not what I was looking for in terms of moving forward in website creation. I think these articles will be helpful when I pitch the website to administrators though.
My key learnings are that:
-there does not have to an ‘end’ to the research
- school library websites vary greatly - creating one that is user friendly and engaging is crucial
-having a clear focus is important
- recent information is incredibly valuable when it comes to technology
I feel ready to begin creating my own webpage. I am excited about creating an online community and to get connected with the students. The more I read, the greater my sense of urgency is. Now is the time to make this happen, and I am excited to begin,
Works Cited
Brooks Kirkland, A. Build Your Own Virtual Library Learning Commons. By the Brooks: Anita Brooks Kirkland. https://www.bythebrooks.ca/build-your-own-vllc/.
Canadian Libraries Association. Leading learning: Standards of practice for school library learning commons in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Libraries Association.
http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.11.1.291
LaGarde, J. (2020, May 20). BFTP: Creating GREAT Library Websites for TODAY's Learners! Librarygirl. https://www.librarygirl.net/post/bftp-creating-great-library-websites-for-today-s-learners
Library Learning Commons. Surrey Schools - Library Learning Commons. https://www.surreyschools.ca/llc/Pages/default.aspx
Unruh, M. (2009). An exploration of the relationship between the physical information commons and learning commons and their web sites Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/618682760?accountid=14656
This is an excellent post which outlines your process, research, thinking and learning thus far. I appreciate your thorough reflection. You are asking excellent questions about important ideas and topics. For your next post you may want to explore how to use the label feature of Blogger. These can help you organize your posts as your blog grows.
ReplyDeleteHi Shannon, I really appreciated your last blog posting. This sounds like an interesting (perhaps never-ending, which is a good thing) project. Thanks for highlighting “The Adventures of Library Girl” blog. My two takeaways from her blog were the following:
ReplyDeleteWhat do you value, can your community tell? I love that question when thinking about library websites. It’s definitely something that I’m going to keep in mind when I tackle my school library’s website.
I also appreciated her blog post “iYMAS and Why YA Lit Matters (A Lot)” from August 2nd. I’ve noticed that in my 5-8 school, student use of the library (checking out books mainly) declines in grade 8. It’s something that I want to look at for our next assignment. Stay tuned!