Unquiet Library Has High-Schoolers Geeked
Mon, 06/21/2010 - 08:40
The noise became a buzz at Creekview High School in Georgia, where the Media Center has three times as many Facebook fans as the football team.
PrintThe students are skeptical when the librarian says, “I want everyone to take out their cell phones and check to see if you can get reception in the library.” The young scholars hesitantly pull out their mobile devices unsure of what to make of this request. “Your assignment is to charge up your phones for class on Friday.” This wasn’t like any librarian they had met before.
Welcome to the Creekview High School Media Center in Canton, Georgia, or as it is commonly known around the halls, “The Unquiet Library.” The school opened its doors in 2006 and its library services were conceived during the Web 2.0 boom. This is evident in its design as a highly participatory learning environment embedded with interaction and technology from the beginning.
When Friday morning arrives, the students are excited for their library session. They anticipate how they might use their cell phones. The librarian draws their attention to a Smart board and demonstrates how they can text to it. This technology enables them to submit answers simultaneously, fueling the class discussion. With a grand gesture, the librarian has transformed their social devices into instruments of learning.
Buffy Hamilton and Roxanne Johnson are the media specialists who oversee this busy operation. Hamilton initiated the “Unquiet” brand. “To me, ‘unquiet’ evokes a sense of activity and being a bold force of nature,” she says. “I want our library to make some positive ‘noise’ as we build a program that makes a difference in the lives of our students and teachers.” Hamilton and Johnson are shaking up expectations of what a high school library can be.
The librarians view the 9,000-square-foot media center as the largest classroom on campus. The space is carved out into distinct zones: places for lounging, reflection, teaching, and casual conversations. The library offers 60 desktop computers and a variety of furniture that can accommodate over 70 students. Food and drinks are allowed; in fact, two teachers host a coffee shop there every morning. The space also accommodates a variety of encounters such as trivia contests, musical performances, poetry readings, art exhibits, and gaming.
Not only are the students excited about the library, but the faculty is buying in too. Last year Hamilton and Johnson collaboratively planned 100 lessons with teachers. A successful strategy has been to meet with a group of teachers of a particular subject and develop assignments together. This helps to cultivate relationships and positions the librarians as full members of the teaching team. Hamilton also co-taught Media 21 with an English teacher, exploring the idea of transliteracy and providing students with educational experiences using social web and multimedia tools.
Teaching is the foundation of this library and the stats reveal just how popular it has become. Last year librarians taught 1,533 class sessions, having over 45,000 student interactions. Keep in mind that this is a three-person operation. Hamilton confesses that scheduling is chaotic and that on some days she teaches seven hours straight. Over the summer Hamilton is planning to incorporate e-readers and e-books, develop a parent outreach program, and create a virtual library of student work as a part of the collection.
Major challenges lie ahead, though. Districtwide cuts dictated the loss of a media clerk, reducing the amount of time available for teaching and other programs. In order to optimize their efforts, the librarians have met with teachers to assess activities that work best. Hamilton stresses that her first priority is “protecting the integrity of our instructional services.”
There is a great amount of library spirit at Creekview High, where the Media Center has three times as many Facebook fans as the school’s football team. Additionally, students proudly wear stickers that read “I geek the Unquiet Library.” It’s inspiring to see such a high level of pride in a library.
Brian Mathews is a librarian at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of Marketing Today’s Academic Library (ALA Editions, 2009). This column spotlights leadership strategies that produce inspirational libraries.
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Comments
Shocked & Unsettled by These Comments
I am shocked & unsettled by the seemingly closed-minded negativity of few of these comments. However, I am inspired by the idea that the Library Media Center is "like a Barnes and Noble bookstore," "the largest classroom on campus," and the fact that there "Last year librarians taught 1,533 class sessions, having over 45,000 student interactions."
It seems as if the concept of moving forward into the 21at century and that our libraries and our librarians must change & evolve is escaping the nay-sayers. We must meet the challenges of staying relevant and giving our students what they need for the jobs that have yet to be invented. We CAN have technology infused libraries, vibrant unquiet areas that are living, breathing, interactive classrooms & areas for congregation AND still keep our quiet nooks of contemplative reflection and books! Yes, we can have both! We can and we should multitask our facilities. We need to re-think what was and adapt to what could be. NO…Libraries are not Shhh Shhh! places where kids can only check out a book, look at an encyclopedia and "Microsoft Word" a document.
Let me join in with Debbie Gottsleben…and say: Thank you Buffy and Roxanne for your inspiration!
~Gwyneth Jones
thedaringlibrarian.com
I agree wholeheartedly,
I agree wholeheartedly, Gwyneth. We are bursting at the seams for book space, but we do manage to keep at least one area dedicated to old-school quiet for those who need it.
Libraries these days
Ya know, comments that denigrate what the Unquiet Library has done for that school’s students generally reflect the old-school perception of what libraries used to be, not what they have had to become in the 21st century, and even before. What’s really awesome is that the Media Center, where kids LEARN, has 3x more fans than the football team! I work in a public library, which is very different from an academic library, but we both have some of the same issues. One of the foremost is how do we stay relevant as institutions of knowledge as technology and the Internet lead us all to digital media? Sooner or later books will become obsolete, or so critics say.
Some would say books are already obsolete. Oh really? What about those folks, and there are many of them, who would rather smell the book and interact with the physical pages in a true 3D experience, rather than hold some piece of technological fluff that either isn’t backlit for night reading (most e-Readers) or is really too heavy for prolonged reading (the iPad)? Since when have you been able to download for free anything not already digitized by Google or Project Gutenberg? All of these titles have been out of print and in the public domain for years, and you will not find anything on the New York Times Bestsellers List available for free anywhere but in your library!
In addition to the obvious books, both types of libraries are more and more having to teach people how to set up e-mail accounts so they can file for unemployment or apply for jobs online. In rural areas there are still people who have never touched a computer outside of a library! Add to that the fact that many libraries are now offering free downloadable books, music and video, "coffee shop" areas and free Wi-Fi access, and you have many more Unquiet Libraries across the nation!
Computers and e-Readers like the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader and to some degree the iPad, have made it necessary for every library (and librarian) on the planet to embrace technology and learn how to teach its patrons (or students) how to use that technology, or face extinction as an institution. Librarians always have been and will, for the foreseeable future anyway, be the best at finding information, even in this age of Google. We know how to search effectively, and we can and do teach that concept to whomever needs to learn it! While to the casual observer it may seem that libraries are becoming more like coffee shops or Barnes & Noble stores, it is that atmosphere and experience that fosters learning and social engagement, and people are expecting it more and more from libraries. And just like commercial interests, if you don’t give your patrons what they want, you will go under. Keep it up ladies!
Unquiet Library Has High-Schoolers Geeked
Buffy Hamilton is my inspiration. I am a school library media specialist in NJ and have been working to make our library media center more like the Unquiet Library (only wish I had thought of that name first!). We are headed in the right direction but have not had as much of a buy-in yet from staff, maybe because we weren’t starting out new. But, what Buffy and her colleague Roxanne Johnson are doing IS the future of school librarianship. Yes, school libraries still need to provide access to books and places to read them but school libraries are also about providing access to information and where information can be found is changing quickly and profoundly. That this library isn’t quiet doesn not mean that learning is not going on. In our world today we need to be able to collaborate and share information. This is what Buffy and Roxanne are providing the means to do. I think their students will be very well prepared to meet the challenges of both higher education and a career. They were fortunate to be able to design their library from scratch and it does sound as if their students have access to technology that not every student could afford but they are working with the circumstances that they have at hand. They have capitalized on these circumstances and created a media center that could and should be the envy of the rest of us. I am not in the same fortunate circumstance but it doesn’t stop me from looking at the Unquiet Library as a symbol of what a modern school library not only could be but SHOULD be! Thank you Buffy and Roxanne for your inspiration!
The “Unquiet Library” Indeed
While “trivia contests, musical performances, poetry readings, art exhibits, and gaming” are popular among young adults, I don’t see the educational value that the media center at Creekview High School provides to its students. Sure, it may seem that teaching “meida 21” and “transliteracy” to the students might seem educational, but it is safe to say that the majority of the students there already know all about “social web and media tools.” A media center is suppose to be a place of academic information, computers for Microsoft Word Applications, media, and the Internet, study areas, and some casual conversation and teaching areas; not for food, drinks, and a coffee shop hosted by two teachers every morning. This media center sounds like a Barnes and Noble bookstore, which has “places for lounging, reflection, teaching, and casual conversations.” It is therefore not a surprise that the district is facing major cut backs, probably due to the extravagant price this media center must of cost. The “Unquiet Library” indeed.
-Ryan
Florida State University
College of Communication and Information
School of Library and Information Studies Graduate Student
Ryan, I see that several
Ryan,
I see that several others have jumped in here. I’d just like to echo their statements by saying that you are entering the profession at an interesting time. Libraries are redefining their identities and relationships with patrons. Ultimately though it doesn’t matter what any of us think about The Unquiet Library— that judgement comes from the teachers and students at Creekview High. If the media center is able to support their teaching & learning needs, then they are successful.
You seem to have an issue with the technology side of things. I’ll say this… it is great college prep for the students. At the schools I’ve worked at I’ve noticed a change in assignments— students are not only required to write papers, but also create little films, design images, develop websites, and give presentations. If you go into academic librarianship it is very likely you’ll have to help students with this stuff too— it’s not just about finding information, but helping them create something new.
Thanks for reading and commenting, but I encourage you to keep an open mind about what a library is and what it does.
And oh yeah— Go Gators!
Brian
Surely you jest?
Geez-oh-Pete, is that what they’re teaching you in library school these days? I don’t mean to sound overly critical, but I find it at best concerning and at worst rather frightening that someone currently in grad school, who is supposed to be learning cutting-edge library approaches, has such a retro view of what actually goes on in school libraries these days. Do kids know social networking sites? Yes. Are they able to use them in thoughtful, analytical ways that promote learning? Not unless they’re taught.
I don’t know if you have been around students much, but it would be interesting to see your thoughts on this after you have done your practicum. The fact that you think social networking and "academic information" are mutually exclusive shows, I’m afraid, that it would be beneficial for you to read more on what is going on in educational circles these days. May I suggest Doug Johnson, Will Richardson, Buffy Hamilton and other to better grasp the nature of educational reform? You might also want to take a look at my own interview with Michelle Luhtala, winner of this year’s ALA’s Library Program of the year award. It is ALL ABOUT networking and online collaboration.
http://bit.ly/9Frhwp
We owe it to our students to prepare them for a digitized, socialized world, fully connected world.
defining what a media center is or isn't
Ryan,
I would caution you against making broad assumptions about what students know, and about what should constitute a media library. I am an academic librarian and so can’t speak about what a media center or high school library should look like, but your own definition seems limiting to me. In addition, students knowing "about" social media and tools is a far, far cry from them being able to use those tools for effectively interacting with and evaluating information (which will certainly be required of them once they go on to college and or a profession).
Just my 4 cents,
Dana Longley
SUNY Empire State College
Ask questions before you judge....
Ryan,
I notice that you’re a graduate student so I’m going to cut you a bit of slack in my response but here’s some advice…before you judge why something is happening or making judgments on what value a place has go visit it. Go talk to the people there. Go do some research. Because every last one of your statements in incorrect.
The district isn’t facing cutbacks because of Buffy’s library, its facing cutbacks because the governemnt cut budgets across school districts. Buffy puts some of her own money into making this library succeed. Go look at the YouTube channel for the Unquiet Library and look at the joy on the students faces as they learn something new. Look at the comments they leave behind.
Just because you prefer a "traditional" library, other people don’t. Don’t make broad sweeping statements that a library must be one thing or the other unless you’ve been a part of the community the library serves.
The “Unquiet Library” Indeed
VERY concerning....
That a grad student in library science has such a narrow archaic view on what a media center should be. In an era where school and public libraries alike are facing budget cuts and having to prove their worth, the Unquiet Librarians are leading the way in change. They have made their media center RELEVANT. As a profession we are needing to reinvent our position and our space. Transliteracy IS the future in education and our profession is leading the way—classroom teachers don’t have time (I know, I was one just one year ago)
These librarians are brilliant—they realize their media center is a classroom , but that they must "sell" it, like a business. I owned a retail business, and so many of my responsibilities are similar—we must do whatever we can to draw our "customers" in. We must create displays, "sell" our product, educate our "customers", research & order product. In an era where many libraries saw a drop in circulation, Barnes & Noble was BOOMING—proving that people still wanted books & wanted to read & learn. Therefore taking some of the things that make B&N so popular—coffee shop, cozy areas, creating a gathering place—is EXACTLY what is helping to make them so successful.
That being said, it is obvious that all of that is just icing. The LIBRARIANS are the ones who are drawing teachers & students in. You can have a fabulous space with lots of bells & whistles, but without vivacious, collaborative librarians it is just a pretty space. Kudos, ladies—you are my mentors and I strive to model my library after yours! THANK YOU!
"The Unquiet Library Indeed"
Ryan:
I’d like to address some of the comments you made because clearly we have very different philosophies of librarianship.
First, teaching and learning are central to our library program; a participatory framework of librarianship and the AASL Guidelines for 21st Century School Library programs (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/guidelines.cfm) are two major influences that inform our ever-evolving practice. Research/subject guides we create in collaboration with our teachers and students anchor the instruction that is central to our library as a place of learning (http://theunquietlibrary.libguides.com). I would argue that libraries who posit themselves only as a "place for information" are doomed to fail and be irrelevant to their patrons; providing virtual and physical space for conversations about learning, engagement, participation, and content creation are essential.
Secondly, your assumption that most students know about social media and tools is a flawed one. I think learning communities in K12 and higher education are in agreement that the concept of the "digital native" is a flawed one; I’ve seen from personal experience how little students really do know about social media. In addition, the AASL Standards for 21st Century Learners support the teaching of social networking skills as a tool for learning and cultivating a personal learning network/personal learning environment (see http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards.cfm). Both our Media 21 collaborative efforts and our other work with teachers and students support an expanding skill set of what we once thought of as "information literacy" to help our students navigate and utilize the changing information landscape.
Third, re: the coffee shop—-this is run not only by our Special Education teachers but also by their students. Before you judge the value of that program and the expense, I would suggest you check out this article about the program at http://cherokeetribune.com/view/full_story/7484474/article-Service-with-a-smile?. The funding involving the coffee shop is completely separate and unrelated to the library funding, which we receive from the state of Georgia (see http://glma-inc.org/allotmenthistory.htm for how school libraries are funded in Georgia).
As far as the "extravagant cost" of our library program, the funding we received as a new school and our regular state funding has been used for materials, computers, and equipment as there are guidelines as to what may be purchased with those funds. Lounge furniture was either donated by members of community or purchased with local funds raised with fines and donations from our PTSA. In addition, we use many free resources to supplement our paid subscriptions and purchased information sources/learning materials. Ultimately, all purchases are an investment in our learning community.
I’m disappointed to hear such a narrow view of librarianship and literacy from someone who comes from what I’ve always regarded as a progressive program (FSU). I hope you will take time to examine some of the assumptions you’ve made and to explore the links provided in my comments as well as the article to have a better understanding of the learning and buy-in we strive to create and support through our library program here at Creekview High. While you fail to see the value of our school library program, our administrators, teachers, and students have a very different viewpoint (take time to explore http://www.theunquietlibrary.libguides.com/cat.php?cid=19980).
Sincerely,
Buffy Hamilton
this technology makes it very
this technology makes it very easy to ask and answer questions, but is it helping us learn what types of questions are best to ask and how to understand the answers? isn’t this a better task for a library?
It’s great that all the kids
It’s great that all the kids in that school can afford cell phones with the necessary features and plans to do such a thing. I’d hate to see some kids left out.
Interesting that the school
Interesting that the school decided to cut the library clerk and keep the librarian. The school where one of my colleagues used to work as a media specialist recently did the opposite. They cut her professional position and kept the library clerk, and are now expecting the clerk to do everything my colleague did, armed only with a high school diploma, and for minimum wage.
Heard that before
Many of us can guess where that school is located. I think these school systems haven’t read the studies that correlate increased test scores with the presence of a highly qualified school librarian.
Library Staffing/Cuts
I am wondering if you misread the article—-while my district did eliminate the clerical positions, it was one of the very few in metro Atlanta who did NOT cut any certified media specialists. I am very grateful that our district supports the work that we do to support learning and student achievement in our schools and to be working in one of the most progressive school districts in Georgia.
Respectfully,
Buffy Hamilton
Unquiet library
Interesting story, but you forgot to mention where the people who want to read books go to……………….or even if there are any books. Librarians who can generate enthusiasm are badly needed and new technology is great, but the article makes no mention of one of the most important resources for learning that we have, this is the robust, shareable, portable information resource that is known as the book
Books and Libraries
Martyn:
I agree that a strong and diverse collection is an important element of any library program although I would argue it would need to consist of more than just print materials. However, thanks to the support of school libraries by our district and our state legislators, we do have a print collection that consists of over 15,000 titles that is a reflection of the Georgia Performance Standards and just as importantly, the requests and input from our students and teachers.
As Brian mentioned, teaching and learning is the cornerstone of our library program, which reflects the American Association of Guidelines for School Libraries (see http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/guidelines.cfm).
Respectfully,
Buffy
books
Hi Martyn. Thanks for reading and commenting. I have a very limited word count with these columns so I could not fit "book" talk in. I did speak with Buffy about books and indeed they have them, as well as quiet reading spaces. The sense I got though is that the library is mainly used for teaching, since the students are typically in class most of the day. I’m sure Buffy can comment on the "book" theme, but I recommend checking out more about the library here: library: http://theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com/
I'm requeting the APA citation for one of your articles...
Thank you for writing "Unquiet Library Has High-Schoolers Geeked". I appreciated your observations and attention to detail. It was enjoyable to read, too. I’m a second year librarian and any and all new concepts are appreciated!
I want to use your Next Steps article/column "Unquiet Library Has High-Schoolers Geeked", June 21, 2010 as part of my University of Colorado Denver, Masters: School Library Trend Summary paper. However, I cannot find the APA citation for your article/column at my university (online) library.The June volume is too recent.
I’m taking the chance that you access your blog on Sunday :) Could you ost this info on your blog or email it to me?
Thank you!