The New Libraries Offer Students A Full Menu Of Media

By Tanjua Damon

Libraries are no longer just collections of books and periodicals that fill the shelves. Instead when entering a library today, computers are linked to the Internet, card catalogs are no longer just index cards but are computer databases, and technology has changed the way patrons check out their books.

School librarians no longer exist.  They are now library media specialists. The evolution of technology has brought a whole new life to the library of today. Students do not just have a book read to them and then pick out a book to take home. School libraries are now being considered the hub that reflects curriculum, leaving media specialists to give a mini lesson to reflect what the classroom teacher is teaching.

 “It worked its way in. In the beginning it was more video and TV,” Middle Gate Media Specialist Donna McGough said. “Once computers came, librarians got more into that.”

Ms McGough provides students and staff with an open library atmosphere. She wants the school community to view and use the library as a resourceful part of what the school is about. She provides additional instruction to what the teachers are teaching and thinks that is an important part of her job.

“They are really becoming the hub of the school and support for the classroom,” she said, adding that they lessen the teacher’s load to meet the skills the students need.

Kindergartners made a poster about Thanksgiving with the computer hooked to the projector. First grade students researched wild animals on the Internet and made a book. Maps and charts are made with the computer hooked up to the large screen television. Fourth graders learn how to use the scanner and review their computer skills.

Ms McGough also opens her library up to parents one evening a week. One parent alternates weeks with her two children to provide individual quality time, according to Ms McGough. On Thursday, Middle Gate families may come to the library from 3 to 8 pm to read books, use computers, or look at newspapers and magazines.

Technology has not limited the use of the library, according to Ms McGough. Instead it has provided a useful tool to provide different educational opportunities, making the library a place students want to be.

“I’ve never found a time when I’ve wished it [technology] wasn’t here. It’s a great way to improve the quality of their work and learn multi-tasking,” she said. “It’s a busy place. It’s always hopping. There are people who have needs constantly. It’s really an information hub now. It’s also a place that highlights new literature or classical literature. It’s a place to get timely information and a historical perspective.”

Multiple Formats For Information

Middle School Library Media Specialist Jeanne Bugay explained that technology has changed the way a library functions.

“The information environment has changed from print to digital and thus the role of the librarian has changed to media specialist to encompass other formats of information presentation: video, electronic, multi-media [visual with sound],” Ms Bugay said. “Our role is to teach the user to apply analytic-based strategies to information access since information is increasing exponentially and overload occurs quickly. We want to empower the student, not frustrate him or her.”

The skills that students learn in the library are lifelong, according to Ms Bugay. The media center is the place for some of that learning to take place

“I think sometimes in a building, an administration needs to realize we can be the glue that a child can use to put everything together. We’re a unifying factor. Information access is a process,” Ms Bugay said. “They need analytic-based strategies. The skills they get in the library media center are lifelong skills. They can go out anywhere and have the ability to use them.”

Having students understand the information process is important to Ms Bugay because of the information world of today.

“People don’t realize how important information access is. We are in information mode overload. If we don’t give kids the skills, we are doing a disservice. That happens in the library,” she said. “We just don’t buy books and put them on the shelves anymore. We are giving the kids a way to think about information and a way to access it that is important.”

Computers and technology are popular at the high school level where students use computers for personal use as well as research and class projects.

“Research in all shapes and sizes,” Helen Simko, Newtown High School Media Specialist, said. “They always make a beeline for the computers.”

There is more to just the books at the high school library. Microfiche, magazines, periodicals, and newspapers can all still be found, but students are also using the Internet to do research that requires extra work by the media specialists of the library too. Their research is tailored for things high school kids need for projects.

“We’re no longer keepers of the books. We’re kind of the percolator of information,” Ms Simko said. “We work closely with the teacher to coordinate. It’s a constant effort on our part. Reading is not passé. It is taking a form of its own. Kids still need the skills. Computers are just a tool. They are evaluating information, i.e. sources off the Internet.”

Karen Mann, also a media specialist at the high school, agrees that the world of technology has changed the library into something more than just a place to find and read books.

“This has really turned into a resource center. Students can scan photos, do Internet research, read, and view movies,” Ms Mann said. “They can really accomplish so many things, from simple to complex. Kids put together posters using images from World War II, photocopies from books, all kinds of resources we couldn’t even imagine eight years ago.”

But Ms Mann helps teach students using the library that there is a balance between print and the technological world. The two still go hand in hand since it is important to check what the Internet provides for information.

“There is a balance of print and non-print depending on how they solve their information problem,” Ms Mann said. “Research needs aren’t just for a ten-page paper, but speeches, or Power Point presentations.”

Technology At The Booth Library

When schools are closed, but research still needs to be done, that is when the public library comes in handy. C.H. Booth Library is the hub of the town of Newtown, according to Library Director Janet Woycik.

“Technology was just breaking when I came here,” Beryl Harrison, reference librarian, said. “We’ve gone from a little CD-ROM database that was updated once a month, where now we have three databases that are updated daily. We even have remote access to some of these.”

People can even access the library databases when it is closed to prepare what information they may be looking for when the library is open.

“People can look at the catalog even when we are closed,” Ms Harrison said. “It’s certainly helped in disseminating information to people. Now we can pretty well handle the needs of people. It is hard to keep up with it. We have patrons come in who do not understand our system.”

Computers are second nature to most children, according to Children’s Librarian Alana Maloni. Technology plays a large role in their lives, but for many not in terms of research just yet.

“Kids want to know how to play games,” she said. “I don’t think they are looking at it as a resource for information. Their mindset is this is entertainment for me.”

Technology is an excellent resource, according to Ms Maloni, but she also believes children need to be taught the correct way to use technology.

“If you teach kids to respect and interpret, to use their brains, it is an excellent resource,” Ms Maloni said. “You have to teach people as much as you can how to use it as a resource. We will help them find what they need. That’s what we do; we help people find information.”