The college library was one of my favorite places on campus, so it is with a glimmer of sadness that I read the recent CNN story about the end of print production for the traditional card catalogue. I spent hours thumbing through skinny files drawers to find the perfect resources. But this story is just one more reminder about how much the look and role of libraries has changed in the digital age. In 2014, a public library in San Antonio, Texas opened without any traditional books.
It’s no surprise that similar trends are starting to appear in public school libraries across the country. During NSBA’s education technology site visit in Mentor, Ohio, participants saw how the bright and airy high school library offered a place for collaboration and creation with treadmill desks, an open video production lab with a green screen, and less focus on long, dark rows of shelves.
Showcased during another NSBA visit in 2014, an elementary school library in Minnetonka, Minnesota included a performance space as well as individual “portholes” to capture the community’s watery ties to Lake Minnetonka and offer students an engaging spot to read.
While the role of the librarians has always been to help students locate and evaluate resources, how they accomplish that task has changed dramatically. In many districts, the school librarian has taken the lead to guide staff and students in the use of 21st century resources. From helping students develop online search strategies and digital literacy skills to guiding students through the confusing world of intellectual property in this age of remixed content, librarians are indispensable. A great example of the library’s new role is reflected in the work of past “20 to Watch” educator, Laura Fleming, in her New Milford, New Jersey high school where she has transformed the library into a maker space.
District leaders should examine trends across both school and public libraries and ask the question, “Are our libraries engaging places for students with staff who are leading 21st century learning or staffed by shepherds of dusty book collections and obsolete card catalogues?”