My Current Thinking on Library Media Specialists and 21st Century Learning

This is a summary of a conversation I had with our school's library media specialist (LMS) Kari Kabat. She conducted an interview with me for a graduate class she is taking.

How are schools helping students develop 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, inquiry and technology skills)?

Investing in an LMS is essential. We have a full time LMS in both of our buildings which is an important first step. Having this support for teachers and students to develop these skills and learning experiences will help with school culture and make it a part of how they do business. Developing goals and a framework for integration along with timelines to accomplishing these goals is a great start. Technology integration and having students use the 4C’s is not the responsibility of one person, but rather having the LMS there to support and model these skills for the students and teachers to begin to take a more active role in integrating them with the curriculum. This is what I see as a part of an LMS’ role in a school.

How would you like to see change or improvement in schools?

Using the gradual release of responsibility model to support a school's efforts to help staff have more buy-in for using these methods with students. We need to move from a consumption-based culture to more of a creation-based, collaborative one. Most schools need to make this shift. Students can have opportunities to produce authentic writing pieces and projects and not simply use technology only to consume more information.

What do you think are the three most important things a school librarian could do to help a school reach its goals and to help students develop 21st century skills?

First, have a well stocked school library that is appealing and always open for students to come find a book whenever they need one. Knowledge does not come out of thin air. A measure of this will be high circulation rates.

Second, introduce students and teachers to the tools that will help them accomplish one of the 4C’s. With the LMS in a supporting role, they may model a lesson that highlights a specific “C” with students during their technology block and then help the teachers see how this can be used in other ways to support their work with students on the core curriculum. Introduce a tool to support the C and then expand from there.

Finally, develop a makerspace that will allow students to have a place to come explore, innovate, and create. A makerspace can be an excellent way to incorporate 21st century skills in an indirect way. Expanding offerings beyond the library centers and making them available as a place where teachers and students can come to think critically and problem solve together can help teachers rethink their instruction.

What issues do you see getting in the way of this approach happening?

Mindsets. Educators should be rethinking who the library really belongs to. It it not just a department in the school. Rather, it belongs to everyone in the school. It should be a place of service, where you can come to have your needs met and explore your interests. That might be a place to find a good book or a place to inspire your creativity and imagination and allow you to investigate new ideas.