When Your Library Goes Virtual:
Promoting Research and
Reading
Audrey Church
Tennessee Association of School Librarians
November, 2006
Information Power: Building
Partnerships for Learning
“The mission of the library media
program is to ensure that students
and staff are effective users of ideas
and information.”
Information Power: Building
Partnerships for Learning
The mission of the library media
program is to ensure that students
and staff are lifelong readers and
effective users of ideas and
information.
Henrico County (VA) Public Schools
Goals for Your Library?
Promoting reading
Supporting research
…in a digital
environment…
“87% of those between ages 12 and
17 are online…and half of them say
they go online every day.”
Pew Internet & American Life Project. (25 July 2005). Teens Forge Forward with the Internet and Other
New Technologies. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/press_release.asp?r=109
Students prefer to use the Internet
instead of traditional libraries
because …
They consider it to be easier to use
They consider it more convenient
It is open 24/7
They consider it to be full of more upto-date material
Pew Internet & American Life Project. (14 August 2002). The Digital Disconnect: The
Widening Gap Between Internet Savvy Students and Their Schools. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/67/report_display.asp
Virtually all middle and high school students
use the Internet heavily to do research to
help them write papers or complete class
work or homework assignments…as virtual
textbook and reference library…For the most
part, students’ educational use of the Internet
occurs outside of the school day, outside of
the school building, outside the direction of
their teachers…
Pew Internet & American Life Project. (14 August 2002). The Digital Disconnect: The
Widening Gap Between Internet Savvy Students and Their Schools. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/67/report_display.asp
“The goal of a Web site should be to
make the school library media center
and its Web page the first choice of
information by students and
teachers. Do whatever it takes to
make it happen.”
Baumbach, D. (2005, January/February). “The school library
media center web page: An opportunity too good to miss,”
Knowledge Quest 33(3), 8-12.
Meet students where they are!
Provide services via your
school library Web page!
 10 Ways to Promote
Reading
 10 Ways to Support
Research
PROMOTING READING…
1. Online Catalog
1.
2.
3.
Make your online catalog available on
your library Web page
Search by author, subject, award…from
home
Sample site: Paideia School, Atlanta, GA
http://www.paideiaschool.org/Library
PROMOTING READING…
2. Links to Author Web Sites
1.
2.
Connect students to authors’ life
experiences
Sample author sites:
•
•
•
Jan Brett http://www.janbrett.com
Ben Mikaelsen http://www.benmikaelsen.com
Walter Dean Myers
http://www.walterdeanmyersbooks.com
PROMOTING READING…
3. E-Books
1.
2.
Access to free or fee e-books
Sample sites:
•
•
•
International Children’s Digital Library
http://www.icdlbooks.org/
Project Gutenberg http://www.Gutenberg.org
University of Virginia Library’s Electronic Text
Center http://etext.virginia.edu/ebooks
PROMOTING READING…
4. Online Games Based on Book Characters
1.
2.
Use children’s love of book characters not only
to build skills but also to promote literature and
reading
Sample sites:
•
•
•
Harper Collins
http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens
/Kids/GamesAndContests
Clifford the Big Red Dog
http://www.scholastic.com/Clifford
Dr. Seuss http://www.seussville.com
PROMOTING READING…
5. Reading Lists
1.
2.
Teacher or course reading lists, summer
reading lists, state reading lists (ex.
Virginia Young Readers, Battle of the
Books)
Sample site: Joyce Kilmer Elementary
School Media Center, Mahwah, NJ
http://www.mahwah.k12.nj.us/jk/mediac
enter/index.htm
PROMOTING READING…
6. Accelerated Reader/Reading
Counts Test Lists
1.
2.
Lists of books for which your school
has tests
Sample site: Indian Trail Middle School,
Johnson City, TN
http://www.jcschools.org/itms/LMC%20web
%20pages/QuizInfo.htm
PROMOTING READING…
7. Book Recommendations and
Reviews
1. Post student and teacher book reviews
2. Sample sites:
•
Western Albemarle High School, Crozet, VA
http://www.k12albemarle.org/westernalbemarle/library/Pa
ges/reading.html
•
Virtual Reading Room, Greece Athena Media Center,
Rochester, NY
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/ath/library/reading_room/de
fault.htm
PROMOTING READING…
8. Book Blogs
1. Students can interact with each
other to discuss a particular book
2. Sample site: Reading Rants and
Raves, Bookbreak! Berkley High
School, Berkley, MI
http://www.bookbreak.blogspot.com
PROMOTING READING…
9. PR for Reading Events
1.
2.
Publicize Book Fairs, author visits,
Children’s Book Week, Teen Read
Week, National Library Week
Sample site: Page Turners, Deep Run
High School, Glen Allen, VA
http://teachers.henrico.k12.va.us/deep
run/smith_c/Pageturners.html
PROMOTING READING…
10. Subscription Databases
1.
2.
Assists students in book choice when you
are not physically available
Sample sites:
• What Should I Read Next (Gale)
http://www.gale.com/pdf/facts/wdirn.p
df
• NoveList (EBSCO)
http://www.epnet.com/uploads/thisTop
ic-dbTopic-484.pdf
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
1. Subscription Databases
1. Provide links to databases to which your
school, district, or state provides access
2. Sample sites:
•
•
Agnor-Hurt Elementary School,
Charlottesville, VA
http://schoolcenter.k12albemarle.org/educatio
n/components/scrapbook/default.php?section
detailid=31819&sc_id=1137527636
Springfield Township Virtual Library,
Erdenheim, PA
http://mciu.org/%7Espjvweb/catalogs.html
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
2. Curriculum-Related Web Sites
1.
2.
Provide access to top-notch, preevaluated Web sites
Sample sites:
•
Fee:
•
•
•
Nettrekker http://www.nettrekker.com
Web Feet http://www.gale.com/webfeet
Free:
•
Paideia School, Atlanta, GA
http://www.paideiaschool.org/library/Recsites.htm#
websites
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
3. Pathfinders
1.
2.
Collaboratively create pathfinders with classroom
teachers and post them on the school library
Web site
Sample sites:
•
•
John Newbery Elementary School, Wenatchee, WA
http://nb.wsd.wednet.edu/lmc/pathfinders/pathfinder.h
tm
Springfield Township High School, Erdenheim, PA
http://mciu.org/%7Espjvweb/pathmenu.html
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
4. Information Literacy Skills
1.
2.
Offer general information literacy
instruction
Sample sites:
•
•
KidsClick! Worlds of Web Searching
http://www.rcls.org/wows/
21st Century Literacies
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/gradele
vel.html
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
5. Search Tools
1.
2.
Provide advice for choice and use of
search tools
Sample sites:
•
•
Information Literacy Search Strategies: Choose the
Best Search for Your Information Need
http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/infor
mation/5locate/adviceengine.html
Online Search Techniques, M. W. Bell Library,
Guilford Technical Community College
http://webster.gtcc.cc.nc.us/library/searchtechnique
s.html
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
6. Critical Evaluation of Web Sites
1.
2.
Provide guidance in how to critically
evaluate sites found on the Web
Sample sites:
•
•
QUICK: Quality Information Checklist
http://www.quick.org.uk/menu.htm
Loogootee Elementary West, Loogootee, IN
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/%7Ewest/online/ev
al.htm
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
7. Guidance Through the Research Process
1.
2.
Provide step-by-step guidance through the
research process
Sample sites:
•
•
•
How To Do Research, Kentucky Virtual Library
http://www.kyvl.org/html/tutorial/research/
Walter Reed Middle School Library, North Hollywood, CA
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Reed_MS/Library/research/r
esearch.html
Road Map to Research, Thomas Dale High School,
Chester, VA
http://chesterfield.k12.va.us/Schools/Dale_HS/library/Vir
tlib/media.htm
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
8. Citation Guidance
1.
2.
Provide assistance for students in citing
sources
Sample sites:
•
•
Nauset Public Schools, Orleans, MA
http://Nausetschools.org/research/works2.htm
Citation Style for Research Papers, B. Davis
Schwartz Memorial Library, Long Island
University, NY
http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/worksh
op/citation.htm
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
9. Connections to Other Libraries
1.
2.
Provide links to local public libraries,
nearby college and university libraries,
and your state library
Sample site: John Newbery Elementary
School Library, Wenatchee, WA
http://nb.wsd.wednet.edu/lmc/lmc_index
.html
SUPPORTING RESEARCH…
10. Virtual Reference Service
1.
2.
Consider providing a link to virtual
reference service
Sample sites:
•
•
Ask a Librarian, Greece Athena Media Center,
Rochester, NY
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/ath/library/askal
ibrarian/default.htm
IM a Librarian, Alexandrian Public Library, Mt.
Vernon, IN http://www.apl.lib.in.us/im.html
Information Power: Building
Partnerships for Learning
The mission of the library media
program is to ensure that students
and staff are lifelong readers and
effective users of ideas and
information.
Henrico County (VA) Public Schools
When your library goes
virtual…use your school
library Web page to
promote reading and
support research!
For more information, contact:
Audrey Church, Coordinator, School Library
Media Program, Longwood University, 201
High Street, Hull 232, Farmville, VA 23909
Phone: 434-395-2682
Email: churchap@longwood.edu
Web page:
http://www.longwood.edu/staff/achurch