7 ways using tech can boost your school library (sponsored)
A library management system
equips schools with fantastic tools to inspire a love of reading, writes Vicki
Harris
I’ve encountered some amazing school libraries throughout
my career, and for many of the most successful ones, technology plays a key
role in ensuring that they’re an exciting and relevant space for the whole
school.
While most school libraries have a library management
system (LMS), this can be used for so much more than borrowing and returning
books. Using it effectively raises the profile of the library, as well as
providing value for money for the school. At a minimum, a LMS such as
Reading Cloud should be used for a variety of functions.
1. Book of the Week
You can set it up at the beginning of term and each week
it will automatically change to the next book in the list. It keeps the front
page fresh but make sure to only select books that have a cover picture. Try
also to select topical books; for example, something with black history links
for Black History Month and Christmas-themed stories in December. It’s a great
way of promoting titles to students who you know would benefit from
reading them, but they may not go looking for.
- Word of the Day and Fact of the Day
These can be automatically generated, or you can add your
own. If you only want to use the automatically generated words, make sure that
all the teachers in school know about the tool so that they can utilise it,
too.
2. Reviews
In the online world, everything is about scores and
reviews, and books are no different. So take some time to set up the review
area of your LMS. Reviews are a
great motivator for pupils and help to promote new books to the rest of the
school. When it comes to publicising the reviews function, I’ve seen some
schools start with a small group such as a book club or class; others just tell
children it’s available and let them use it as and when they choose. Some have
all children reviewing their books through Reading Cloud instead of using their
home-link books. Most LMS’ allow you to select a Star Review, which
appears on the front page.
3. Blogging
As a school starts utilising the LMS in these ways, staff
and students become inspired to start exploring the LMS deeper, and one
area to try to capture students’ interest in the Reading Cloud is through
blogging. A blogging platform provides a great way for young people to
discuss books, reading, literature and anything related to these
topics. I’m always delighted to see them write enthusiastically about the
books they are reading, the links to films or TV, and authors who have written
for TV or film. The blogging tool is easy to use and can be monitored by
staff in school, and the results show when pupils search for books so it’s a
worthwhile resource to introduce as it provides peer ideas and opinions
alongside website and book results.
4. Ebooks
A good ebook service will not be free. Authors and
publishers need to earn money, so consumers need to pay. You need to look at
the ebooks you provide as resources and promote and monitor them exactly as you
do print books. Shared collections reduce the cost and increase the collection
size. When I worked for Hampshire School Library Service, we introduced a
shared collection service to all secondary schools, and Reading Cloud itself
features an additional service that provides ebooks to schools as part of a
shared collection. Many of your colleagues may already be using ebooks, so
speak with staff within the school as they can add to the catalogue or may have
ideas of what they would want the library to provide. Remember to check the
licensing. You wouldn’t loan an illegal copy of a book, so don’t do it with
ebooks.
Introducing ebooks into the library is a major project
and takes time to embed. Many schools I’ve worked with have told me that
setting up the system is the easy part, getting the pupils to use it and
monitoring use is tough.
When the system is set up, you are going to have to
promote it, to both pupils and staff. Your target should be those who don’t use
the library. I have worked with schools who trialled it with their IT Club –
these children like using tech already and linking in with reading can be a real
bonus. One of the greatest advantages of ebooks is that they can be borrowed
from school at any time.
5. Apps/websites
Libraries have long been information providers but they
need to stay relevant. Linking with the IT department can help to ensure that
the library remains up to date and is included in future IT projects.
Pupils primarily reach for the internet for their
research – use this to the advantage of the library. If you’re using Reading
Cloud, you have at least 5,000 websites available, and you can add any extras
that your school uses, such as local history sites. Ensure teachers know that
they can add sites to the catalogue for their topics.
Do the same with apps. Ask the IT department which apps
are being used in the school, promote these in the library and add the details
to the catalogue. Ask the pupils which apps they are using for schoolwork and
investigate these. Catalogue the good ones and promote them in the library and
on the library website.
6. A 24/7 library service
In a world where everyone expects an instant response,
the library can seem like an old-fashioned space with opening times and solid
doors, but here, again, technology can help. Put your catalogue online and your
library can be open 24/7, allowing pupils to search websites and reserve books,
as well as post reviews, “like” their favourite books and send messages to the
librarian. The recommended reads area on the front page will give the pupils
access to new ideas even when there aren't adults to help. Setting this up is a
one-off simple process.
Within school there will be a wealth of reading lists for
subjects, year groups, specific areas of interest. The LMS can pull these
altogether in one place by using the Reading List functionality where lists of
books can be tagged to specific pupils, groups or subjects. Lots of
schools have this information on their school website and by using Reading
Cloud you can ensure the lists are targeted to the correct pupils.
7. Evidence
When the library system is used comprehensively, it
becomes much more than a circulation tool; it’s a database full of useful data
that can be used to provide evidence to report on how reading and the library
impacts on day-to-day school life. Reports on individual students and groups of
students can be extracted from the system, which is useful for reporting to
parents or to provide evidence on how funds allocated to the library or buying
books has impacted on pupil reading.
If you want to promote the library to students, it’s
essential you make it a space that’s relevant and provides links with the
online world. It must provide a place that the children love to visit, to find
new facts and immerse themselves in fiction. Technology isn’t something to
fear; instead it can be a librarian’s friend.
Source | https://www.tes.com/news/7-ways-using-tech-can-boost-your-school-library-sponsored
Regards
Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library & Information Science (NET Qualified)
Research Scholar (IGNOU)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
Mobile @ 9665911593
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