Student Voice in the Library
Course
Restraints [9:44]
As a school librarian, there are many times that each of us has this amazing idea for a program, a concept, something that we're going to implement. But then, reality kicks in because we don't have control over everything.
We are working in a school or as part of a larger community that has schedules, bells, lunches, and buses, all of those things that drive the flow of the day. We also within the library, have things that we need to work around. We have staffing issues. We have fixed schedules and flexible schedules. No matter what environment we're working on, there are going to be restraints. I know the word restraint sometimes takes on a negative tone, but if we think about those as challenges that we need to overcome, then it can be something that we can work with.
As a school librarian who's thinking about adding a student work program, before you do it, you have to be very realistic about what your obstacles are, what your challenges are, what your restraints are. I would probably recommend or, this is what I've done, is say to yourself "This is the big picture program I'd like to implement, embed, make happen through my library. These are the things, the obstacles, the restraints that I have to work with." You may have some control over making shifts or perhaps you just have to work with what is part of your existing program. If you are thinking about starting a student work program, a group of volunteers, a tech team, an iStaff, whatever it is you're thinking of adding, you need to think about the reality of what's going to make that successful.
First, you have to think about the considerations for evaluating if it will be sustainable. Don't bite off more than you can chew, think about what is going to work within the confines of how your library program is set up. Keep in mind there's no one size fits all model for a school student work program. You might think about having four students who come in the morning to help and maybe that's all that works for you or maybe you have a student who comes every third period every other day. Maybe you have students who come throughout the day.
Every school is going to have a different setup, so to talk to other people and get ideas is beneficial, but as you hear other ideas from other schools, just remind yourself that not any one formula is going to work for every school library. You have to honestly look at your space. Look at the facility, look at the physical space and think about what is going to work with having an extra group of students or student who are coming in to become part of your team.
Maybe there's a designated area that would work for them, maybe you're confined to a very small space and having an extra group or individuals coming in, even if their intentions are to help, maybe that's going to be more troublesome than it is helpful. Think about your schedule, perhaps your schedule allows you to or dictates that you're out of the library a lot. Maybe you deliver a lot of your instruction or collaboration in classrooms.
Maybe the library is not supervised when you're there. That needs to be a serious consideration when you're thinking about whether or not to add a student volunteer program in your library. Is the library open access, is it available as soon as school starts and until the day ends? That would be great and especially if there's supervision based on the support staff that you have available. That's an opportunity that might not exist for everybody, but if it does, you can take an honest look at that schedule and see how adding a student work program would align with the bigger picture.
Fixed versus flexible, we hear those words in library land all the time. You may have a fixed schedule which may be a perfect opportunity for you to schedule a student work program because you can predict what your day and days are going to look like. Other times, maybe your fixed schedule will prohibit you having extra students who are coming to join you to be a part of that team.
A flexible schedule, again, it offers opportunities and challenges. Maybe it'll be great because you have a chance to have students come in during those open access times or maybe it's more difficult because you're thinking, wait a minute, I have open access time today but not tomorrow but maybe not next week and so on. Just taking an honest look about the infrastructure if you will and say to yourself, "what's going to fit in here and what is going to be more troublesome?" You have to be realistic about it.
Think about downtimes in your day. I know there's really no down times for us a librarian or a teacher in a school, but maybe there are times where students have a little flexibility in their schedule. Maybe some students have, before school starts maybe 10 or 15 minutes or maybe after school. Maybe there's lunch periods that allow students to go to different locations. Maybe there's a peer support period or maybe different opportunities that are built into the school schedule that would allow students to be available to work in the library.
You have to always remember your availability. Again, I can't imagine there's a school librarian out there who ever has a lot of free time, but you have to look at what time would work for you to adjust your schedule to work with students or to be a part of facilitating a group of students who are working in the library.
Think of the culture of the building. Think of the grade levels that you serve. Think of your actual library program. Make some decisions about the big picture. Is this something that is going to be a nice addition to the school culture? Is this going to be something that's going to be viewed as troublesome or counterproductive? You really need to assess the big picture of your school before you bite off a program or start a program that is going to impact students and where they're coming from and going to. It doesn't mean it can't happen, but it just means that before you jump into something that's a little overwhelming, get a sense of what's going on in the entire building.
Also, are you new? Is this an entirely new shift for the school? Does it mean that a shift is a bad thing? You still need to look at the existing culture and past practices and best practices and make sure you're making transitions that are healthy and in alignment with what is expected and needed in the school. Maybe it was done before and maybe the way it was done before needed some shifting. Maybe you need to tone that program down, maybe you need to restructure it. Those are decisions that you just need to be honest with before you get into something that you can't manage well.
Think about before you have a student work program, does this concept of students coming at maybe various times during the day, or the week, or whatever you determine, does it align with the mission and vision of your library? Are there opportunities there for this a valuable experience for students? As busy as libraries are and librarians are, you certainly don't want to create a program that's just going to encourage an unstructured opportunity for more kids just to be hanging around without any specific purpose. It doesn't matter what age, that is almost always counterproductive. Consider the times that students are going to work, what kind of supervision is available.
Those are all things that I know some of those things we mention in a couple ways but I've had fellow librarians who've started things and then they got in over their head and then the program started to take on a negative reputation. Then it took a while to rebuild that again. Before you say something like, "oh you know what, on Tuesdays, I'm going to have 50 kids come in and volunteer their time." Be realistic. Is that going to work? Is that something you can manage, facilitate, support? If the answer is no, then the timing might not be right for that, or you may need to readjust your plans for a student volunteer program.
There's non-negotiables in our schedules. In the school and in your schedule and things that just can't be adjusted. Those need to be considered as well. The moral of the story is, like any program, try new things, challenge yourself, look at the challenges around you, the restraints, the obstacles, which ones are worth trying to overcome and which ones maybe the timing isn't right. Sometimes we have to try new things, other times we have to back off a little bit until we have some a lot of the concepts ironed out a little more but certainly try and challenge yourself to find out a way to look at what you have and embed student leadership into a work program through the library. I wish you good luck because if you can make it work you're really going to find incredibly valuable.
This lesson offers numerous, specific and helpful considerations for implementing a program with student workers. (Pro tip: Many of these useful questions could easily be applied to any program that you are thinking of adding or updating!) First, be mindful of the rather broad goals of (1) developing a source of support and help for the library and (2) providing a sense of value, voice, and tangible contributions for students. Always keeping these goals in sight, we narrow in for this exercise and consider the range of practical factors from schedule to culture to space, that might allow or restrict your student program.
1. As Kowalski describes, student work activities may vary from individual students' stopping by a couple times a week to a group of students working in scheduled shifts or on special projects, with lots of variations in between. Using the considerations suggested in this lesson as a starting point, create a table, list or other outline of possible scenarios for a new student worker program (or perhaps an update to a program already in place). We addressed the "why" in Lesson 1; here, include ideas for tasks (the "what") and options for having students help you (the "when" and "how").
2. Next, even if this bursts the bubble a little, think about or write down some of the less positive outcomes or potential complications of a student helper program. For example, Kowalski notes as possible concerns the management of a large group of students and scheduling.
3. Review your lists. Reflect on the picture of opportunities and concerns for your school setting.
SAMPLE LIST OF MIDDLE SCHOOL TASKS—WHAT Existing Tasks
- Put up/take down rotating displays in library and school lobby
- Write student book reviews and create book trailers
- Make digital posters to promote new books
- Deliver/pick up equipment to teachers as needed
- Manage tech/media equipment (batteries, charging, cords, etc.)
- Reshelve returned books; straighten and maintain shelves
- Gather sets of books and resources as requested by teachers
- Process periodicals
- Special projects, e.g., arrange space and furniture, set up video chats, welcome special guests
New Tasks
- Tech support to peers and teachers; experts in apps, tools, equipment
- Makerspace volunteers: manage equipment, organize or restock materials, set up projects, clean up
- Create sample projects or app/materials how-to's for classes, makerspace challenges, teachers
- Lead student-driven clubs or activities from the library (e.g., coding, crafts, etc.)
- Students' ideas and suggestions
SAMPLE LIST OF MIDDLE SCHOOL HELP SCENARIOS—WHEN AND HOW When
- Before homeroom
- Tutorial periods (study/homework time)
- Activity period (or similar exploratory time, service learning time)
- End of lunch
- During bus dismissal, especially last round of bus pick-ups and students with after school activities
How
- For activities needing guidance—would have to coincide with non-teaching times (before or after school; librarian prep period)
- For self-directed activities—depending on space available/required, could coincide with library class time
- Format—Individual, partner, group or team tasks
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Student Voice in the Library: Reality Check." School Library Connection, October 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2078597?learningModuleId=2078594&topicCenterId=2252405.
Entry ID: 2142763
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Kowalski, Susan. "Student Voice in the Library. Restraints [9:44]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, December 2017, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2078597?learningModuleId=2078594&topicCenterId=2252405.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2078597?learningModuleId=2078594&topicCenterId=2252405
Entry ID: 2078597