by Karla Collins, May 2016

I am a reader. I am comfortable walking into a new library and navigating my way to find what I am looking for. When I need help, I know who to ask and I am not afraid to approach someone who works there with my questions. I am in my element and feel completely comfortable in this world.

I am not an athlete. I am uncomfortable walking into a gym and I have no idea where to start once I talk myself through the doors. I do not know what to do or who to ask for help. I am out of my element and I feel like the spotlight is on me—the neon sign is flashing, telling everyone that I do not belong in this world.

As librarians, we need to remember that many in our school populations—students and adults alike—feel as out of place in the library as I feel in a gym. We have the ability to remedy this, but the first hurdle lies in overcoming the barriers that might be in the way of making every individual feel like the library is a safe and comfortable environment.

What Is Differentiation?

In Differentiation in Practice, Carol Tomlinson and Caroline Eidson define differentiation as "a systematic approach to planning curriculum and instruction for academically diverse learners. It is a way of thinking about the classroom with the dual goals of honoring each student's learning needs and maximizing each student's learning capacity" (2003, 3). They suggest the need to differentiate instruction in three areas: content, process, and product. In a library, differentiation also implies that the learning environment and library space need to be barrier-free for all who enter. Let's take a closer look at designing a barrier-free library environment.

Who Are Your Patrons?

In order to successfully set up your library space and instruction to be accessible to all, you first need to know your community. Take a look at your school demographics. Talk to the guidance counselors about the diversity in your population. Get in your car and drive through the neighborhoods served by your school. I used to do this every year with my student teachers. Like many suburban communities, our school population was made up of a mix of socioeconomic levels but the difference was not always evident by simply looking around the school. It was eye-opening for the student teachers to ride through the neighborhoods and see the vast difference between communities of children who attended our school. As we drove, we talked about the various needs and challenges of children in the particular neighborhoods. I strategically planned our trip so we would go from a gated community to a lower income community to highlight the unique qualities and differences of each area. When we encountered former students, I stopped to talk and introduce the student teacher and make that all important human connection. As you are touring your area, make a note of each neighborhood and its unique qualities. Also note how you felt as you drove through the community. You might be surprised at what you find.

When you return to your library after your tour, take the time to walk through the library space as if you were a child and a parent from the neighborhoods you visited. Use the notes you took to help put yourself in the place of someone from that community. What does your library have to offer to each group? Is your space inviting to families who might stop in the school? What about those families or parents who do not come into the school? How can your library reach out to them? Consider the local resources as well. For many areas, your school library might be the only opportunity for families to access library materials easily. What can you do in your library to make your resources accessible to all?

Once you have looked at your larger school community, take a close look at the needs of your individual students. For some, this might be a tricky endeavor. Schools have varying practices related to sharing student information with educators other than the classroom teachers. Advocate for the students! As the school librarian who works with every student in the school, it is imperative that you have access to information related to the needs of every student. Begin by talking to the classroom teacher. Attend a team or grade level meeting at the beginning of the year and share the importance of you knowing about special needs so you can best serve the students and help the teachers. Create a simple survey using an online survey tool (Google forms, etc.) that will tally and organize the results for you. Ask the teachers some simple questions:

• Are there students in your classroom:
  • With special education plans?
  • Who are identified as gifted?
  • With physical disabilities?
  • With medical concerns?
• What are the unique characteristics that describe your group of students?

Once you have this basic information, you can do more research by talking to educational and support specialists in the building. Talk to the special education teacher, the school nurse, the guidance counselors, and the reading specialist. Armed with this information, you will be better equipped to design your environment and instruction to meet the needs of all learners.

What Does Your Library Instruction Look Like?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a concept developed from the idea of universal design in architecture. Universal design is what gives us ramps cut into a sidewalk. Designed for wheelchair accessibility, we all use the ramps when pulling a cart of books or pushing a stroller. This one design feature makes the sidewalk easily accessible for a wide variety of sidewalk users, not just those in wheelchairs. UDL applies the same concept to instruction, similar to Tomlinson's definition of differentiated instruction.

When designing your library instruction, consider how you could make the lesson accessible to everyone, thus differentiating your instruction from the very beginning. When a student comes into your library with a need that you were not aware of, have an adaptation ready for them. A good example of this is story time for kindergarteners. We know that five- and six-year olds need to move and we plan our story times to include movement whenever we can. If you design the activity considering accessibility, you will have options when a student comes in on crutches. You might have some simple rhythm instruments at the ready just for this occasion. The child who cannot get up and move can sit and use the instruments to help keep the beat as the other students are dancing.

As you design your instruction, you must remember that not all students in your school come to you with the same background knowledge. You need to plan in advance to ensure that all students understand the information presented. A former principal once shared a story about an elementary school student who could not spell the word "silo." The teacher tried everything, but it would not stick in this young boy's brain. Finally, the teacher showed the boy a picture of a silo and explained what it was for and that it was common to see on a farm. Once the boy made that connection, he spelled the word correctly. He was missing the background knowledge needed to make the connection to the learning. As we design library instruction, we need to think of ways to make that important connection. Come up with a variety of strategies to see a potentially new concept from different viewpoints.

One area where this is important to library instruction is in research. It is easy for us to forget that not all our students are as comfortable with the process as we are. So we must stop and consider the smaller skills that go into the research process. This is the background knowledge that students must have in order to be successful and comfortable in the research process. Start small—keywords, locating resources, using an index, etc. As you are planning, identify those background skills and ensure they are in place before setting the class loose on a larger research project.

What about Your Collection?

Your library collection should not only reflect the community you serve but it should also be a window into the world. Think back to your community analysis and the variety of cultures and unique groups included in your community. Look for materials to include in your collection that show these students in a culturally relevant way. Examine older materials and check for biases and stereotypes that might present a negative image of specific groups and search for current and relevant replacements for these. This would be a perfect opportunity to include some parents and employees in your selection process. Is there a teacher or family with some knowledge or experience with a religion or culture other than your own? Invite these people to make suggestions or to preview materials that you are considering. Librarians cannot be subject matter experts on every topic and this is a great chance to collaborate and expand your connections with others.

Consider the diversity of formats available in your collection to reach a variety of learning styles. We often hear that today's learners like to read books online but not all learners access information or read for enjoyment in the same way. For example, some students with dyslexia find ebooks easier to read because they can manipulate the size of the text while others may find reading a print book or an ebook equally challenging. Including audio books in your collection allows auditory learners to access information and removes a barrier for some learners. I suggest starting your audio collection by adding titles that are required reading in the classroom. This is another example of how making a simple change with one group in mind can benefit many others in the school community.

As you are considering the unique populations in your school community, think about more than socioeconomic status and race. Also consider disabilities and exceptionalities. Marvel Comics has included deaf characters in their comic books. Echo in the Daredevil series is Native American and deaf. There are a few picture books that show and tell about children with color vision deficiencies. These books give a point for starting discussions about differences in people, even when those differences are not clear when we look at the person. These books not only allow the child dealing with the situation to see himself but also give others a glimpse into someone else's life and experiences.

One of the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) Common Beliefs states, "Equitable access is a key component to education." This does not just refer to physical access to materials but also equitable access to relevant material for everyone. Go back to your community analysis and consider your collection as you did your library space. Be sure to consider your community in a variety of ways—grade levels, interests, neighborhoods, extra-curricular activities, local community, gender, etc. Remember, diversity includes everyone. We cannot consider a diverse community without considering all aspects of the community.

The school library is a special place. Therefore, as managers of this special place we must go that extra step to be sure all are comfortable walking through the doors. Start by opening the doors and welcoming everyone. Get out from behind the desk and talk to the people. Go out of the library and invite people to come in. Make connections where you can by being part of the whole school environment. Attend events outside of the library and cheer on the students in their school and community activities. Celebrate successes and accomplishments within and outside of your school. Let them know you care, and don't be afraid to let them know when you are outside of your comfort zone. Nothing makes my heart smile more than a quick glance around a high school library where I can quickly identify students from all walks of life relaxing and comfortable in the same library space—a special place for all.

Works Cited:

Standards for the 21st Century Learner. American Association of School Librarians, 2007.

Tomlinson, Carol A., and Caroline Cunningham Eidson. Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum, Grades 5-9. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003. eBook Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed January 5, 2016).