Rising Above and Beyond: Learning from the Challenge of COVID-19
Feature
When we began to write an article defining steps for creating a school library program grounded in the belief that all students can achieve, COVID-19 was not yet the nightly news story or even in our vocabulary. How quickly the world changed! Worldwide, as teachers and students left their classrooms, we thought it was precautionary and temporary. Temporary stretched into months. As schools have resumed, classroom and school library instruction looks very different from state to state. Physical space has morphed to include remote learning, hybrid learning, limited face-to-face instruction, and, in some places, teaching in tents or outdoors. In many districts the library has been shuttered and the librarian has been assigned to teaching from a cart in classrooms or even reassigned to classroom teaching.
We have had to rethink what students need to achieve academically and to thrive and grow socially and emotionally. Everyone's reality is different—and changing. We urge librarians to reassess the school library program. Reorder priorities in a way that makes sense for each unique situation, continuing to create a viable library program where the librarian maintains an active and visible role within the school community whether learning is remote, in person, or a combination of the two.
We have had to rethink what students need to achieve academically and to thrive and grow socially and emotionally.
What actions can you, the school librarian, take in this time of uncertainty? For starters, be sure to meet (virtually or in person) with your principal. Inform them of the services you can—and are—providing to the school community. It is imperative now, more than ever, to reach out and communicate, communicate, communicate constantly with your teaching staff.
Continue to add to and perfect your pandemic adaptations, take time to revisit what you may have had to set aside temporarily, and use what you've learned to improve your practice.
In many instances your access to students has been through the classroom teachers, and they need your support now more than ever. The digital resources you talked about for years suddenly became of interest—and of critical use to them. Additionally, many teachers have needed assistance in using technology tools to deliver online instruction.
Review the curriculum. Ask teachers, "What do you need?" to guide you in curating relevant resources for their classrooms. Don't forget to make outreach to parents; they are helping their children learn at home. Using the school library's resources can provide a lifeline.
As a teaching librarian you possess a solid set of instructional skills. With little time for preparation, teachers across the country were asked to instruct students in a virtual environment. Now is the time to really hone your technology skills, and as you teach students virtually, seek ways to actively engage them. Plan lessons for active (not passive) learning, rethink strategies that worked in the face-to-face environment and adapt them to virtual learning. You have already successfully taught students.
This is the time to dig into your teaching toolbox and adapt your best strategies and skills to the virtual environment. In the virtual environment, you may need to slow down the pace of your instruction. As you begin an online lesson, take a breath, project a calm and confident appearance, relax, and smile. Greet students individually and use an activator to involve them from the lesson's start. Be sure the students can see you—and you can see them. If possible, build time for breakout groups into your instruction for students to engage with one another.
Virtual formative assessment can be a challenge but is necessary to gauge student involvement and their understanding of what you have taught. Articles on the topic are now available from Edutopia, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) newsletters, EdWeb webinars, and the subscription-based Teaching Channel. These are just some resources for new ideas to try as you deepen your instructional skills to meet the challenge of the virtual environment.
AASL's National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries are comprehensive. You can't teach them all. Be realistic. Hone in on what is essential and most important to teach. Identify common elements in the AASL standards, your state standards (if applicable), and the school curriculum and prioritize. Educating students to formulate questions, distinguish fact from opinion, and assess the reliability of information sources continues to be essential. Possessing these skills is key to successful research and becoming critical consumers—and users—of information. Give yourself permission to be reasonable about what you can successfully do. If you haven't seen them already, AASL has developed standards for the School Librarian's Role in Pandemic Learning Conditions (http://www.ala.org/aasl/about/pandemic). These can help guide you in taking actions to be visible and active in these challenging times and successfully add value to the school librarian's role.
When physical access for students is limited, it is the library website that will draw your patrons in and keep them returning for research and reading. Be sure you've analyzed the website. How accessible is it for all students, parents, and teachers for important "one–stop, problem-solving shopping?" Make it easy to access your collection and databases. Review the website's organizational design for ADA compliance. Posting some links is not enough. Your website is a tool. Conduct outreach through virtual reader's advisory and virtual book talks. Develop resources, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides that enable the user to independently access your virtual library.
Your online catalog is the entry point to your school library collection and its wealth of resources. Can your patrons easily enter the library collection through remote access? If not, what steps can you take to open the door for them to gain entry to the full capabilities of the online catalog? School librarians need to actively teach students and staff how to fully access the online catalog's range of features. Be sure they can perform basic and advanced search strategies, place titles on hold, renew titles, and create personal reading lists. Adding easy-to-find "how-to's" and video podcasts to your library webpage reinforces your instruction and enables your school community to independently navigate the online catalog.
As librarians return to their facilities, they need to consider the physical layout regarding social distancing and other pandemic guidelines. You also need to review and rethink your circulation policies and procedures. Due dates, check-ins, checkouts, delivering patron requested materials, and re-shelving may be affected by the need for quarantine time. A holding area may need to be established for returned materials to be wiped down. For guidance, consult with the local public library staff and reference the latest guidelines from the CDC. There's also the issue of lost books and other impacts resulting from being closed for a long period of time.
Work with your school administrators as you adapt and develop new policies to place books in the hands of kids. What's important is the act of reading itself. Keeping children interested and actively reading with access to books they want to read, print and digital alike, will increase their reading ability.
Be sure to take inventory of your eBook collection and continue to consider what you have and what you need. For some school libraries, their eBook collection has been the primary source of information and pleasure reading for the school community. Is your digital book collection balanced between fiction and nonfiction for pleasure reading and titles that correlate with the classroom curriculum? Epic! is a popular source of free eBooks for students and there are other free and subscription eBook resources as well. Before signing up, be sure to check the privacy statement for COPPA compliance. Cooperation with the public library is key to expanding the resources you can make available to students and teachers. If you haven't reached out to the public library before, start now by contacting the young adult and children's room staff. Put your heads together to see how you can support one another and expand access to resources for your school community.
Don't lose sight of diversity. Even if you're not physically present in your library facility, you can still conduct a diversity audit of your catalog. Evaluate titles, defining critical areas in which to reflect your community and the diverse range of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disabilities in your collection.
In today's "new normal" the school library is not limited by walls. You need to get this message out to students, parents, and teachers so that they know the school library—and what the school librarian can do—is not limited to a physical space. Enable them to use the full breadth of the school library's resources.
One thing is certain: in the pandemic, kids have missed their friends and the daily interactions that naturally occur during the school day. You, as the school librarian, can be a facilitator. Students need to feel safe, and how you help students feel safe and secure as schools move forward is important. If you haven't done so already, start an online book club. Invite students to participate. Creating a space where students can feel they are part of a group, able to make friends, and interact with each other can go a long way in fulfilling the basic need to belong. Students need to feel emotionally and physically safe before they can achieve academically. Even in a virtual environment, you as the school librarian can create a space for students to interact and actively engage with each other, decreasing feelings of "aloneness" and increasing the likelihood of academic achievement.
Creating a space where students can feel they are part of a group, able to make friends, and interact with each other can go a long way in fulfilling the basic need to belong.
Collaborate with classroom teachers to develop research groups and assign research buddies together so that all students feel supported. Identify the most vulnerable students and make individual outreach. If your district allows, reach out through virtual chat, email, or even a phone call. What you can do will vary by school district. The important thing, as an educator and school librarian, is to make the effort to reach out.
The impact of the pandemic is real for all of us, but especially for children, many of whom continue to struggle with feelings of isolation, separation, and fear. In minority communities that have borne the heaviest burden of COVID-19, social and emotional support for children is one of the most important priorities we can have. Providing social and emotional support for all children is important, but most especially for students at risk for struggling academically.
We've been leading our school library programs through uncharted territory. Teaching remotely is a skill that needs to be developed and maintained, so consider focusing your professional development efforts on this theme. Remember: you are not alone. Throughout the country your colleagues have also been struggling with how to navigate the new educational landscape. Start locally and connect with other school librarians within your district and the public library staff. You can be a source of support for each other. Your state and national professional associations are resources as well, providing advice, professional development, and sharing innovative approaches that are being tried across the country. Connect on social media. For example, the Facebook group School Librarian's Workshop is a source of ideas and collective wisdom.
Connections to your professional communities will help you find resources and support through challenging times. Don't forget the importance of maintaining your physical and emotional health. Exercise and eat nutritious meals. Get a good night's sleep. Maintain connections to friends and family. Communicate with others for inspiration, problem-solving, and day to day support. Being mindful of your personal and professional needs as a school librarian will sustain you as you revitalize and sustain your school library program.
About the Authors
She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Bridgewater State College and her doctorate from Boston University. She is a contributor to Intellectual Freedom Issues in School Libraries (Libraries Unlimited, 2021) and co-author of A Strategic Planning Guide for School Library Media Centers (Scarecrow Press, 2002).
She has been president of the New England Educational Media Association, recording secretary and member of the executive board and of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and past member of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (Mass CUE). In addition, Dr. Zilonis has presented at state and national conferences on library science, technology, and education.
In 2002, she was awarded the Mass CUE Pathfinder Award, and in 2005, she was a recipient of a Massachusetts School Library Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
MLA Citation
Swerling, Chris, and Mary Frances Zilonis. "Rising Above and Beyond: Learning from the Challenge of COVID-19." School Library Connection, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/2262953.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/content/article/2262953
Entry ID: 2262953