"...the librarian as the 'coordinator,' 'facilitator,' and 'connector'..."
~Various Students (as reported by V. Harada)
Harada (2015) reflects about student perceptions of the librarian in a learning commons, noting that “[t]he students frequently singled out the school librarian as the ‘coordinator,’ ‘facilitator,’ and ‘connector’ helping them to identify potential project mentors in the larger community.” This illustrates a twist to the idea of a curated collection. The TL holds an essential role in helping to build relationships between people in the community. Just as the TL may recommend various books to certain readers, the TL can also support learners in their search for human resources, such as
Coordinating the learning commons increases the TL’s utility to the learning community. Weinstock’s (2010) interviews show that in the information age, librarians are needed because “deal[ing] with the different challenges brought by encountering so much information” can be overwhelming for patrons. Teacher Librarians are uniquely qualified to help patrons learn strategies for wading through the seemingly unlimited supply of information available on any given topic.
The Google Sheet below lists a few examples of human resources that can be "curated" in the LC. The first five rows are a "protected range" that can only be edited by the owner of the document, but everything else is publicly editable.
- Mentors
- Formal
- Informal
- Formal
- Guest Presenters
- Experts “for Rent”
Coordinating the learning commons increases the TL’s utility to the learning community. Weinstock’s (2010) interviews show that in the information age, librarians are needed because “deal[ing] with the different challenges brought by encountering so much information” can be overwhelming for patrons. Teacher Librarians are uniquely qualified to help patrons learn strategies for wading through the seemingly unlimited supply of information available on any given topic.
The Google Sheet below lists a few examples of human resources that can be "curated" in the LC. The first five rows are a "protected range" that can only be edited by the owner of the document, but everything else is publicly editable.
References
Harada, V. H. (2015). At the Core of the Commons. Teacher Librarian, 43(2), 8-11.
Loertscher, D. & Koechlin, C.. (2015). Coteaching and the Learning Commons. Teacher Librarian, 43(2), 12-16.
Reierson, K. & Davies, L. (2012, February 23). What is a learning commons, anyway? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://aslc.ca/blog/what-is-a-learning-commons-anyway
Weinstock, J. (2010). Turning the Page. Education Digest, 76(4), 12-18.
Loertscher, D. & Koechlin, C.. (2015). Coteaching and the Learning Commons. Teacher Librarian, 43(2), 12-16.
Reierson, K. & Davies, L. (2012, February 23). What is a learning commons, anyway? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://aslc.ca/blog/what-is-a-learning-commons-anyway
Weinstock, J. (2010). Turning the Page. Education Digest, 76(4), 12-18.