Regional Conference on School Librarianship Bacolod City, Philippines April 26-27, 2012

1. Regional Conference on School LibrarianshipBacolod City, PhilippinesApril 26-27, 2012 The Future of School Libraries: Where do we go from here? Diljit Singh President, International Association of School Librarianship

2. Before I begin • Thank you for inviting me • Thank you to organizers for arranging this seminar, and congratulations for a job well done • Congratulations to all participants for attending the seminar; two days of learning and exchanging ideas

3. Our children are our future; we need to invest in them • School libraries are important for their success • School libraries are facing challenges. What is their future? • You can help shape their future

4. Outline of Presentation • The need to invest in our children • Role of school libraries in education • The future of school libraries • The need for action by all

5. Our children are our future (Pictures taken from various sources on the Internet )

6. Our children are our future One of them is going to become the leader of the country

7. Our children are our future

8. Our children are our future Some of them are going to become professionals in the country

9. Our children are our future

10. Our children are our future Most of them are going to become the workforce in the country

11. Our children are our future

12. Our children are our future All of them are going to need an education to be successful

13. Our children are our future

14. Our children are our future • We have an opportunity to prepare them for the future • Their knowledge, skills and attitudes will affect their peers, and us • We have an opportunity to create a better future for them, and for ourselves

15. Our children are our future We need to provide them with the best possible education for their future, and ours

16. The Future The future will be very different from today

17. The future will be very different from today

18. The future will be very different from today

19. The future will be information intensive

20. The future will be information intensive

21. The future will be information intensive New products and services come about through research and development But research and development requires education and information

22. Need to invest in education

23. Education • Education is important for success in life • Education in school is only the foundation; need to continue learning for life (L4L) • Education in 21st century is different from the 20th century

24. Need to invest in education Education is more than school buildings and teachers Education = school building + teachers + policies + curriculum + textbooks + ………. + ………. + ………. + ………. + ………. + ………. + ……….

25. Education Education for 21st century is different

26. Yesterday 3 Rs Reading WRiting ARithmetic Today 3Rs + 4Cs Reading WRiting ARithmetic Education

27. Education

28. School library is an integral part of education Education = school building + teachers + policies + curriculum + textbooks + ………. + ………. + school library+ + ………. + ………. + ……….

29. School library is an integral part of education • School library – the foundation for success in an information society • Information comes from many sources • Develop information literacy  Transliteracy = the ability to read, write and interact across many platforms, tools, and media

30. School library is an integral part of education • School library = resources + services • School libraries are changing • Learn to read  read to learn • Information literacy  Transliteracy • School libraries contribute to student achievement

31. School library is an integral part of education • Important component of school library is librarian (teacher-librarian, media specialist, information professional, … )

32. School library is an integral part of education • But school libraries are facing challenges • Perceptions • Support and funding • Human resources • Collaboration • Management • Technology • … • …

33. The Future of School Libraries What is the future of school libraries?

34. The Future of School Libraries OR

35. The Future of School Libraries What is the future of society?

36. The Future of School Libraries OR

37. The Future of School Libraries Will we still need school libraries? Will we still need school buildings with teachers? Those who want to learn can do it online The world will be run by a very small number of people, no more than 10, who will control the massive computer and electronic transmissions, and the rest of the world will either build highways or join the army Kurt Vonnegut.

38. The Future of School Libraries What is a school library? The school’s physical and virtual information-to-knowledge commons where literacy, inquiry, thinking, imagination, discovery, and creativity are central to students’ learning in all curriculum areas Ross Todd School Libraries and Learning: What are the challenges?

39. The Future of School Libraries • What is a school library? • The school library provides physical and intellectual access to the resources and services required for learning in a nurturing environment. Teacher librarians collaborate with others to provide access to resources and instruction in developing the essential learning skills needed for education • A school library is not just defined by its physical features, but also by what it does

40. The Future of School Libraries The school library does not exist alone It is affected by social political economic, and technical changes School libraries must change

41. The Future of School Libraries • What changes took place in the 20th century? • Electrification • Transport (land, air, space) • Electronics and computers • Women’s vote • Immunizations • Safer and healthier foods • Political conflicts and wars • Population growth and migration • New media • … … …

42. The Future of School Libraries • What changes can we expect to see in the 21st century? • Aging population • Conflicts, combat and peacekeeping • Cultural diversity vs. ethnicity • Digital technology • Economic rises and falls • Globalization – economic, health, environment • Movement, migration, refugees, • Sustainable development • … … … Christopher Spencer (2011). Global Issues of the Twenty-First Century and United Nations Challenges

43. The Future of School Libraries • We need to prepare for this increasingly diverse, globalized, complex, dynamic world • We need to prepare our students, and ourselves • Students need to be able to communicate, function and create change personally, socially, economically and politically at the local, national and international levels • We need a new paradigm for education, including perhaps a redefinition of “school”, “teacher”, “learner”, “curriculum“, … …

44. The Future of School Libraries • Changes are taking place in the world • We cannot be doing things the old way we cannot be having more of the same • School libraries must also change • We have to start now

45. The Future of School Libraries • What skills are needed in the 21st century? • Critical thinking and problem solving • Collaboration across networks and leading by influence • Agility and adaptability • Initiative and entrepreneurialism • Effective oral and written communication • Accessing and analyzing information • Curiosity and imagination Tony Wagner (2008) The Global Achievement Gap

46. The Future of School Libraries • 21st century literacies • Proficiency with the tools of technology • Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally • Design and share information for global communities for a variety of purposes • Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information • Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate media in many formats • Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments National Council of Teachers of English, 2008

47. The Future of School Libraries • Skills for the 21st century learner • Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge • Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge • Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society • Pursue personal and aesthetic growth American Association of School Librarians (2007) Standards for the 21st Century Learner

48. The Future of School Libraries • 21st century skills are more than information literacy – they include digital, visual, textual, technological, financial, health, … … literacies • Critical for all • Development of these skills requires • Reading, listening, viewing • Inquiry • Technology skills • Equitable access • But who is to develop these new literacies?

49. The Future of School Libraries • Libraries play an important role in developing information literacy • Efforts being made to involve all teachers (e.g. Media and information literacy curriculum for teachers developed by UNESCO) • But who is to take the leadership role?

50. The Future of School Libraries • Developing school libraries is a collaborative effort