AttractingReluctantReaders

"Librariesarehumanities'linktoboththepastandthefuture.Inthepresent,theyarevitalto
maintainingandnurturingtheyearningforknowledgeintheheartsandmindsofpatrons.And
letsnotforgetthepleasureanddelightofquiet,cozybrowsingandchoosingthatexactbookone
cannotlivewithout."Unknown

Goal:Helpdevelop,implement,andevaluatetheirstrategicplanandmissionofservingthe
publicschoolstudentsandeducators.

Background:Thelibraryisinarevolutionarystageasitisredefiningitsvaluetothe
communitytoteacherstoeveryone!Withthedigitalinformationage,manyfeelthatthelibrary
isobsolete.Therealityisthatthisassumptionisnottrue!Librariesareneedednowmorethan
ever,todiscerntheinformationthatisproducedinmassamountsandtoprovideopportunities
forstudentstobuildnumerousskills.Librarieshelpstudentsbecomeinformationliterate,foster
theirreadingskills,andprovideasafespaceforchildrentostretchtheirimaginations.Libraries
havebecomeapartnerwithschoolsandfamiliesinthelearningprocess.Everyeducatorknows
thatchildrenareuniquelearners,andwhilestudentslikethefeelingofacquiringknowledge,not
everyoneisreceptivetoallinformationbeingpresentedinbookformat.Adultsexperiencethe
sameissue,somereadonaKindleorNook,andothersprefertoholdaboundbookintheir
hands.Presentingqualityinformationinavarietyoflearningformatswillnotonlyattractreaders,
butalsopreparelearnerswhoareabletonavigatethetechnologyofthe21stcentury..
Earlyliteracystudieshavebeenlinkedtoshowthatstudentswhohavelowreadinglevels
bythethirdandfourthgrademaybeathighrisktobecomehighschooldropouts(AnnieE.
CaseyFoundation,2011).Theearlyreadingexperiencehasalastingeffectonhelpingchildren
tocontinuallypursuereading(NortheasternUniversity,2009).Anotherstudyshowswhyboys
oftentimesfindreadingunappealing(Love&Hamston,2003).Boysreaddifferenttypesof
literaturepresentedinavarietyofformats(i.e.graphicnovels,magazines)andfictionhasto
generateinterestorelseboysthinkreadingisdull.Apopularjournalarticleshowsthatmenare
notnecessarilymarketedtointhepublishingindustry(Pinter,2010).ConnectingBoyswith
Books,whatLibrariesCanDodiscusses,Whileweasadultsmayhavesomeconfidenceinthe
bibliotherapyapproach,boysaremorelikelytoseekescape,orseparation,fromtheirproblems
byfocusingonsomethingofinterest.Girlsaremorelikelytoseekoutabooktodealwithan
issue.Ifwewantboystoreadbooksthatwilladdresstheirfeelings,theywillwanttoreadthe
bookforitsownsake(Sullivan,2003).
Ourlibraryisalsoexperiencingalowpopulationoftweensandteensinourdepartment.
Thistakesintoaccountteenswhovisit,browse,andattendprograms.Weseeteensexitingthe
schoolsindroves,buttheyseemtofindotherplacestospendtheirafterschooltimethanthe
library.Tryingtofindnewwaystomakethelibrarycollectionappealingtoteens,finding
programstopeaktheirinterest,andmakingasafespacewheretheycanexpressthemselves
canhelpencourageteenstotryoutthelibrary.Thelibrarymayneverachievemainstream
popularity,butitcanprovideanalternativespaceforteenswhomayneedareadingspot.
Shakingoffthestigmaofadjectivesthataregiventothelibrary:boring,quiet,stern,tedious,
etc.Takingnewapproachestomakethelibraryafun,changingenvironmentwhereanythingis
possibleduetoeverythingbeingconnectedtoliteracy.Considereverythingthatistrendingwith
teens.Thinkaboutclassifyingthemintobroadcategories:sports,animals,technology,music,
art,crafts,food,recreationalactivities,etc.Thisallcanbeconnectedtoliteracy.Trendschange
atanalarmingratewithintheteencommunityandatthisagetheyarestillexpressivelydefining
themselves,ortryingondifferenttypesofidentitiestoseewheretheymightfitbestatso
TheheartoftheLibrary2.0isausercenteredchange.Itisamodelforlibraryservice
thatencouragesconstantandpurposefulchange,invitinguserparticipationinthe
creationofboththephysicalandthevirtualservicestheywant,supportedbyconsistent
evaluationofservices.Italsoattemptstoreachnewusersandbetterservecurrentones
throughimprovedcustomerdrivenofferings.Eachcomponentbyitselfisasteptoward
betterservingourusershowever,itisthroughthecombinedimplementationofallthese
thatwecanreachLibrary2.0(Casey&Savastinuk,2006,p.40).
Wearestilllibrariansandourlibraryroleisprovidingaservicetoauser.Still,thisservicehasto
becontinuallyupdatedbecauseastheusersneedsexpands.Don'tadopttechnologybecause
itisthelatestfad,adoptitbecauseitimprovestheabilitytoprovideorimproveservices.What
works,stayswhatdoesnt,goesaway(Ghast,2010,p.11).
YALSA2012sconventionpanelofGuysReadWhatGuysReadisagreattestamentto
howboyscanjustbeasavidreadersasgirls.AbroaderappealtermcouldbereadasTeens
ReadWhatTeensRead.Teensareallaboutmassappeal.Ifoneoftheirfriendsreadabook
thatisgoodthentheypassitonandthenlotsofotherpeoplewanttoreadit.Youjusthaveto
getafewfriends,andthenitcanturnintoevenmorefriends,andthenitshalftheschool.How
doesonedothat?Therearesomanydifferentways(buttheproposalwouldbecomemuchto
lengthy).Thepointofthisproposalistostartimplementingnewthoughtsofhowtofindthat
commongroundwithteensandthelibraries.Findingatleasttwentywaysthatteenscanbe
enticedintowantingtocheckoutthelibrary.ThelibraryisnowsettingthestageforLibrary2.0:
wearepartentertainer,andpartliteraryandinformationalprovider.
Thesecondpartofthisproposalisfindingcommongroundbetweeneducatorsand
librarians.Providingliteracytostudentsisastart,butgettingeducatorsinvolvedinsupportofour
librarieswillmakeaHUGEdifference.Thepartnershipsbetweenpublicschools,andpublic
librariescouldbeusedtohelpnurturethisconnection.Aresearchstudywasreleasedfromthe
AmericanLibrarianAssociationinvestigatingthepreparednessoffreshmanundergraduatesfor
researchwhentheygotocollege.Partofthestudyshowedhowgraduatestudentsseemto
haveaprettygoodgraspatconductingresearch,whileundergraduatesgenerallyhavenoidea
onhowtostartresearchingastheirprofessorsthemtoalreadyknowhowtoresearch.
Librariansareabletohelpclosethatdigitalgaplackingininformationalliteracy.
Theliteracyfactorisdirectlyconnectedtoaccessanduseofinformationtechnologies.
Literacyismorethanreadingabilityanddevelopingasetofcomputerskills(thatis,
keyboarding,creatingandusingspreadsheets,wordprocessing,usingadatabase,and
soon).Withinthedigitaldivide,thetermliteracyhasgonebeyondthecommonlyused
definition:usingprintedandwritteninformationtofunctioninsociety,toachieveones
goals,andtodeveloponesknowledgeandpotential(NationalCenterforEducation
Statistics,2003).Whenpairedwiththewordcomputer,thewordliteracyisdefinedby
WebstersIINewCollegeDictionary(1999)astheabilitytouseacomputerandits
softwaretoaccomplishpracticaltasks....literacyalsoincludesalevelofunderstanding
ofhowcomputeroperationskillsinteractandinterchangeregardlessofapplication.
(Reuser,2008).
Thisnewtechnologyagehasmadeitevenmorenecessarytoprovideinstructionalinformation
literacytostudentstohelpthemalongwithstartingtobecomeresearchers.Thebasisofthese
coursesaresetupusingtheACRLinformationliteracystandardstailoredtotheMichigan
TechnologyStandardsforstudents:
1. Showstudentshowtodeterminetheextentofinformationneeded.Howtoask
Questions?HowMuchInformationisNeededforResearch?
2. Teachstudentshowtoaccesstheneededinformationeffectivelyandefficiently.Which
databasetouse?HowdoIuseadatabase?
3. FosterevaluationmethodswithinstudentstoviewsourcescriticallyHowDoIknowthis
istrue?Whatisascholarlyarticle?Whatsapopulararticle?
4. LongtermAssessmentStatisticstoshowSupervisors,Legislatorsthatthisselected
informationhasbeenincorporatedintothestudentsownknowledgebaseandmakesa
differenceonACTwritingtests,researchpapers,etc.
5. Teachstudentshowtouseinformationeffectivelytoaccomplishspecificpurpose.DoI
useopposingviewpointsinanarrativeessay?
6. Havestudentsunderstandtheeconomic,legal,andsocialissuessurroundingtheuseof
information,andaccessanduseinformationethicallyandlegally.Whenisitconsidered
newspropaganda?WhatistheFairUsePolicy?Whatarethecopyrightissues
concerningtechnology?
7. PracticalTechnologyJobTraining:Excel,PowerPoint,BasicHTML,SocialMedia
Concerns:Tips&TricksforfutureCollege/JobOpportunities
Theseinformationliteracystandardscanbethebasisforinformationliteracy
programs/initiatives:onedesignedforElementaryandtheotherdesignedforHighSchool.This
programwouldbecalled:IntrototheWorldofInformationandwouldhelpreadychildrenfor
college.
Inaddition,Librariansandteacherswillhavetheopportunitytodiscussorganizingtheir
collectionsofreadingmaterialsintoLexiledgroups.Withthisopenrelationship,acontinuous
conversationinregardstoliteracy,informationandemergingtrendsintechnologycanbe
shared.GRPLcansupporteducatorswithfindinginformationandtechnologytopicsappropriate
fortheirspecificclassroom.Wecoulddevelopvirtualtoursofthelibraryanddatabase
informationaswellasencouragevisitstothelibraryformoreinstructionaltraining(i.e.after
schoolopenteencomputerlab).Tryingtoworkwiththeteacherstogettheirstudentstoenjoy
startingtheresearchprocessandhelpfostereffectiveresearchstrategies.
Worries/Concerns:
Thetopthreemajorconcernsforthisproposalareasfollows:time,money,andsupport.
Everyoneishavingtobecomeskilledatmultitaskingorreceivecontinualaddedresponsibilities,
whichmakestimeprecious.Studentsmighthaveextracurricularactivitiesthatcanfillupmostof
theirday,orallowtheirsparsetimetobefilledwithcatchinguponhomeworkandpreparingfor
tests.Findingwaystomakeimpactsonstudentwithoutlosingtheirattentionwillshowstudents
thatyouareappreciativeoftheirtimespentinthelibrary.Focusingonaparticulartopicsinthe
library(i.e.asfashion)candrawinspecificteenswhomayfindthemselvestoobusytoactively
cometothelibrary,butwouldattendforspecificprogramsofinteresttothem.GRPLcould
activelyseekdifferenttypesofstudentculturesandplanengagingwaystoenticestudentsinto
visitingthelibrary.Figuringoutastudentsnicheandthenlinkingthatwithacertainaspectofthe
libraryhelpsthestudentfeelhisinterestisimportantandpromotesthelibraryasagreatplaceto
furtherexpounduponthatinterest.
Developingalowcostsolutionforteachingstudentsinformationalliteracycanbedone!
iTunesUandotherpluginsaredesignedtoassisteducators,paraprofessionals,andstudents
navigatethroughtheworldofinformationliteracyandemergingtechnologytrends.Courses
offeredbyGRPLforeducatorscanbetailoredtotheirspecificclassroomsneedsandhowthey
canhelpteachinformationtourbanyouth.Othercoursescanbetailoredinmanydifferentlevels
tohelpspreadthelearningofinformationalliteracy.ForexampleJohnWatts,anawardwinning
librarianfromKimballCollege,hasaseriesoftutorialsthattheyusetoshowtheirstudentsin
teachinginformationliteracy:
http://vimeo.com/27119613Thisvideoteachesaboutgivingpresentations.
http://vimeo.com/12861706Thisvideoteachesaboutselectingtherightnumberof
keywords.
Likewise,savingtimebetweeneducatorsandlibrariansisimportant,too.Makingsure
thatallcommunicationavenuesareutilized:phone,email,andevenSkypecanhelpassurethat
thereisalwaysanopenexchangeofideas.Implementingplansandprogramsthataresuccinct
yeteffectivecanhelpkeeptimewastingtoaminimum.GRPLintendstoshoweducatorsthat
theirtimeisvaluable,andatthesametimeconvincestudentsthatasmallinvestmentoftimein
thelibrarycanreapbigrewardsfortheirfuture.

ThePlan:

ElementaryInitiatives:

1. YSEasyReaderLexileOrganization
a. SystemwideProcess
b. TracktheirprogressduringSRP
c. HaveEasyReadersectiondonebysummer:Lexile.comworkshop
d. FirstStepsofDigitalLiteracy(13)

MiddleSchoolInitiatives/HighSchoolInitiatives:

1. DigitalLiteracyCourses/SocialMediaCourses
a. IBProgram
b. AdvancedCollegePrep
2. EBooks
3. ACTPrep
4. BookTalks/ReadingSpecialists

FindoutSpecificSchoolswillhavemediaspecialists/paraprosgivethemcurriculum

****Wewanttodothework:Wewanttosupportyouinanywaypossible
****Studentscomehere:afterschoolprogramming:withoutstaffworries

Whatthelibraryoffersnow:
a. LibraryCardProgram
b. HistoricalTeacherGuideto
city
c. Computers(systemwide)through
SAF
d. FreeACTPrepClasses
e. TeenFilmFestivalClasses
f. TypingWorkshops/OpenComputer
LabFall
g. BasicHTML,CSSTechnology
Skills
h. OtherTeenWorkshops
HelpingTeensintheLibrary!

InternationalBaccalaureateCareerRelatedFields:

10.TeenFilmFestival

Thisfestivalwasacollaborationbetweenlibrariesdesignedforteensinterestedin
pursuingdifferentcommunicationrelatedfieldslike:
Director
Actor/Actress
SpecialEffects
CostumeDesigner
FilmEditing
SoundEditing
MusicMixing
Photography
ThisisalsoinpartnershipwithKendallUniversity

9.LiteracyAspects:
CommonCoreStandardsspecificallyrelateEnglishasshapingthelearningfromK12.
HelpingstudentsnavigateliteracyinformationinthedifferentIBprogramswillhelp
preparestudentsinterestedincareersfromgovernmentresearcherstocomputer
analyst.Learnerscandevelopandnurturetheirabilitiesthroughworkshopsatthelibrary
andclassvisitswillhelpintheircreativeabilitiesforwriting:
Poetry
Novels
Fanfiction
YoungAuthorsGiveBack

8.PerformingArts:Music,Fashion,Dance
Thiscanbeinstitutedfromcollectiondevelop,enhancedebooks,andtheblurredlinesof
digitaltechnologybutinformationskillssuchasusingdifferentprogramslikeAdobe
Suites,GRPLvisits,events&workshops
GRPLpartnerswithotherorganizationtohavecollegemusicfestivaldaysfrom
performingartsschoolsaroundtheMidwest

7.Architecture/Car/Robotics/Science/Nature
GRPLhaveplentyofLegoRoboticsprogramsthathappenthroughouttheyear.Kids
interestedinsciencehaveaccesstoourcommitteesthatputonconservation
projects/programsthroughouttheyear!
Developingprogramshighlightingdifferentsciencecareers,conservationprojects&
programsteenscanconsiderifitisoftheirinterest

6.Art/DIYCrafts/Cooking
Studentsinterestedininternationalbusiness,services,especiallywithinthetrade
industriesmightwanttoexperienceawiderangeviewsof
MulticulturalCelebrations
Travel
Thiscanbemultipleprogramsheldnotonlywiththeireducatorsbutincollaborationwith
GRPL

5.Comics/GraphicNovels/Anime/Manga
GRPLhasafreecomicbookday!Workshopsarealsoavailablethroughouttheyearfor
childreninterestedinlearningaboutcareersinart.

4.TechnologySkills:
Theseskillsareessentialinthisnewtechnologyage.Manyjobrelatedfieldsareavailable
forkidswantingtolearnaboutinformationsystems.Libraryprogramsarenowstartingto
mergewithintheinformationsystemstostartdevelopingspecificrelatedprogramsfor
thisrapidlyexpandingfield:
InformationAnalyst
InformationSystemsManager
InformationScience:Usability,Accessibility

Basicprogramsthatcangetkidsnotonlyreadyforcollegebutgivesthemacompetitive
edgeinknowledgeandexperienceinthesebasicinformationlanguagesandsoftware:
CSS
Coding
HTML5
SocialMedia
MicrosoftOffice
AdobeSuites

2.SocialIssues:
Researchtopicsonspecificsocialissuesbeginwhenstudentsstartenteringhigh
school.Providingopportunitiesforstudentstocollaboratewiththelibrarytoencourage
themandotherorganizationsliketheYouthSummithelpprepareteensforfuturecareer
opportunities.Lettingthemexperiencetheconnectingpowerofnetworksfromother
teensandmentorswillpreparethemforreachingoutforsupportintheircareerrelated
fields.
LGBTCommunity
Health/EmotionalWellness
AtRisk

1.BringingtheirFriends
Studentsaresocial.Ifyouareabletoestablisharelationshipswithoneteentheirfriends
follow!EstablishingandMaintainingpositiverelationshipswithstudentsisagreatto
furtherhealthycommunitiesandfutureadvocatesforthetransformingpowerof
knowledge!
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Casey,M.E.,&Savastinuk,L.C.(2006).Library2.0:ServicefortheNextGenerationLibrary.

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Harlan,M.A.&Bruce,C.&Lupton,M.(2012).TeenContentCreators:ExperiencesofUsing

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Feinberg,S.&Keller,J.(2010,March14).Designingspaceforchildrenandteens.American

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http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/03142010/designingspacechildrenandteens

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Jones,P.(2002).NewDirectionsforServingYoungAdultsMeansBuildingMorethanOur

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McCabe,R.(2009).TheLibraryCommons:InformalSocialInteractionforTeensandAdults:

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Meyers,E.(1999).TheCoolnessFactor:TenLibrariesListentoYouth.AmericanLibraries,
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JAL2.14.13