Thanks to Daardi for the Flickr photo that I found from my alma mater.
4. WHAT DO COLLEGE STUDENTS LEARN IN HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT RESEARCH? - Kellian Clark, Minnesota State University - Mankato, Librarian.
Attending this session was appropriate as the Minnesota West librarians work at cooperation with area high schools. Pam Sukalski has been instrumental in this area while I am still working at continuing the earlier contacts established and carrying forward with more intense efforts.
SUMMARY
The presenter was dynamic in conveying her message to her audience with such a vital topic. At age 50, she realized that she had not visited high school libraries for many years. She appreciates Minnesota's education system after growing up in Wyoming, but had wanted to establish contact with current feeder schools for MSU - Mankato. Of the 12 schools she contacted, she only had responses from six. My question for her was concern with the other six as I wondered if they had qualified library media staff, or were just too busy to respond. In our area some schools have cut professional library media staff positions, but the ones that I am in contact with are from small, active libraries.
With so much data available on incoming college students, our presenter realized that in profiling the college student body, it is more important for librarians to know about the high school experiences of college freshmen than their ACT scores or nationalities. The literature standards state that students must be able to locate, evaluate, analyze, synthesize, and use information collaboratively.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
From a 2003 Minnesota study cited in an article by Ross Todd in the Winter 2007 issue (Learn Media), we learned that 63% of Minnesota schools with higher reading scores had full-time media specialists. In a 2003 School Library Journal article, we learned that 1/3 of book budgets for Minnesota library book budgets are from fundraising, and in some cases 100%! Since 2002, Minnesota schools lost an average of 29% per pupil on the amount spent for books. Other articles referred to in the presentation that I want to read are by Chris Lehmann in the July 2007 issue of School Library Journal and by Michael Gorman in American Libraries in October of 2005. In a Minnesota English Journal article available online, "Wait Until You Get to College", Cindy Olson and Anne O'Meara reported that high school students do more PowerPoint projects than research papers. Many students have limited English skills. There are "huge issues" with students being able to critically evaluate sources.
The presenter evaluated library websites of the 6 schools she visited, and found much library information available. Common on them were: LII, Refdesk, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, CIA World Factbook, and Citation Maker.
IMPRESSIONS FROM SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER VISITS
- Security is treated seriously (cannot just walk in a school)
- Busy places!
- Good (if dated!) reference collections (Encyclopedia of Bioethics)
- Fiction is actively sought and frequently circulates
- Similar concerns as college librarians
- Classroom use of technology is good
- Very service oriented - all about the students
- Budget cuts ("The book budget is the same as in 1982")
- Multitasking of staff - cataloging, reference, instuction, technology, EVERYTHING!
- Responsive - most media staff active in soliciting book requests from students
- Students producting movies and PowerPoint presentations more than writing papers
- Students have used databases
- Students have been required to cite
- Students have had access to reference books
- Students are familiar with Dewey system (not Library of Congress)
- Research problems are closely related to reading problems
- Students had problems finding, evaluating and using their sources WELL
CONCLUSIONS
- Articulate familiar concepts (Databases, citing citations)
- Introduce new concepts (Evaluation of all resources, controlled vocabulary)
- Support high school libraries
APPLICATIONS FOR ME
- Read the articles mentioned as well as the recent Chronicle of Higher Education one on the percentage of high school students being ready for college
- Call more area media specialists rather than send email messages. In my experience from last spring, I had more responses from the area librarians that I already knew than those that I did not
- Work with the other Minnesota West librarians to establish a plan to carry out goal of more contact with Minnesota West librarians (Use staff wiki)
OBSTACLES
The presenter has a great appreciation for school media personnel after realizing how much that they are expected to do. She admits that in her position she has one role - instruction, and does not need to do any cataloging or technology work. She contacts other MSU professional librarians for expertise in those areas. Attending the presention, helped to "fire up" the desire to work with high schools, but the time to do it and balance other roles is tricky.
