|
Secretary's Column
By Dr. Rick Melmer
Department of Education
 Beyond books
When we think of school libraries, we think of a place that is full of books. We also think of a place where students can check out printed materials for use in their classrooms or at home. However, school libraries are beginning to change. They are becoming instructional learning centers that allow students an opportunity to see the world in a different way.
The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, I want to remind you of the valuable resources that are available in each of your school libraries. Secondly, I want to challenge you as an educational leader to make literacy a primary goal for your staff and students.
As I mentioned earlier, a school library is much more than books. There are many resources – print, electronic, audio and video – available to students and staff members in our school libraries across South Dakota. The good news is that many of these resources come free of charge.
One resource that comes to mind is the Proquest database, which should be utilized by all school patrons in the state. This amazing database provides access to articles from 1,700+ magazines, journals and newspapers. It is designed for K-12, college and general users.
Other electronic sources that are available free of charge through the State Library include:
- SIRS Discoverer – Aimed at younger students (K-6), this database provides full-text articles from magazines such as Cricket, Children’s World and Weekly Reader.
- SIRS Researcher – Aimed at students in grades 7-12, this database provides full text articles from publications such as the Los Angeles Times, U.S. News & World Report, and Education Week.
- South Dakota Newspaper Association database – Users can access 138 South Dakota newspapers, to browse for local news items.
Now, to the second part of this article: literacy. I want to challenge you to make literacya primary target for your school district. This can be done in a number of different ways. One of the more common methods is to implement programs like the accelerated reader, which requires students to read books each month, take exams and receive credit for their readings.
Recent research indicates the importance of high school literacy and having students read more at the high school level. Currently, the Department of Education is putting together recommended book lists at the high school level to encourage high school teachers to have their students read outside of the classroom.
We also are hearing about exciting staff reading programs, where school districts are challenging teams of staff members to have reading contests. Clearly, if the staff members of a district are reading, it is more likely that the students will see the importance of reading in their lives. Finally, it would be my hope that your school district would support some sort of a summer reading program for students. This can be a reading program that features students reading as many books as possible over the summer. It could also be a reading program where a high school or middle school would purchase the same book for all students and ask them to read it over the summer, with teaching opportunities to take place throughout the next school year.
During the month of April, I completed two focus group meetings with school librarians from around the state. When asked how the state department could assist them, the common theme was to help administrators see the importance of school libraries. My hope is that this article has shed some light on what is available in your school library.
I would encourage you to work cooperatively with your school librarian to help the school library become an exciting instructional learning center for your students.
|
