Librarian Interview: Assignment 1

Today I interviewed Jan Jones, the librarian at St. Stephens Elementary School (where I teach 6th grade), to try and understand what role technology plays in the library and how this technology is being used by the patrons. She informed me that all sorts of technology are being used, new and old. She mentioned specifically the use of computers, digital and video cameras, computers on wheels with projectors, televisions, VCRs, and school pads. This equipment is used by both teachers and students for projects, research, information, presentations, and enjoyment. When I asked her what new opportunities she felt this technology presented to the patrons, she replied simply, "the world." She said because of the world wide web and other resources, patrons are able to access things they would've never been able to access with books alone.

While the advent of this new technology is incredible, it does come with some problems, challenges, and frustrations for the users. Mrs. Jones informed me that tech support is an ongoing issue. Simply keeping all the equipment up and running smoothly can be a difficult ordeal. She also mentioned the acceptable use policy and the Patriot Act as being cumbersome in terms of keeping patrons up to date and ensuring that they aren't using the Internet inappropriately. She also mentioned that some teachers are simply afraid (for lack of a better word) of the technology because they are unfamiliar with it. However, most patrons are willing to embrace it and view it as making their lives easier.

The implementation of this new technology is quite expensive as well. While Mr. Gouge, the principal, and Dr. Markley, the superintendent is on board with new technology in the media center and schools in the county, funding can be an issue. Mrs. Jones informed me that most of the funding comes from the county. They have a technology budget and are allotted a certain amount of money each school year. The rest comes from grants, which can be written by the county or the librarian. Each school is also required to have a Media Advisory Committee that decides how these funds should be spent. The Building Leadership Team also has input in this decision. It is difficult for school libraries to keep up with the changing technological world because funding is so limited. Mrs. Jones said she would love to have several other items for her library, including a mounted projector for presentations, MAC stations with video and podcasting, and another video camera because the one they have is out dated.

Because the use of wikis are controversial, specifically in research, I asked Mrs. Jones what role they played in the media center. She mentioned both pros and cons of wikis. She said they give children the opportunity to add to something already done. In other words, a wiki is a working document, a work in progress. Users can continually add to or take away from this document. However, she feels it is not appropriate to use as a reasearch tool because there is no verification of the accuracy or authenticity of the information posted.

We discussed the use of podcasts in the media center as well. She feels these would be good tools for students to utilize because it would open up a whole new world of information to the students. She said she wants Mac centers for podcasting, simply because it is simpler to download podcasts onto a Mac. This year, Catawba County Schools finally has a new server on which to store this new data. Mrs. Jones also anticipates the use of DVRs in the media center. Students can take these devices on field trips, for example, and conduct interviews and gather information for projects and reports. She also mentioned the use of DVRs to increase fluency in reading by reading and recording stories. She said that the use of DVRs dubbed over a Photostory, would create "a Photostory on steroids."

Finally, I spoke to Mrs. Jones about the differences in technology amoung the various schools in the system. For example, I asked her what you might find in a middle or high school that you wouldn't find in an elementary school and vice versa. She told me that most high school would have programs like CAD training and other real world tools to prepare them for the work force after high school. High schools, however, would not have accelerated reading or math programs, like you may find at the elementary and middle levels. Other programs you might find at the lower levels would be graphic organizer programs, like Kidspiration (which uses pictures, rather than words to create organizers), and Inspiration. Openbook (a reading remediation tool) and Orchard (a math remediation tool) can also be found in elementary schools.

Just out of curosity, I asked Mrs. Jones why she chose to work in an elementary library, rather than a secondary library. She told me that she felt she had more of an opportunity to share the joy of reading with small children. Elementary schools still have story time where the librarian actually gets to read great books to children. Middle and high schools, she said, focus more on research rather than reading for enjoyment. In my opinion, while all this new technology is wonderful, nothing can take the place of a great book and being able to share it with others.