Educational Pedagogy

Caroline Roche, founder of the Heart of the School website, writes about the need to advocate for and share stories from school libraries — and what makes them the heart of the school.

That the library is the ‘heart of the school’ is a commonly accepted phrase nowadays, certainly in the United Kingdom. You see it in ads for a new librarian, you see it in tweets, you see it in newspaper articles, and it is even the title of the All Party Parliamentary Group white paper on school libraries: ‘The beating heart of the school’. But where does this phrase that is so ubiquitous now come from? Well, actually, I know. It is a phrase that fills me with pride, because it is the name of the website I set up seven years ago to celebrate the work of school librarians. You can visit the Heart of the School website and follow the Twitter feed @HeartOTSchool. There is also a Facebook page.

Via Elizabeth E Charles

There’s a revolution going on in American libraries. Shelves, books and other physical materials are being replaced with digital ones to keep up with today’s student demands, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Students welcome this new era of libraries, though schools had to fight hard to bring the changes about, such as in the moving of print content online or making it available via interlibrary loans instead.

Via Carlos Fosca

Can a library be the perfect place for personalized learning? We believe the answer is yes. Libraries offer endless resources, space for learning, and individuals who are ready to assist students in the learning and research process. Sometimes when professors’ office hours do not line up with students’ schedules, we often forget, that librarians are here to help us too! That’s why we have libraries and librarians! Even if we think it is intimidating to approach a librarian, it should not be, because they are the experts in libraries! Not only are librarians available to assist us, but they are also available to teach us how to use the resources that the library has to offer.

Via Elizabeth E Charles