Dow Presention at 2014 Association for Library and Information Science Education, Philadephia, Pa January 21-24, 2014. Special Interest Group (SIG) Program: School Libraries

1. Influencing Instructional Partnerships in Universities:
Schools of Library and Information Science and Colleges
of Education
Mirah J. Dow, Associate Professor
2014 Association for Library and Information Science Education,
Philadelphia, PA January 21-24, 2014
presentation available on slideshare

2. Entrepreneurial – leadership, willingness
To be entrepreneurial requires leadership and
innovation to bring about a new venture, obtain
the required resources, and the willingness to
accept whatever happens—good or bad.
Two venture categories:

Business ventures designed to make more
money

Social or political ventures based on a
perceived opportunities to resolve problems

3. Social and Political Venture
Venture
develop new university instructional partnerships
Resolve Problem
nationwide de-professionalization and elimination of school librarians
Opportunity
Increased national emphasis of college and career readiness and integration
of information and technology literacy into every content area calls for more
school librarian involvement at the university level.

4. Entrepreneurial

The Premise: If collaboration is to move beyond
cooperation to instructional partnerships,
there must be increased engagement by
colleges of education and schools of
library and information science in large
scale change that provides pre-service
educators with experiences in collaboration.
(Patricia Montiel-Overall, 2005).

5. Entrepreneurial

Best Educational Practice: “For American
students, state-licensed school librarians
represent a necessity if this country is to move
forward with the educational goal to graduate
all students prepared for college, jobs, and/or
careers.”
(Mirah Dow, 2013)

6. Entrepreneurial
Mature
Organization
Perceived
Opportunity
• University Colleges of Education and
Schools of Library and Information
Science
• Large Scale Change in Curriculum,
Teaching Assignments, Budgets

7. University Instructional Partnerships
Large Scale Change in Education Curriculum

Creation of new curriculum across licensure programs
that will bring subject area content into library science
curriculum and library science into subject area content

Shared faculty responsibilities for standards-based
learning outcomes

Co-partnering in developing and delivery of instruction
and assessment of student learning

Addition of a new content area: Information Science
and Technology (information in all formats; information
cycle; interdisciplinary field, Taylor, 1966)
Dow, M. J. (2010). School library leadership at the university level. School Library Monthly, 27(3), 36-38.

8. University Instructional Partnerships
Large Scale Change in University
Teaching Assignments

Library school faculty teaching in elementary
and secondary education degree programs

Elementary and secondary education degree
faculty teaching in library schools

New considerations for faculty teaching loads

Cross-listing of courses in university catalogs

9. University Instructional Partnerships
Large Scale Change in University Budgets

University provision for deans and program
directors to hire and pay faculty outside their
own departments

New, permanent line items in departmental
budgets to support faculty in addition to those
full-time positions identified by state legislatures

10. University Instructional Partnership Study
From Fall 2008 to Spring 2010 (4 semesters), a new, university-approved
required course was offered for all elementary education students at
The Teachers College, Emporia State University.

The Elementary Teacher and the School Library Media Specialist:
Partners in Teaching Literature Appreciation and Information
Literacy, 1 credit hour

Pre-service elementary education (K-6) teachers taught by library
school faculty (3 different faculty; all experienced school librarians)

Required text for course was Collaborative Strategies for Teaching
Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact (Moreillon, 2007)

Pre- and Post-survey (12 Likert items, Moreillon, 2008) of enrolled
students to answer the research question: ―Are elementary
education majors’ perceptions of school librarians as partners in
teaching changed through a 1-credit hour course taught by library
school faculty?‖

11. Findings, Emporia State University Instructional Partnership Study
(n=409)
In 4 of 4 semesters, the number of respondents selecting agree or
strongly agree slightly increased from pre- to post-survey for theses
statements: School librarians should be responsible for
teaching reading.
every area of the school curriculum.
helping classroom teachers design and plan lessons and units
of instruction.
helping classroom teachers co-teach lessons and units of
instruction.
assessing students’ learning on projects in which they have
taught some or many components.

12. Findings, Emporia State University Faculty Partnership Study
(n=409)

In 3 of 4 semesters, the number of respondents selecting agree or
strongly agree slightly decreased from pre- to post-survey for the
statements:
♦ School librarians should be responsible for helping classroom
teachers find materials.
♦ School library media programs should be a critical part of the
literacy program of the school.
♦ School principles should set the expectation for classroom-library
collaboration.
♦ When school librarians and classroom teachers collaborate for
instruction, student achievement should increase.

13. Findings, Emporia State University Instructional Partnership Study
(n=409)

In 4 of 4 semesters, the number of respondents in
the post-survey who agreed or strongly agreed
with each statement (12) was above 50 percent
of the total valid responses.
fall 2008
44/69 (64%) valid responses
spring 2009 56/97 (58%) valid responses
fall 2009
57/88 (65%) valid responses
spring 2010 45/82 (55%) valid responses

14. Conclusions
On the basis of this Emporia State University study, a university-based
elementary education (K-6) course taught by library school faculty
that focuses co-teaching strategies for classroom teachers and school
librarians can improve perceptions about the school library media
program and school librarians’ involvement in preparing all students for
jobs, college, and careers.
This course is a model for moving beyond collaboration to cooperation
in instructional partnerships and has the potential to influence today’s
education establishment and the public about the necessity of statelicensed school librarians in every school building.
Dow, M. J., Davis, T., & Vietti-Okane, A. (2013). Influencing instructional partnerships in pre-service elementary
education teachers. In M. J. Dow (Ed.), School Libraries Matter: Views From the Research. Santa Barbara, CA:
Libraries Unlimited.

15. University
Instructional
Partnerships
(schools and libraries)
Shared Faculty
Responsibility for Teaching
Across Content Areas
and Standards
New Assessed
Content Area
“Information Science
and Technology”
University Provision for
Budgetary Investment in
University-based
Instructional Partnerships
University Provision for
Faculty Teaching
Assignments Across
Departments and
Programs

16. University Partnerships
Until university education faculty partnerships
become the norm,

subject area teachers and school administrators are likely to
continue to view school librarians as support staff.

information science and technology will not become a recognized
content area along with assessed (Annual Yearly Progress) content
areas: reading, science, mathematics, social studies, and
government.

there will be little proof of school librarians’ effect on student
achievement in the area of information and technology literacy.

educational policy makers and the public are not likely to recognize
the need, or demand funding for state-licensed K-12 school
librarians.

17. Comments ?
Questions ?

18. References
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