Today, I have asked Callie to discuss her views on digital or e-books since this is a topic that comes up frequently in our discussions.
Well what about digital books?
Callie Hammond
Every time we mention that we are starting a nonprofit to create and support school libraries, 9 out of 10 times the return question is: "Well, what about digital books?"
It's a question that I personally find annoying, aside from my work with Library Build. I love books. I like their smell, their feel, their pages, you name it. I do not ever want to look at a screen 15 hours a day. I'm already on the computer too much as it is! Reading, holding, and finding a book is a personal experience, and to me, computers and their screens are simply impersonal.
Yesterday, Amazon.com announced that in the past 3 months they have sold more e-books than hardcover books. What bothers me about that statement is that it leaves out paperback books. More people buy paperbacks than hardcovers anyway - I (usually) try to wait until books I want are in paperback because they are so much cheaper.
The second part of rebuffing the Amazon.com statement is that the print industry is still churning out the hardcovers while e-books are still only a small part of the industry. Wired.com had this to say:
"The overall e-book market is still a 90-pound weakling next to the Asiatic elephant of print publishing. According to a report from Publisher’s Weekly last year, hardback sales were projected to be about $4.4 billion in 2009 (including both adult and children’s titles), while paperbacks were expected to generate $5.1 billion in revenue, audiobooks $218 million, and e-books just $81 million — less than 1 percent of the print equivalents. That’s not even counting textbooks, Bibles and professional books — with those included, Publisher’s Weekly estimated the overall book market at $35 billion in 2009."
Read More http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/07/amazon-more-e-books-than-hardcovers/#ixzz0uQdP9IDl
Also, as Cnet.com points out, alot of those e-books on Amazon are from self-published authors who list their works for 99 cents and get a few people to buy. Obviously those people are better served by e-books (just as most people are better served by online blogging than publishing their own books). So how many of those people are eating in to the e-books market?
So how does this affect school libraries?
The general argument is always that kids today like computers and digital books so much that making everything digital will increase kids' enthusiasm, and thus, their literacy. But thats not so. Ralph Raab wrote an article for "American Libraries" entitled "Books and Literacy in the Digital Era" in which he argued the following:
"According to Todd Oppenheimer in his book The Flickering Mind: The False Promise of Technology in the Classroom, and How Learning Can Be Saved, from the early 1990s through the first part of this century, school districts across the country spent billions of dollars promoting computer-based learning, promising that computers would engage students in a way that books could not. A school district in Union City, California, spent $37 million to buy computer equipment and software—and paid for it by cutting science equipment and field trips. An elementary school in Los Angeles dropped its music program in order to hire a “technology manager.” But we need to ask ourselves: After nearly two decades of this philosophy, have we seen a rise in literacy? The answer, sadly, is no—or at the very least, not nearly enough to justify what we have lost in the process."
However, an option like the Kindle or the Nook could inspire kids to read more than they already are (aka, if they are already literate). But this argument does not lend itself to creating an entire digital library without books, magazines, research journals, etc. As Raab states, "since copyright issues will most likely never be resolved, people will always need to find a physical book on a physical shelf. Also, not every book can be digitized; there have been different versions of books throughout history, and permission will never be granted by every institution to digitize those editions. The works of William Shakespeare are an example: They have been changed and modified through successive editions over the last 500 years. We will never see every version of his works on Google."
So. Yes, people, digital books and e-books are cool. But they will never replace tangible books, nor should impersonal digital libraries replace tangible (and personal) school libraries.
- Callie
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Mind Trust and other applications
Today, Library Build, Inc threw its hat in to the ring for the Mind Trust Fellowship. Mind Trust is a nonprofit which promotes education reform and education nonprofits (and only education nonprofits in the USA!) with salaries, stipends, and support. It's a fantastic fellowship, and we are crossing our fingers.
We're also eyeing the Echoing Green Fellowship coming up in September. We applied last year and didn't make it through to the next round, but maybe this year we can make more of a statement.
Today, we are visiting with our lawyers to discuss our 501(c)3 application, and will hopefully be well on our way to sending it in to the IRS!
We're also eyeing the Echoing Green Fellowship coming up in September. We applied last year and didn't make it through to the next round, but maybe this year we can make more of a statement.
Today, we are visiting with our lawyers to discuss our 501(c)3 application, and will hopefully be well on our way to sending it in to the IRS!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Inspiration for Education Reform
Library Build, Inc is focused on libraries and librarians, but we are also dedicated to overall education reform for all of America's public school students.
People like Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone are particularly inspiring. The charter school in the Harlem Children's Zone (Promise Academy) has seen awesome results including 100% of 3rd graders scoring at or above grade level in math, and 93% of 3rd graders scoring at or above grade level in reading (2009).
Here's a recent video of Canada talking about how Harlem Children's Zone has been successful and what needs to change in the current public school system: Get Schooled.
The best part about recent education reform is the media coverage that has been following these inspiring entrepreneurs. Within the next few months a new documentary is coming out about the charter school movement: "Waiting for Superman". You can check out the trailer for it here: Charter Hope.
Check out this video which discusses just why we need to reform our school systems: Stop the drop-out factories.
People like Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone are particularly inspiring. The charter school in the Harlem Children's Zone (Promise Academy) has seen awesome results including 100% of 3rd graders scoring at or above grade level in math, and 93% of 3rd graders scoring at or above grade level in reading (2009).
Here's a recent video of Canada talking about how Harlem Children's Zone has been successful and what needs to change in the current public school system: Get Schooled.
The best part about recent education reform is the media coverage that has been following these inspiring entrepreneurs. Within the next few months a new documentary is coming out about the charter school movement: "Waiting for Superman". You can check out the trailer for it here: Charter Hope.
Check out this video which discusses just why we need to reform our school systems: Stop the drop-out factories.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Early literacy and libraries
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently published a report entitled “Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of the Third Grade Matters” about, well, why being able to read by the fourth grade matters.
Essentially, research has shown that if students are not able to read well (at a fourth grade level) between the ages of 8 to 9, their chances of learning how to read critically decrease every year.
This is especially a problem among children from low-income families. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that “in 2009, 83% of children from low-income families – and 85% of low-income students who attend high-poverty schools – failed to reach the ‘proficient’ level in reading.” (The “proficient” level is determined and measured by the NAEP and essentially means that a student reads at grade level or better and has high reading comprehension.) Not being able to read pretty much guarantees failure in school, which leads most students to become frustrated, lost, and to eventually drop out.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation argues in their report that children who are not given “high-quality learning opportunities beginning at birth and continuing in school and during out-of-school time” are at a disadvantage as compared to children whose parents read to them as infants, teach them to read before and during kindergarten, and who place their children in high-impact summer and after-school programs.
The organization Jumpstart agrees with the Annie E. Casey Foundation in their recent report, “America’s Early Childhood Literacy Gap,” and states that children from low-income families who enter school “without basic early literacy skills” (unlike their affluent peers) may never catch up. Basic literacy skills at that young of an age include having heard stories, discussing stories and story structure with parents, increased language development from hearing stories, etc. But more than 37% of American children “arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning.”
When these children are then sent to low-performing and low-resource schools, the divide among children is magnified. Thus, it becomes absolutely necessary that these children be taught how to read by the fourth grade – that they catch up to their affluent peers (who have the luxury of better schools).
But without libraries and librarians to offer books, how will these children learn not only how to read, but to love reading? Libraries are an equalizer because they offer all people the same resources for free. If all students in Philadelphia had the exact same school libraries as students in the suburbs, they would have a better shot at competing, at catching up, at equal educations.
This is why Library Build, Inc’s job is important, and why we believe that the power of a library will truly be able to make an impact on America’s youth.
Sources:
Annie E. Casey Foundation, A Kids Count Special Report. Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. www.aecf.org
Burkam, D., & Lee, V. Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children Begin School. 2002.
Jumpstart. “America’s Early Childhood Literacy Gap.” 2009.
Essentially, research has shown that if students are not able to read well (at a fourth grade level) between the ages of 8 to 9, their chances of learning how to read critically decrease every year.
This is especially a problem among children from low-income families. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that “in 2009, 83% of children from low-income families – and 85% of low-income students who attend high-poverty schools – failed to reach the ‘proficient’ level in reading.” (The “proficient” level is determined and measured by the NAEP and essentially means that a student reads at grade level or better and has high reading comprehension.) Not being able to read pretty much guarantees failure in school, which leads most students to become frustrated, lost, and to eventually drop out.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation argues in their report that children who are not given “high-quality learning opportunities beginning at birth and continuing in school and during out-of-school time” are at a disadvantage as compared to children whose parents read to them as infants, teach them to read before and during kindergarten, and who place their children in high-impact summer and after-school programs.
The organization Jumpstart agrees with the Annie E. Casey Foundation in their recent report, “America’s Early Childhood Literacy Gap,” and states that children from low-income families who enter school “without basic early literacy skills” (unlike their affluent peers) may never catch up. Basic literacy skills at that young of an age include having heard stories, discussing stories and story structure with parents, increased language development from hearing stories, etc. But more than 37% of American children “arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning.”
When these children are then sent to low-performing and low-resource schools, the divide among children is magnified. Thus, it becomes absolutely necessary that these children be taught how to read by the fourth grade – that they catch up to their affluent peers (who have the luxury of better schools).
But without libraries and librarians to offer books, how will these children learn not only how to read, but to love reading? Libraries are an equalizer because they offer all people the same resources for free. If all students in Philadelphia had the exact same school libraries as students in the suburbs, they would have a better shot at competing, at catching up, at equal educations.
This is why Library Build, Inc’s job is important, and why we believe that the power of a library will truly be able to make an impact on America’s youth.
Sources:
Annie E. Casey Foundation, A Kids Count Special Report. Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. www.aecf.org
Burkam, D., & Lee, V. Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children Begin School. 2002.
Jumpstart. “America’s Early Childhood Literacy Gap.” 2009.
Friday, July 2, 2010
The Books by the Numbers
First, I apologize for taking such a long vacation from posting. Today, I am going to discuss the variations found in defining a "school library" and how this affects statistics.
Even when statistics exist, there are often inconsistencies. Furthermore, I am sure that many of you have heard of, if not read, the infamous work by Darrell Huff, "How to Lie With Statistics." Not to say that anyone is lying. There is, of course, the thorny question of, "What constitutes a library?" This depends on who you ask. The Philadelphia School District does not define what a library is on its website. Meanwhile, the American Library Association, which is the preeminent association of librarians, para-professionals, library students, and anyone interested in libraries, defines libraries this way:
"The mission of the library program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. This mission is accomplished:
-by providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats;
-by providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using information and ideas; and,
-by working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students."
("Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs," ALA 1988).
The New Jersey Library Association defines a school library as one which strives "to prepare students to become effective and efficient users of resources, ideas, information, and other intellectual properties" (www.NJLA.org).
The US National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences defines a school library as one which is, "provided with adequate resources to provide up-to-date print and non-print materials in all school library/media centers," and that "every school library be staffed by a highly qualified, state certified school library media specialist." (www.nclis.org, or "School Libraries Work!", 2008).
Meanwhile, the National Center for Education Statistics (housed in the US Department of Education) states that a "Library media center" (as defined in a phrase used throughout the 2007–08 Schools and Staffing Survey) is any of the following: "library, media center, resource center, information center, instructional material center, learning resource center, or some other name." This can be further broken down into centralized or decentralized, defined as, "one area in one building," or, "collections or services available in more than one location on a campus or in another building," respectively.
Obviously, there are a lot of definitions out there! But how does one define "adequate," "highly qualified," or "effective users of information"?
At Library Build, we chose to take a more qualitative definition of a school library by defining a functional library as:
"A working library is one which provides twelve to fifteen books per student, access to newspapers and academic journals, quiet study space, multimedia resources, book clubs, and research classes. Libraries in America’s public schools are important because they give all students equal access to knowledge, books, and literacy programs." (Library Build, Inc).
The Bottom Line
In the Philadelphia School District in 2009, 131 elementary schools out of a total of 208 had no library (Malloy, "Staffing in the Philadelphia Public School Libraries By Regional Areas," 2009). The study however does not define what a "school library" is, or when a library in the Philadelphia School District is considered functional. Thus, while the study acknowledges that 63% of Philadelphia's elementary schools do not have libraries, the number is almost certainly higher considering that in the case a "library" might consist of 100 books, or even, a teacher's personal collection of 20 to 30 classroom books.
In the United States, as a whole, in the 2006-2007 school year, there were 98,793 public schools (Fast Facts. IES: Institute of Education Sciences. National Center of Education Statistics. US Department of Education.) Out of these 98,793, only 76,807 had a library, though the quality or functionality of these libraries is unclear (AASL Advocacy Toolkit: The School Library Media Specialist. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/schoollibrary.cfm) Thus, more than 23% of America’s public schools do not even have a basic library for students to access.
Of those 76,807 public schools that have some semblance of a library, 25% do not have a certified librarian, and 14% only have a part time librarian.
Statistics vary (sometimes greatly) by use of source, especially for the US. These variations most likely occur because the term, "school library" has not yet been officially defined. It's not quite clear who should set the definition though; but the Department of Education, the American Library Association, or the American Association of School Librarians should all certainly be in the forefront of formalizing such a definition.
Even when statistics exist, there are often inconsistencies. Furthermore, I am sure that many of you have heard of, if not read, the infamous work by Darrell Huff, "How to Lie With Statistics." Not to say that anyone is lying. There is, of course, the thorny question of, "What constitutes a library?" This depends on who you ask. The Philadelphia School District does not define what a library is on its website. Meanwhile, the American Library Association, which is the preeminent association of librarians, para-professionals, library students, and anyone interested in libraries, defines libraries this way:
"The mission of the library program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. This mission is accomplished:
-by providing intellectual and physical access to materials in all formats;
-by providing instruction to foster competence and stimulate interest in reading, viewing, and using information and ideas; and,
-by working with other educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of individual students."
("Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs," ALA 1988).
The New Jersey Library Association defines a school library as one which strives "to prepare students to become effective and efficient users of resources, ideas, information, and other intellectual properties" (www.NJLA.org).
The US National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences defines a school library as one which is, "provided with adequate resources to provide up-to-date print and non-print materials in all school library/media centers," and that "every school library be staffed by a highly qualified, state certified school library media specialist." (www.nclis.org, or "School Libraries Work!", 2008).
Meanwhile, the National Center for Education Statistics (housed in the US Department of Education) states that a "Library media center" (as defined in a phrase used throughout the 2007–08 Schools and Staffing Survey) is any of the following: "library, media center, resource center, information center, instructional material center, learning resource center, or some other name." This can be further broken down into centralized or decentralized, defined as, "one area in one building," or, "collections or services available in more than one location on a campus or in another building," respectively.
Obviously, there are a lot of definitions out there! But how does one define "adequate," "highly qualified," or "effective users of information"?
At Library Build, we chose to take a more qualitative definition of a school library by defining a functional library as:
"A working library is one which provides twelve to fifteen books per student, access to newspapers and academic journals, quiet study space, multimedia resources, book clubs, and research classes. Libraries in America’s public schools are important because they give all students equal access to knowledge, books, and literacy programs." (Library Build, Inc).
The Bottom Line
In the Philadelphia School District in 2009, 131 elementary schools out of a total of 208 had no library (Malloy, "Staffing in the Philadelphia Public School Libraries By Regional Areas," 2009). The study however does not define what a "school library" is, or when a library in the Philadelphia School District is considered functional. Thus, while the study acknowledges that 63% of Philadelphia's elementary schools do not have libraries, the number is almost certainly higher considering that in the case a "library" might consist of 100 books, or even, a teacher's personal collection of 20 to 30 classroom books.
In the United States, as a whole, in the 2006-2007 school year, there were 98,793 public schools (Fast Facts. IES: Institute of Education Sciences. National Center of Education Statistics. US Department of Education.) Out of these 98,793, only 76,807 had a library, though the quality or functionality of these libraries is unclear (AASL Advocacy Toolkit: The School Library Media Specialist. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/schoollibrary.cfm) Thus, more than 23% of America’s public schools do not even have a basic library for students to access.
Of those 76,807 public schools that have some semblance of a library, 25% do not have a certified librarian, and 14% only have a part time librarian.
Statistics vary (sometimes greatly) by use of source, especially for the US. These variations most likely occur because the term, "school library" has not yet been officially defined. It's not quite clear who should set the definition though; but the Department of Education, the American Library Association, or the American Association of School Librarians should all certainly be in the forefront of formalizing such a definition.
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