E-readers have made a huge impact in the personal reading methods of bibliophiles and now school libraries are jumping on the digital bandwagon. This interesting topic came to us from Education DIVE in their article, “School libraries transforming to stay relevant in digital age.”
As books gave way to digital sources of information instantly accessible from anywhere, school libraries and librarians had to make a decision. Though they still support reading, writing and research skills, now they encourage a co-focus on digital literacy as well.
The digital workshop is one 21st century learning opportunity that school librarians are implementing. Students learn coding and valuable social skills, including teamwork. As administrators are re-envisioning how the role of their school librarian can best serve students, this could bring the library into the STEM (Science, Technology, Electronics and Mathematics) programming arena.
The library space itself still contains books, but the spotlight is on digital learning tools and makerspaces. Its purpose is less a quiet spot to study individually and more a collaboration hub, where knowledge is built and shared.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.
