Beyond Library Power: Reader's Digest Adds Public Libraries to the Mix.
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| Title: | Beyond Library Power: Reader's Digest Adds Public Libraries to the Mix. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Rockfield, Gary |
| Source: | School Library Journal. Jan 1998 44(1):30-33. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 4 |
| Publication Date: | 1998 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Childrens Libraries, Cooperative Programs, Futures (of Society), Improvement, Library Development, Library Services, Public Libraries, School Libraries |
| Geographic Terms: | New York |
| ISSN: | 0362-8930 |
| Abstract: | Describes the Tall Tree Initiative for Library Services, sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation and administered by the public and school library systems of Westchester County, New York. The initiative focuses on improving services offered children in the 21st century, and demands a new level of school-public library cooperation. (AEF) |
| Entry Date: | 1998 |
| Accession Number: | EJ558536 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwFX4BbAVdDhiMlMxT-T0XH-AAAA4DCB3QYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHPMIHMAgEAMIHGBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDJdjLCP9_QXXW7M3RQIBEICBmCuzHk8oEnr_vHu0AxQDKSuHakbEZD5qyu_nobgjaxc98TQwR6Yb108KVznh2L6Gmw8F5D863XHmmCUBcTPbLbBd2RfGk0UpcvXQBXHFo5NLlkNpFmxBs361s9-BRk73vWFvLfl3lKXLjsl4p6CLsy_aNCx7JjZSZ3-EnrxhbeMTLo4DboSA-mJxv4GMmK2XRuOTY34CFcRm Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0000146262;SLJ01JAN.98;1999Nov11.12:37;v4.0</anid> <title id="AN0000146262-1">BEYOND LIBRARY POWER </title> <sbt id="AN0000146262-2">Reader's Digest Adds Public Libraries to the Mix Can schools and public libraries collaborate? NY's Tall Tree Initiative aims to find out</sbt> <p>It's difficult enough getting children ready for each new school day. How do we prepare them for the demanding new century looming just ahead? </p> <p>A pioneering library program in New York's Westchester County is trying to answer that question by doing what few have done before: asking schools and public libraries to meet student needs by working together. </p> <p>Rethinking what libraries do for young people is at the core of the Tall Tree Initiative for Library Services, sponsored by the Reader's Digest Foundation. "Remediation isn't the goal," explained Tall Tree Director Leslie Burger. "We set out to develop a model for reinventing children's library services." </p> <p>The model is designed to help children develop a lifelong love of reading, along with strong academic skills. It also focuses on making students masters of information in all its forms. </p> <p>"We're dealing with a new kind of kid in an entirely new situation," said Tall Tree Library Consultant Patricia Tarin. "Youngsters today need to understand material from a mind-boggling variety of sources and make sound judgments about the quality of that material. The people who can't do this are in danger of being left behind." </p> <p>Now in its third year, Tall Tree, administered by the public library and school library systems of Westchester County, NY, builds upon the success of Library Power and CLASP (Connecting Library and Schools Project), both funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. "While these projects have improved schools and public libraries nationwide, Tall Tree goes further: bringing these institutions together to raise the level of services we offer children in the 21st century," Burger said. </p> <p>This vision demands not just talent and commitment, but a whole new level of school-public library collaboration. Tarin's mantra for participants: "Think of yourselves as a single support system for the student, not as two separate entities." </p> <p>But creating that single, seamless entity has not been easy. </p> <p>"It was a bumpy ride for a while, with a lot of wheel-spinning," Tarin said. "There were a lot of misunderstandings early in the planning process, based upon different work styles and vocabularies. But both sides were willing to stick it out to create something special for Westchester's children." </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-3"> Setting the Stage </hd> <p>The initiative's first step was to bring together the Westchester Library System and three public school systems in Westchester County. The partnership received an initial $500,000 foundation grant in 1995, with the city of New Rochelle soon chosen as the launch site. Shaped by a full year of planning, Tall Tree is now halfway through its second school year at the New Rochelle Public Library and nearby Daniel Webster Magnet Elementary School. </p> <p>An additional $1 million in grants has expanded Tall Tree and provided Webster's K-5 students with learning activities (see "Learning Through the Library," p. 32). The funding has also broadened collaborative activities for librarians and educators countywide. </p> <p>Bruce Seiden, Webster's School Librarian, and his colleagues took advantage of the opportunity to dream up everything they thought would be useful and exciting. "But you have to realize that schools and libraries provide different services and serve different populations," he said. "There are bound to be disagreements." </p> <p>At first, the new approach was confusing, said New Rochelle Public Library Director Patricia Anderson. "We were like a start-up company where everyone needed to learn their roles. But the communication between school and library has become much closer, the involvement much more intimate." </p> <p>"As simple as it sounds, the key was in getting everybody together and learning to see the person, not the institution," said Ellen Viggiano, Assistant Director at the New Rochelle Public Library. </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-4"> Dismantling Barriers </hd> <p>While mostly suburban Westchester is regarded as a national leader in education and libraries, its cities struggle with the same issues plaguing larger urban areas. </p> <p>Tall Tree chose New Rochelle, population 70,000, as a launch site because of its social and educational needs, but also for its proven ability to address those needs. </p> <p>For Webster Principal Senta Stich, Tall Tree brought "an opportunity to assess our effectiveness and find new ways to bring children into the library," she said. "Bookstores are booming because they changed how they relate to the customer. The services they offer and the way books are displayed all make for a very appealing experience. Libraries haven't done that yet--we don't have that neon sign out there for kids." </p> <p>Tall Tree believed that to entice more children, schools and public libraries must truly collaborate, not just cooperate. In other words, the two should jointly plan new events, for example, rather than simply tack up each others' flyers. And that means dismantling the tall institutional barriers often separating the two. </p> <p>"I don't think the school understood us and I'm sure they felt we didn't understand them," said Kathleen Cronin, Head of Children's Services at the New Rochelle Public Library. "Tall Tree made us come together." </p> <p>And students can see the difference. In Tall Tree's second year, project teams found ways to integrate school and library services--starting off by making teachers and public librarians a frequent presence in each other's buildings. </p> <p>Just seeing a familiar face helps make children "more comfortable about the library, less intimidated," said Anderson. </p> <p>There are benefits for staff, as well. "Serving as an afterschool Teacher-in-the-Library" has been particularly eye-opening, said Jeannie Miller, Webster's Magnet Facilitator. "Now, when I send students to the library, I try to make the assignment very specific so the librarians can help them out." </p> <p>Through intensive collaboration, Webster and the public library have also become "one site" by: </p> <p>establishing a courier service between the buildings </p> <p>issuing a joint Tall Tree library card that lets children borrow and return materials at either site </p> <p>setting up a "homework hotline" voice-mail system for parents and librarians </p> <p>making the most of that handy communication tool, the fax. </p> <p>The fax machine has simplified ordering books from the public library and permits teachers to fax public librarians student assignments in advance--a universal sore point between schools and libraries. </p> <p>Getting the assignments early has happened because of the bonds created by constant meetings and contact between faculty and public library staff, especially during the planning year. "It's made such a difference," said Billie Tucker, the public library's community relations and cultural coordinator. "When we know about the assignments, we can pull the right books, make them easy to find, and keep them from leaving the building with the first four kids who show up. Parents don't get frustrated schlepping the kids to another library or buying them the book the day before the report is due. Everybody comes out ahead." </p> <p>Tall Tree has also pushed to make resources such as the public library's online catalog and the school's computer-assisted learning programs accessible at either location. "Students are recognizing the continuity of everything they see at both locations," said Stewart Mortman, Webster's Assistant Principal. </p> <p>"We interacted with the library before Tall Tree, but we didn't have a global approach." said Stich. "Now all our kids have been to the [public] library. All of them have library cards. And all our teachers have worked to become familiar with what the public library has to offer." </p> <p>The result of the push for collaboration is visible at the school, where staff report increased competencies and more enthusiastic student participation. At the New Rochelle Public Library, change is more measurable. By 1997, the initiative's second school year, the number of children's reference questions had risen by more than 20 percent over 1995, before Tall Tree went into effect. </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-5"> Your Workload, My Workload </hd> <p>Tall Tree's intention is to make school-public library collaboration less haphazard. One way to do that is to help participants understand the contrasting work styles at schools and libraries. Burger recalls one team-building exercise that dramatically illustrated this contrast: Asked what kind of "car" their school would be, Webster people envisioned a sleek, high-performance Saturn. The public librarians saw their own institution chugging along like a friendly VW microbus. </p> <p>More prosaic contrasts abound. Faced with various state mandates, schools tend to be more formal and focused, for example, while libraries need the flexibility to deal with many different age groups and interests. Schedules and budgetary concerns vary greatly, and workload can also be a contentious area, Burger said. Each side may initially feel it is shouldering more of the load--until both sides begin to appreciate everything that is going on over at the other building. </p> <p>"It all goes back to taking the time to understand more about each other's organization," Burger said. </p> <p>Seiden credits Tall Tree for the advance planning needed to make public library visits productive for large groups of students, even 70 or 80 at a time. "We get the kids there with the right mindset and a focused purpose. The librarians are ready, the appropriate materials are all at hand, and the kids get right down to work." </p> <p>"Everybody's asking that teachers do more. They have to learn that they cam do more, by tapping into the tremendous resources at the public library," Seiden said. "Just setting up regular library trips for the kids can be a big step forward." </p> <p>Seiden has seen a change in students' mindset. "Tall Tree helps kids develop a real `can-do' attitude, because they know they can find what they need to get the job done," he said. "I've seen the quality of their work improve, as well as their desire to go to the library." </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-6"> Getting People to Click </hd> <p>Despite the early focus on New Rochelle, Reader's Digest is working to establish Tall Tree strategies as a countywide and even national model. The first step is a series of $1,000 Tall Tree mini-grants encouraging other school districts and community libraries in Westchester County to establish their own partnerships. </p> <p>So what advice do participants have for colleagues interested in testing that model on their own turf? </p> <p>"Keep the goal firmly in mind--to make the child a better user of knowledge," Anderson said. "You've got to stay focused," Tucker added. "In such a long-range, multifaceted program, it's easy to get bogged down in day-to-day logistics." </p> <p>"Remember that schools and libraries are both fairly autonomous, and people simply have different ways of doing things," Tarin said. "Collaboration requires giving up some of this control, and you don't get instant results. One thing we learned is that we tend to grossly underestimate the amount of time it takes to get people to click." </p> <p>People finally started "to click" in the spring of 1996, she noted--around the time that extra collaboration coaching and team-building sessions were offered, about six months after students started participating in the project. </p> <p>"We'll be doing this much earlier with Peekskill's site teams," Tarin said, referring to plans for Tall Tree's second community. Armed with the lessons learned in New Rochelle, Peekskill, a Hudson River city of 20,000, is now planning its model library program for the 1998-99 school year. Early this year, the foundation had planned to name the third, and last, Tall Tree community. </p> <p>What about budget constraints? Seiden says that planning needn't be expensive to be effective. "Once you sit down together, you will find many areas where your programs almost interface already. These can easily be brought in sync. Simple ideas can make a tremendous impact." </p> <p>Still, Seiden said, "I would urge others to start slowly, plan one piece at a time It might have been better to create this project over five years rather than three. But we understand that part of our process was to show where the mistakes are, so that other communities don't have to make them." </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-7">Concrete Changes</hd> <p>While collaboration is at the heart of the Tall Tree Initiative, so is renovation and collection building. The New Rochelle (NY) Public Library used $70,000 of Tall Tree funding to renovate its children's room and add new lighting and furniture. Those funds helped the library to raise an additional $160,000 in local funds for more improvements. The Daniel Webster Magnet Elementary School will also receive Tall Tree funding for renovations, but plans have been delayed by a lack of consensus and the structural problems inherent in a 65-year-old building. </p> <p>Collections have also been enlarged and updated. Together, school and public libraries have spent $55,000 on books, $20,000 on educational software, and nearly $40,000 on computer hardware and telecommunications equipment. </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-8">Learning Through the Library</hd> <p>The Tall Tree Initiative, the first phase of which is now in place in New Rochelle, NY, has made it possible for students to connect what they're learning at school to the public library and vice versa. Here are some of the activities underway, some serious, others more lighthearted: </p> <p> <bold> Children as Authors: </bold> A program that teaches students how books are created, by working with authors and editors at school. They write and "publish" their own books and present their creations at the New Rochelle Public Library's BookFest. </p> <p> <bold> Children as Researchers: </bold> A program that instructs students where to find the data they need and how to use it. An annual Information Exposition gives students the opportunity to present their work to the community. </p> <p> <bold> Reading Reflections Journal: </bold> A writing program that encourages second graders to reflect upon their reading experiences and enhances their language development. </p> <p> <bold> Tail Tree Book Club: </bold> Twice-monthly reading discussion groups for fourth and fifth graders and teachers that explore the stories and themes of selected books. The titles are chosen jointly by teachers and librarians. </p> <p> <bold> Smart Cat Club: </bold> A new program that introduces fourth and fifth graders to science and math books as sources of interesting reading. Teachers and librarians will jointly develop kits filled with experiments and other hands-on activities. Students will earn prizes and Smart Cat buttons for their work and will be recognized during National Library Week. </p> <p> <bold> Reading Summer Camp: </bold> A three-week "summer camp," now funded at 50 percent by the city of New Rochelle, that offers arts and academic programs at school and special activities at the public library. Includes sessions with professional writers, storytellers, and illustrators. School administrators have expressed interest in expanding it to other schools in the district. </p> <p> <bold> Family Programming: </bold> A series of fun family programs that introduce public library resources. Includes Internet Night and library "scavenger hunts." </p> <p> <bold> Tall Tree Web Site: </bold> An Internet forum (<ulink href="http://www.wls.lib.ny.us/talltree/home.htm">www.wls.lib.ny.us/talltree/home.htm</ulink>), still under construction, that features Tall Tree-related news and information. Students can post reports and critiques in the Critics' Corner, and there are plans for teachers and librarians to share lesson plans, reading lists, and other educational strategies. The site was created by Webster students and is maintained by the Westchester Library System. </p> <hd id="AN0000146262-9">Needed: Strong commitment</hd> <p>If Tall Tree administrators have learned one key lesson, it is: don't underestimate the l commitment needed to pull everyone together. </p> <p>"It became clear early on we needed a very high-powered project leader, with a large scope of management skills," said Tall Tree's Patricia Tarin. The project brought in library consultant Leslie Burger to deliver those skills, with the Westchester Library System (WLS) and the school libraries supplying their extensive know-how. </p> <p>Hiring Burger on contract to get the job done--rather than creating a full-time, onsite position--is one illustration of the type of creative problem-solving needed to make Tall Tree grow. "We took a big risk and we got a big payback," Tarin said, referring to hiring someone outside of the school and library system. "We were flexible enough to look past the traditional solution and find an alternate approach." </p> <p>Burger, who reports to both WLS and Reader's Digest, said her Tall Tree chain of command is informal and collaborative. "We're modeling at the administrative level the same behaviors we're trying to encourage at the local level." </p> <p>A collaborative project like this also requires commitment from many other sources: </p> <p> <bold> 1. Top decisionmakers at both sites must be active and supportive. </bold> Library directors, school superintendents, and principals must all be on the bandwagon, and the more active, the better. New Rochelle Public Library Director Patricia Anderson and New Rochelle School Superintendent Linda Kelly, for example, used Tall Tree support to attract additional local funding for activities. </p> <p> <bold> 2. Teachers must also be on the bandwagon. </bold> "They have the key-they are with the kids all day," Tarin said. </p> <p> <bold> 3. Community support is vital. </bold> Make sure parents and the public are in on your planning process. Keep major local players--in business, government, the arts, and media--aware and involved. Invite them to serve on a project task force or countywide steering committee. </p> <p>"We gathered many different constituencies to brainstorm ideas," Daniel Webster Magnet School Principal Senta Stich recalled. "We went to other schools and libraries and came up with an action plan that the library system partners were able to fine-tune. When you finally implement these ideas, you've got plenty of support because you haven't been operating in isolation." </p> <p> <bold> 4. Build Local Interest. </bold> In 1996, New Rochelle parents were treated to a Tall Tree-sponsored seminar with Jim Trelease, the nationally known reading expert. Special community events such as last spring's Tall Tree Open House Week and Learning Safari Celebration, attended by 2,000 people, have also helped build local interest and support. </p> <p>For more information about the Reader's Digest Foundation Tall Tree Initiative for Library Services, contact Leslie Burger at the Westchester Library System, 410 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley, NY 10502; (<reflink idref="bib914" id="ref1">914</reflink>) 674-3600; e-mail: tall tree@wls.lib.ny.us. Access the Tall Tree web site at <ulink href="http://www.wls.lib.ny.us/tall">www.wls.lib.ny.us/tall</ulink> tree/home.htm. </p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): 1. As part of the Tall Tree Initiative in Westchester County, NY, Charles McLaurin, a New Rochelle Public Library staff member, talks with a Webster Magnet School student about a reference question. </p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): 2. Four girls stand out in fairy-tale wear at a 1997 Tall Tree celebration. </p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): 3. Wynton Marsalis lets out a jazz riff while a fellow band member reads to the audience during Open House Week last year. </p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): 4. Project Director Leslie Burger (standing) discusses the Tall Tree library model at a planning session with Westchester librarians and educators. </p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): A visiting writing consultant from Columbia University gives publishing advice to students at the Daniel Webster Magnet School. </p> <p>PHOTO (COLOR): Reader's Digest Foundation Executive Director Claudia A. Edwards (left) speaks with Senta Stich, Principal at the Daniel Webster Magnet School (middle), and New Rochelle (NY) Public Library Director Patricia Anderson (right) at a Tall Tree celebration. </p> <aug> <p>By Gary Rockfield </p> <p></p> <p>Gary Rockfield is a writer and editor based in Brewster, NY, who regularly writes for the Reader's Digest Foundation. </p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib914" firstref="ref1"></nolink> |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 4 StartPage: 30 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Childrens Libraries Type: general – SubjectFull: Cooperative Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Futures (of Society) Type: general – SubjectFull: Improvement Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Development Type: general – SubjectFull: Library Services Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Libraries Type: general – SubjectFull: School Libraries Type: general – SubjectFull: New York Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Beyond Library Power: Reader's Digest Adds Public Libraries to the Mix. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rockfield, Gary IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 1998 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0362-8930 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 44 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: School Library Journal Type: main |
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