The Whole School Library Learning Commons: An Educator's Guide - Paperback

by Judith Anne Sykes (Author), David V. Loertscher (Foreword by)

Introduce your teachers, librarians, and administrators to the roles and responsibilities of educators in advocating a whole school library learning commons using this step-by-step guide for creating shared learning space in your school.

It is no surprise that technology has shifted the way we educate--bearing on how, what, and where we learn. This guide lays the framework for helping turn your school library into a whole school library learning commons (WSLLC)--a space where traditional academics merge with the latest technologies to engage learners in a way never before realized.

Author Judith Anne Sykes contends that since the WSLLC philosophy allows staff and students to co-create knowledge in a shared space, it is more effective than the traditional approach. Sykes addresses the differences between a school library and a WSLLC, provides reasons to champion its creation in your institution, and discusses how to use mentoring as a means to sustain its survival. The book explores the roles and responsibilities of educators in developing WSLLC goals and presents strategies for using typical assessment tools--including standardized tests, report cards, and anecdotal assessments--to help support its philosophy.

Author Biography

Judith Anne Sykes is an educational consultant as well as an advocate for the whole school library learning commons. She formerly served as a teacher librarian, district school library specialist, principal, and school library services manager for the Ministry of Education in Alberta, Canada.