Cherie P. Pandora

I like this book and I don’t like this book. First the good news. The authors envision the library learning commons as a performance space and an event space of student creativity in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. Hooray!Instead of one science fair sponsored by the science department each year, here is an opportunity to have regular events that cross disciplines, involve the community and provide students with opportunities to compete or just showcase what they as individuals or groups have invented, created or problems they have solved. The authors do make the case that this can be in collaboration with teachers and departments of the school, or, and this is why I don’t like the book, theyt also see these events may be just a product of the library learning commons year of programmed events. Independent events, in my view give one more piece of evidence that the library is an isolated program in a school. If I were the content editor of this book, I would have had the authors demonstrate much more clearly that the events envisioned in the book are THE culminating outgrowth of cotaught learning experiences of classrooms and departments of the school and its curriculum. These events can be the spectacular showcase events that all the teachers in the school and the administrators are coordinating. These might be monthly showcases or several a year connected with parent nights and school board meetings. They become evidence that the library learning commons is a powerful extension of the classroom…events that are the win win for every teacher, administrators, and the teacher librarian…positive proof that we boost achievemtn and know how to celebrate it! Isolated events, even though well intentioned just can’t have the same positive benefits. So, for the ideas with a focus that will pay incredible dividends, buy this book; get a vision; talk it up with the administration and faculty; do one or two connected events; and, you are off and running. These are the kinds of things that can put the library learning commons in the headlines of the education section of the local news.… (altro)