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Dewey do Dewey don'ta sign of the times

Carol A. Gordon | [email protected]

“Where anything is growing, one former is worth a thousand re-formers.” —Horace Mann

At a time when school libraries are experiencing the most powerful revolution in communication since the invention of the alphabet, school librarians are navigating their practice through uncharted waters. Lurking below the surface are undercurrents that challenge core values and standard practices of librarianship. Twenty years ago doing away with the most widely used library classification system in the world (OCLC 2013) was unthinkable. Melvil Dewey’s innovation allowed the positioning of books on library shelves relative to their content, rather than in a

fixed place according to height or acquisition date. This innovation invited revision through a decimal system that enabled the subdivision of ten knowledge categories. Now in its 23rd edition, the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system has been revised over the last 137 years and is offered in electronic and print formats.

At the local level, librarians have continuously adapted or exempted DDC categories to facilitate access. Picture books, chapter books, novels, short stories, biographies, reference, easy-reading, and paperbacks have

E1 Knowledge Quest | Dewey or Don’t We — Online Exclusive Volume 42, No. 2 | November/December 2013

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across school curricula. The Common Core State Standards acknowledge the role of information processing, as well as research skills and critical thinking, in 21st-century teaching and learning:

To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and non-print texts in media forms old and new. (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2012a)

The synthesis of user-driven collection management and self-directed learning creates a new paradigm for school libraries, raising questions about how educators define a library collection and how school librarians develop, manage, and use it.

migrated from Dewey classifications to genre-fied library sections. Books have been color-coded, Lexile-leveled, and relocated in text-complexity grade bands to match the “right books” with readers. As print text moves to digital media, smaller print collections make it feasible to replace DDC with customized systems specific to types of libraries and their users. In a digital culture of personalized information delivery, school librarians recognize the relevance of user-driven collection management, motivated by the prospect of positive literacy outcomes and increased circulation. So, reforming DDC is a common practice that addresses a growing concern: How can librarians maximize accessibility and use of their library collections to accommodate user characteristics, purposes, and needs?

While librarianship in general is moving toward user-centric practices, school librarians are pioneering an instructional model that aims to develop self-directed learners. The model is a synthesis of information- and inquiry-based learning, technology integration, and support for literacy

development. This model helps learners go beyond finding stuff to constructing new knowledge in complex information environments. At its core is the work of John Dewey, an educational philosopher who popularized constructivist principles of discovery and hands-on teaching. Information-based teaching methods guide students through the stages of the Information Search Process (Kuhlthau 1983): task initiation, exploration, topic selection, information gathering, and presentation of learning outcomes. In a strong library culture of help, school librarians use Guided Inquiry (Kuhlthau, Maniotes, and Caspari 2007) to apply instructional interventions to support student progress through these stages.

When inquiry learning becomes the context for Guided Inquiry, learners engage in critical thinking to understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create or synthesize their knowledge (Krathwohl 2004). Inquiry builds motivation as information users pursue their intellectual interests as self-directed learners in resource- and inquiry-based assignments

While librarianship in general is moving toward user-centric practices, school librarians are pioneering an instructional model that aims to develop self-directed learners.

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Library Collection as Learning Environment

In twelve effective New Jersey school libraries, focus groups consisting of administrators and teachers shared their thinking about how school libraries contribute to learning (Todd, Gordon, and Lu 2011). Analysis of findings in Phase 2 of this study, One Common Goal: Student Learning, indicates a broad definition of the school library collection as:

• information sources in diverse media formats;

• technology that makes information accessible and enables learners to create content;

• the school principal, who supplies the financial resources and a supporting school culture for resource-based learning;

• the school librarian, who uses the collection to coteach information and technological processes through inquiry learning, supports literacy development, and provides professional development for teachers.

In this study educators provide evidence that

supports the redefinition of a school library collection as a learning environment.

Library Collection as Information SourcesEvidence from the study shows that, while teachers believe the library collection enables students to learn information-management skills, including ethical use of information, they also recognize that the learning environment of the school library enables self-directed learners to interact with rich collections. Teachers talk about the excitement of hands-on learning that encourages curiosity, exploration, excitement, and renewed interest in learning. They observe deep learning that results from students’ interaction with resources.

For teachers the collection, as the discovered curriculum, is the only place in the school where the disciplines meet and are integrated. They value a collection that offers contrasting points of view and accommodates diverse learning styles. Teachers think teaching through the school library is a more efficient way to cover their curriculum; they recognize that the school library is an option to

the classroom. Educators see the library as a digital media center and appreciate multiple points of access for information and new media genres. Teachers also see the library as a place of creativity where students engage in content creation.

Teachers and administrators make the connection between the school library collection and student inquiry, referring to it as “the two Rs”: research and resources. Teachers and administrators understand the importance of the school librarian who provides the resources and teaches pathways to information and the information skills that result in self-directed learning. Principals who support school libraries see their librarians as teachers first, teachers who encourage collaborative learning. School librarians think they model collaborative learning for students as they collaborate with teachers. Supervisors see the school librarian’s role as teacher and as a teacher of teachers, modeling for teachers what students need to be successful researchers. School librarians help teachers understand research as a process: where it starts, where it will get hung up, and where it will end.

Teachers and administrators understand the importance of the school librarian who provides the resources and teaches pathways to information and the information skills that result in self-directed learning.



Technology as a Resource

One Common Goal: Student Learning also presents evidence that teachers value access to information and resources that technology provides (through video streaming, for example), access that is not available in their classrooms. For many teachers the school library is the only way to access expensive technology. Teachers recognize that access is increased through shared resources and services that are available before, during, and after the school day. They feel their classrooms are an extension of the library when they integrate information and technology with their teaching in the school library.

Teachers make the connection between accessibility and learning that develops from students’ informed use of digital resources. Teachers see ways that technological access facilitates their students’

information- and inquiry-based learning; the inquiry process changes the content of students’ learning as they pursue their interests within the confines of school curricula and formulate their own interpretations. Teachers value the fact that students with access to digital tools and equipment can choose how to communicate what they have learned; teachers view 21st-century research and communication tools as part of the library collection. The New Jersey evidence indicates that teachers and administrators value the library as the best-equipped classroom in the school.

School Principal as a Resource

School librarians in the New Jersey study value administrative support and vision. Principals who make their library budgets

a high priority understand the importance of up-to-date resources that appeal to students. In a time of budgetary concerns, these principals justify libraries as a priority because they understand that the content of the collection is related to the quality of teaching and learning. All principals in the study practice participatory management that encourages a team approach. They make the connection between a collaborative school culture and a teaching library that is the center of this culture.

School Librarian as Resource

Educators in the New Jersey study view their school librarians as a teaching resource. A New Jersey librarian attributes this to her visibility and her role as a teacher and collaborator. Principals perceive their school librarians as media teachers because the principals value instruction in the use of resources and information literacies, as well as the way information shapes teaching in the classroom. Teachers who are school library users know that students are not coming to the library to hear a teacher talk. Teachers know the school library is a gateway to the outside world. This kind of teaching supports the value Common Core State Standards place on preparing students for a global economy and developing their appreciation of cultural diversity.

Educators in the study understand discovered information is the raw material for learning, no longer viewing classroom and textbook teaching as the only way to teach. They make clear distinctions between classroom

It is the library culture of help that enables school

librarians to connect people with information

and resources.

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and school library, recognizing the library collection as a self-directed learning environment. It is the library culture of help that enables school librarians to connect people with information and resources. Effective school librarians are people-centered rather than information-centered. A teacher in the study observed that school librarians go beyond providing the information requested to guiding their patrons to information they did not know they wanted. Fundamental to the library collection as learning environment is the school librarian’s support for literacy development as well as for inquiry.

Library Collection as a Learning Environment for Literacy DevelopmentFindings of Phase 1 of the New Jersey study show that, in all grade levels in over seven hundred schools, school librarians highly rank among their top ten reading activities reading-promotion activities such as literature displays and book talks; encouraging free, voluntary reading outside of school; and use of databases and/or websites (Todd, Gordon, and Lu 2010). Among the lowest rankings of reading-related activities are electronic gaming, integrated reading-for-understanding strategies in units of inquiry, literature-related programs for special-needs students, and interpretation of print and digital images. These findings indicate school librarians are spending more time promoting reading than engaging students in reading, although the literacy research strongly indicates that the

way readers get better at reading is by reading (Krashen 2004). In addition, school librarians are placing the greatest emphasis on print text rather than taking a balanced approach to include alternative media and transliteracies.

On the other hand, educators in Phase 2 of the study of effective school libraries describe the library collection in terms of readers’ preferences across media formats. Free choice is encouraged within and outside of class assignments, a factor in reading motivation that leads to more and better reading (Krashen 2004). When the purpose of library collections is to support literacy, the collection contains a healthier balance between academic and personal reading, and the school librarian demonstrates more effective practices in readers’ advisory. Leveling of books and grade-band Lexiles present a challenge for librarians to balance motivation and engagement with guidelines that ensure students read on grade level. Lexile bands are intended to set minimum standards, and the school library is the place where librarians and educators can advocate differentiation in developing students’ reading lives. To develop active and dynamic personal reading lives through free voluntary reading within and outside of school assignments, youth need strong advocates. It is important that school libraries are seen as a place where reading is more than a school subject. The Common Core State Standards recognize that motivation to read is important; it is one of the factors related to evaluating text complexity for a particular student:

“Matching reader to text and task [include]: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed).” (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2012c)

School librarians can contribute to developing reading comprehension by encouraging students to apply reading strategies (Harvey and Goudvis 2000) at the point of need when students are reading to learn from informational text. Many of the interventions used to support the Information Search Process are the same interventions that support reading strategies for all students: activating prior knowledge, determining importance, and making inferences. The Common Core requirement for teaching literacy across school subjects challenges students to go beyond textbooks. School library collections are critical to implementing text complexity to develop traditional as well as transliteracies.

Collections that include diverse points of view prepare and engage students for using evidence, as required by Common Core State Standards:

Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence. (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2012b)



Teachers are grateful for the variety of reading levels and the balance of print and nonprint, and for alternative media for struggling readers. Many low-achieving, struggling, or reluctant readers say they hate to read when they mean they hate to be “forced” to read books to which they cannot relate (Gordon and Lu 2008). Even summer reading programs, conceived as free voluntary reading that avoids the “summer slide,” focus on books, school curriculum, and graded projects. When school librarians build collections with input from readers and advocate for free voluntary reading, they are supported by literacy research. When interest is high, so is engagement, which promotes the sustained reading needed to improve comprehension (Wigfield and Guthrie 1997).

Developing and Managing the User-Driven Library CollectionUser-driven collection management is a shift from traditional collection development that depends heavily on authoritative sources, reviews of materials, and selection policies. In their digital spaces youth are self-directed in their selection and use of media. They engage in online forums where they build consensus about media preferences. Library users expect that they can create their own purpose-driven collections through pull, rather than push, technology or by traversing in cyberspace from

one “library” to another. Digital youth are developing habits of self-selection for their reading, viewing, and listening as they engage in social media and video gaming. They are content providers who readily share their creations with their peers. An online culture of participation is not only strengthening learners’ confidence to direct their engagement with media, it is also reinforcing their perceived right to free choice. This reality suggests a collaborative mode of collection management that considers the needs of users and solicits their input.

Acknowledging the link between collection management and evidence-based practice is important. The function of library classification systems goes beyond the location and retrieval of books. These systems are widely used as collection-management tools to track acquisitions, losses, and discards; to document usage; to determine the currency of the collection and age sensitivity; to

identify gaps in collections; to compare school libraries for socioeconomic inequities; to secure funding; and to justify budgets. Tracking library collection use is important to justify collaborative collection development and other user-driven decisions, and to continuously improve the collection. DDC can serve as a tool of evidence-based practice. When customizing collection organization, school librarians must remember the importance of including a system for accountability, a system that can be integrated with functions of circulation and cataloging.

Implications for the Future of School Library CollectionsThe argument for standardized organization of school library collections compromises accessibility on the local level of information retrieval, while customized arrangement of library materials challenges

Library users expect that they can create their own purpose-driven collections through pull, rather than push, technology or by traversing in cyberspace from one “library” to another.



universal accessibility across libraries. While user-driven collection management seems appropriate for younger library users, students need to know how to retrieve information from traditional libraries. These kinds of arguments use common sense to tackle the issue, but the debate must take place in the context of the school library as a learning environment. At issue are the answers to the questions:

“What will our school libraries look like in this century?” and

“How will they function?”

Redefining the collection as integral to the school library as a self-directed learning environment can shatter the misconception that school libraries are a support service or an optional program that supplements traditional teaching. The future of the school library depends on its being essential to the education of all children. Can school library pedagogy be mainstreamed into the education of all children?

The mainstreaming of school library teaching is the perfect storm because it brings together the elements of a school library collection—as defined in this article—and the idea of equity for all children to be educated to live and work in

a high-tech information-rich society. John Dewey set this goal for American education:

We are apt to look at the school from an individualistic standpoint, as something between teacher and pupil, or between teacher and parent. That which interests us most is naturally the progress made by the individual child of our acquaintance, his normal physical development, his advance in ability to read, write, and figure, his growth in the knowledge of geography and history, improvement in manners, habits of promptness,

order, and industry—it is from such standards as these that we judge the work of the school. And rightly so. Yet the range of the outlook needs to be enlarged. What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon it destroys our democracy…Here individualism and socialism are at one. Only by being true to the full growth of all the individuals who make it up, can society by any chance be true to itself. (Dewey 1956, 6–7)

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Redefining the collection as integral to the school library as a self-directed learning environment can shatter the misconception that school libraries are a support service or an optional program that supplements traditional teaching.



Horace Mann, who laid the groundwork for equitable public education when he established the

“common school” in Massachusetts, is labeled an “educational reformer,” but would probably want to be remembered as a “former of American education” because his vision changed everything. It brought children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds together for a common learning experience in a free, mandatory public educational system that aimed to provide equal opportunity for all children. Like Dewey’s philosophy, Mann’s vision of social advancement for all pupils accommodated social change, particularly in supporting a growing labor movement. The intended outcome was to educate citizens for college and career, an enduring goal in American

education that is articulated in the Common Core State Standards.

When the concept of equity is bonded to school library traditions of free access and help, and growing trends of user-driven collection management and self-directed learning, the school library emerges as a powerful agent of change. Mainstreaming this synthesis of librarianship and

schooling enables school librarians to be creative formers of this new vision. The question is: “How does the school library realize its full potential to transform American education?” Clearly, information- and inquiry-based teaching and learning in the school library—supported by its technology and enhanced by literacy support—is not supplementary to 21st-century teaching; it is 21st-century teaching.

Carol Gordon, retired associate professor, Rutgers University, has

published widely in the school library field. Her latest research includes

One Common Goal: Student Learning, Phases 1 and

2, a study of how New Jersey school libraries help students learn and

how schools enable effective school libraries. She serves on the School

Library Research editorial board, and she is the chair of the ESLS Program Reviews for the

2013 AASL Conference.

Kuhlthau, Carol C., Leslie K. Maniotes, and Ann K. Caspari. 2007. Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

OCLC. 2013. “Dewey Services.” <www.oclc.org/dewey> (accessed June 17, 2013).

Todd, Ross J., Carol A. Gordon, and Ya-Ling Lu. 2010. Report of Findings and Recommendations of the New Jersey School Library Survey, Phase 1: One Common Goal: Student Learning. <http://cissl.rutgers.edu/images/stories/docs/njasl_phase_1.pdf> (accessed August 17, 2013).

———. 2011. One Common Goal: Student Learning, Report of Findings and Recommendations of the New Jersey School Library Survey, Phase 2. <http://cissl.rutgers.edu/images/stories/docs/njasl_phase%20_2_final.pdf> (accessed August 17, 2013).

Wigfield, Allan, and John T. Guthrie. 1997. “Relations of Children’s Motivation for Reading to the Amount and Breadth of Their Reading.” Journal of Educational Psycholog y 89 (3): 420–32.

Works Cited:

Common Core State Standards Initiative. 2012a. “English Language Arts Standards>Introduction>Key Design Consideration.” <www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/introduction/key-design-consideration> (accessed August 19, 2013).

———. 2012b. “English Language Arts Standards>Introduction>Students Who Are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language.” <www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/introduction/students-who-are-college-and-career-ready-in-reading-writing-speaking-listening-language> (accessed August 19, 2013).

———. 2012c. “English Language Arts Standards>Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity>Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors.” <www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/standard-10-range-quality-complexity/measuring-text-complexity-three-factors> (accessed August 19, 2013).

Dewey, John. 1956. The Child and the Curriculum, and the School and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gordon, Carol, and Ya-Ling Lu. 2008. “ ‘I Hate to Read—Or Do I?’: Low Achievers and Their Reading.” School Library Media Research 11. <www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume11/gordon_lu> (accessed August 17, 2013).

Harvey, Stephanie, and Anne Goudvis. 2000. Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. York, ME: Stenhouse.

Krashen, Stephen D. 2004. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research, 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Krathwohl, David R. 2004. “A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview.” Theory into Practice 41: 4: 212–18.

Kuhlthau, Carol Collier. 1983. “The Library Research Process Case Studies and Interventions with High School Seniors in Advanced Placement English Classes Using Kelly’s Theory of Constructs.” PhD diss., Rutgers University.



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