Today’s visit brings me to the library of B. M. Williams Primary School (BMW), in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Although the school has a website, there is no specific school library website. The school’s library database is not accessible unless you are a student and you have a student account through the school system. Should students want to log into their account, they are able to go onto the library database through a program called Destiny Discover. The students would have access to ebooks and/or see what is available to be checked out in the physical library.
According to the Chesapeake Public School website (cpschools.com, 2019), BMW was built in 1957 and the grades range from kindergarten to second grade. The tables in the library are wooden with wooden chairs sized for small children. The bookshelves are also wooden. I think that the age of the school is represented in these wooden tables and chairs. It definitely makes the library look older! There is one soft couch pushed up against the wall for the students to read in and the librarian has several bean bags and plastic rocking chairs to use as well. The library has two main sections for the students to browse for books – a non-fiction side and a fiction side with a middle section of professional development material for staff members. There is also a small section for chapter books toward the front of the library where the circulation desk is located. Each side of the library has the words “Easy Fiction” and “Non-Fiction” painted on the walls to differentiate the sides. “Chapter Books” is also painted on the wall near that area. These little details, as well as a tree painted on a wall, adds a bit of color and fun to the library. The library recently had new carpeting put in which, I imagine, helped the look of the library not seem so old. There are also big area rugs with letters and colorful shapes on both sides of the library that helps the aesthetics of the room. Although the layout and décor of the library seems older, the library is spacious. This made me think about students in wheelchairs and how when they do come into the library, they should be able to maneuver with ease. Most of the bookshelves do not go any higher than three shelves because of the size and age of the students, which makes reaching books even more accommodating for students in wheelchairs.
The library is organized by the Dewey Decimal System (DDS). There are signs in the non-fiction section that have the categories listed of the DDS. There are shelf markers with pictures to help the students find books on different subjects. These shelf markers are colorful and simple in helping students find certain books about different subjects. The children do not have access to the library catalog but, if they are looking for a certain book or topic, the librarian will look up the material for the student and help them locate it on a shelf. Stuffed animals are also strategically placed on top of bookshelves to help guide the students to books pertaining to that certain stuffed animal (example: a Curious George stuffed animal on top of the shelf where Curious George books are located).
There are two staff members in the library: the librarian and a media clerk (both white females). They both work together to check books in, go through books to assess any damage, and shelve the books. The media clerk is the staff member who checks out the books to the students while the librarian teaches the lesson for the day. BMW seems to have a mixture of different ethnicities and races of students who attend the school. On a display of new chapter books recently added to the collection were books with African-American characters on the cover as well as a book about a main character that was Muslim. I thought that the books on this display really honed in on the demographic of the students in the school. Having characters that represent the population of the students would make those students feel more welcoming into the library.
When the students are looking for books on the shelves, they use “browsing sticks” to hold the place on the shelf when they take a book off to see if it is a book they want to check out. It was really neat to see them be able to independently take books off and put them back on the shelves. Some were putting them back with the spines not turned the right way, but the librarian did her best to keep an eye on that and correct them.
When it comes to technology, there is a SmartBoard in the library but it was not utilized when I was observing the library. Also, there are books on tape/CD that are available for the teachers to check out. The librarian at this school, while aware that technology is important to the students, also feels that they are on their Chromebooks a lot in the classrooms and values the need of having actual books in their hands. I asked her about makerspaces and having other avenues of technology in the library for the students and she said she felt that she liked to keep their library experience and lesson on books. According to Rubin & Rubin (2020), with reference to the American Association of School Librarians and themes of affecting education “…the focus is on the learners rather than the library’s collection and on how the school library best serve students” (p. 122). If the librarian feels, being that it’s a primary school, that the students would be better learners with hands-on experiences with books, than maybe it’s in the students’ best interest that she made that decision. Maybe she feels that at the young age of five to eight, having more emphasis on having books in children’s hands than another piece of technology is the best practice for the school.
Overall, except for the older looking library, I thought that the library represented the children well. There were ample amounts of books that show the different demographics of the students. I loved watching them use their browsing sticks and I was amazed at the organized chaos when they were checking books out. It gave me a sneak peek into what could be my career one day.
Reference
Chesapeake Public Schools. (2019). Water quality information. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://cpschools.com/water-quality-information/
Rubin, R. E., & Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information sciences (5th ed.).
ALA Neal-Schuman.
Hi Lisa! Thanks for sharing your visit to a school library. The use of images in the nonfiction section to help kids find books they are interested in is a great way to encourage the kids to browse the shelves. I think it’s great that the library has “borrowing sticks” that the kids can use. That is definitely a small and unique way to teach the kids independence. I do like that while the librarians agree that technology is important to the students, they are actively encouraging kids to use and check out books as well. It shows that the librarians are really trying to create a well-rounded collection for the kids to have access to.
Yes, with such emphasis on Chromebooks and distant learning for young students, it is nice to see the emphasis on actual books. So many children experience books online nowadays, so it was nice to see children excited about actual books! 🙂
Hi Lisa! I loved the part where they included the stuffed animals that matched the characters of the book. I really do think it helps the students be more engaged in reading about a character that they can physically see. Regarding the browsing sticks, I was happy to read that they had this system here. I don’t remember when or where it was, but I remember doing that when I was young. It’s great that they implemented that system so students don’t just put the books anywhere when the librarian probably took time to re-shelf them!
I couldn’t imagine what they would do with children just randomly putting books back on the shelves! No one would be able to find anything! 🙂 Make you wonder how the public libraries do it in a children’s section. 🙂
When I was a substitute I subbed in a few of our school libraries around here and at least two of the elementary librarians utilized a shelf marking system while the students browsed the stacks. There was always a student or two who passed out and collected the shelf markers and they seemed very pleased to have that duty! The students also seemed to know how to use the markers, for the most part! I can also appreciate the acknowledgment of the technology but want to encourage students to interact with print material. I think it also sounds like this library could stand a bit of an upgrade, perhaps with a little more technology for students to interact with, perhaps the older setting influences that focus on print materials. But, either way, it sounds like a great space for these students!
Lisa, I really liked the shelf markers making it easy to locate different subject matter. I like the librarian’s emphasis on books since most children have access to technology elsewhere. I would think she really doesn’t promote e-books and prefers physical books. As a parent, I would appreciate a website so I could look at books my child could check out. I do like the use of stuffed animals to mark where books are located.