Copyright

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/3020135605/sizes/s/ image from Flickr.com some rights reserved by Mike Blogs.

The school with which I am familiar - a secondary high school in New South Wales - earnestly complies with the copyright laws from what I have observed. On the whole, those working in the school use books, audiovisual and electronic resources in the spirit of the educational licences.

That being said I have witnessed some breathtaking examples of people who thoughtlessly or deliberately photocopy WHOLE books because they can. They have access to a photocopier and will keep pressing that green button. I have also witness former colleague's indignation at having the copyright laws being pointed out to them when they have asked support staff to photocopy WHOLE books. And these books could be obtained quite easily if the person so desired. Having the law pointed out to them, it wasn't a case of taking note and changing practice, but they ended up photocopying the whole book themselves, surreptitiously.

Generally, those working in the educational industry are more than aware of the laws and obey them. Where licence conditions are breached it is often inadvertent. The converting videos to DVD format is one where my current school has possibly thought that it would nice to have the videos in the collection converted to DVDs, but didn't look into whether using the technology (the good old DVD burner) is actually breaching the law.

Some investigation and being cognizant of the parameters within which educators are allowed to operate needs to happen in order to ensure that this practice is falling within the law.

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

Brilliantly animated and thought-provoking talk on education.

Transliteracy and Participatory Librarianship Talk by Buffy Hamilton

Buffy Hamilton's interesting discussion on the range of ways in which as teacher librarians we can invite greater participation and build a community with our users whilst engaging with the idea of transliteracy. A lot to think about.

Tearing Down the Walls

Belatedly doing some reading Dianne Oberg's editorial in School Libraries Worldwide 'Taking the Library Out of the Library into the school (13(2) 2007 i-ii - put forward some interesting ideas. Having struggled with what can be a isolating role - being new at a school, being tied to the library when staff on breaks as students are using the library - I would love to tear down the walls and have a roving role throughout the school. ALl the readings suggest that the teacher librarian has enormous potential and power to positively affect student learning outcomes and teaching - the role is vital, multidimensional, complex, central and so on. So I aspire to take on Oberg's challenge to expand the impact and function of the library beyound its walls. Three suggestions

1) coordination of all teaching resources not just library resources 2) technology provisioning to beceom 24/7 not just within the library 3) proactively address and help with strategies for school issues

Now I just have to find the time and the energy. But where there is a will, there is a way.

Great April Fool's Day Joke

Many thanks to Judy on her fabulous heyjude.wordpress blog for sharing the laugh.

A historical Perspective

• Select the best books, list them elaborately, save them forever - was the sum of the librarians' creed of yesterday. Tomorrow it must be, select a few of the best books and keep them, as before, but also, select from the vast flood of print the things your constituency will find helpful, make them available with a minimum expense, and discard them as soon as their usefulness is past. (Dana, 1914, p. 73) As quoted by Cromer Donna E., 'Special Libraries Association - The Importance of Leadership' in Journal of Library Administration, on-line publication 02 December 2009.

I just love this quote - it is so fascinating that the issues have not really changed over the past century. That as long ago as 1914 (or as recently) the view of information being a "vast flood" and that the management of the information changes the role of the librarian. Curating the collection is going to become as much an issue as selection and acquisition.

Information Overload

After struggling with assignments this image TOTALLY resonates with me.