The roles of the school librarians as information literacy specialists

2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 314-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Lo ◽  
Joyce Chao-chen Chen ◽  
Zvjezdana Dukic ◽  
You-ra Youn ◽  
Yuji Hirakue ◽  
...  

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine and compare the different roles and expectations of the school librarians as information literacy (IL) instructors between Hong Kong, Japan, Shanghai, South Korea, and Taipei. School librarians are not merely managers of the school libraries nowadays; they are also expected to serve as administrators, teaching consultants, information specialists and IL teachers, etc. Unfortunately, in many countries, especially in Asia, there has always been a lack of understanding on the parts of the classroom teachers and school administration about their role as IL specialists in the public school system. Design/methodology/approach – The school librarians in Hong Kong, Japan, Shanghai, South Korea and Taipei were invited to take part in a questionnaire survey. A total number of 466 self-completed questionnaires were collected from all 5 regions. Findings – The results indicated that the school librarians in both Taipei and South Korea outperformed the other regions, in terms of the scope and extent of duties and responsibilities these school librarians undertook as IL skills instructors. The staffing and organizational structures amongst the school libraries in Taipei also tended to be far more affluent and “departmentalized” in comparison to the other four regions. Results also indicated that the amount of IL instructions carried out by the school librarians were directly proportional to the frequencies of collaborations the school librarians carried out with other subject teachers as well as the extent the librarians themselves could contribute to the curriculum as both information consultants and curriculum facilitators. Finally, the amount and level of reference duties performed by these school librarians for supporting the teaching of other subject teachers was another factor contributing to the overall success of IL instructions programmes being carried out. Originality/value – The complex interactions of global trend and local responses in education system cannot easily be understood without the use of comparative studies (Arnove and Torres, 1999). The value of comparative studies lies in its potentials in highlighting the strengths and deficiencies of the education systems being examined and thereby identifying valuable features of both foreign and local systems, as well as exposing defects for necessary improvements. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of cross-regional comparative research on IL programmes carried out via school libraries in East Asia. This study aims to provide a cross-analysis of empirical data collected in five different regions in East Asia for examining the issues of the role of the school librarians as IL skills specialists, by looking at their relationships with other colleagues as well as their role as curriculum facilitator within the school community as a whole.

Author(s):  
Annie Tam ◽  
Samson Choi ◽  
Anica Tkalcevic ◽  
Zvjezdana Dukic ◽  
Joy Xiaobing Zheng

The study explores library programs in primary and secondary schools in Croatia and Hong Kong. The aim is to find what library programs the school libraries in Croatia and Hong Kong run in their schools, how these programs affect students’ learning and what are similarities and differences between school libraries in Croatia and Hong Kong. The study findings show that school libraries on both locations run programs to support students’ reading and to enhance their information literacy and research skills. School library programs in Croatia and Hong Kong include some similar components but also differ in some respects in approach and content. School librarians in Croatia involve wider community engagement while school librarians in Hong Kong apply technology for collection development and library instruction. Library programs in schools in both locations transcend the school walls and reach beyond the school curriculum as well.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniella Smith

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine student perceptions of flipped learning lessons designed to teach information literacy skills. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method design was implemented using a paper-based survey and an online focus group. The survey asked questions about the participants’ perceptions of the flipped lessons. The focus group was used to clarify the participants’ responses to the survey questions. Findings A majority of the students enjoyed completing the lessons. Responses also indicated that a majority of the students felt that the lessons helped them prepare for class. However, issues with computers and internet connectivity at home resulted in some of the students completing the lessons before or after school. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to a class of 21 students enrolled in a public school in North Texas. Originality/value There is limited research supporting the value of flipped learning in relation to the technology implementation role of school librarians. This study provides insights into how school librarians can develop flipped learning lessons in collaboration with classroom teachers to improve the information literacy skills of students.


Significance They are difficult to defend and therefore a tempting target. Beijing might try to seize them as a way to frighten and demoralise Taiwan's government or as preparation for an assault on Taiwan itself. Impacts A successful attack might embolden China to seize islands claimed by Japan and South-east Asian states. Western sanctions imposed in response to such an attack would be significantly more aggressive than those related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Japan would take the possibility of war with China more seriously and strengthen its defence capabilities more vigorously. A weak US response would shake Seoul's confidence in US protection and could make South Korea more likely to develop nuclear weapons.


2019 ◽  
pp. 78-99
Author(s):  
Cees Heere

Victory over Russia established Japan as the leading power in East Asia, and inaugurated a period during which its economic and political influence in the region sharply expanded. This chapter explores these shifts in the regional order from the perspective of both British policymakers in London, and from that of the British communities in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the other ‘treaty ports’ scattered along the China coast. For many, Japan, came to represent a challenge to British hegemony in China that manifested itself on a racial as well as on the commercial or political fronts. The chapter goes on to analyse the efforts of the ‘Shanghailanders’ to mobilize British policy to constrain Japanese power in the region through public campaigns and political manoeuvring. In the process, it demonstrates how treaty port residents articulated their own vision on Britain’s imperial future in Asia.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniella LaShaun Smith ◽  
Tandra L. Tyler–Wood

PurposeThis study examines the results of a STEM unit taught in an elementary school library, with 26 fourth-grade students as the participants.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental design was used. The relationships between the independent variable gender and the perceptions of familial support structures and academic achievement were examined.FindingsFor the entire group, the average academic achievement scores of the participants increased. The increase was not statistically significant. The male students had a statistically significant improvement in their academic achievement scores, and there was a statistically significant decrease in the academic achievement scores of the female students. An increase in the female students' belief that their family was interested in their science classes was correlated with a decrease in their academic achievement scores.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size for this study is small, and the results are not generalizable. Open-ended questions were not included in the data collection instruments. Therefore, it cannot be determined why the overall academic scores may have decreased for female students. Further research is encouraged.Practical implicationsThe results of this study show the potential for STEM activities in school libraries. School librarians can provide students with low-risk, informal learning environments to practice new skills.Social implicationsLibraries equalize the availability of resources that otherwise may not be available to populations underrepresented in STEM careers. School librarians have the potential to serve as much needed STEM role models. The availability of STEM activities in school libraries can make it possible for more students to understand what STEM careers are interesting to them.Originality/valueThere are very few studies to examine the results of STEM activities implemented in school libraries that use quasi-experimental or experimental research designs. This study adds to the corpus of research that can be used to support the preparation of students for STEM careers with activities in school libraries.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniella Smith ◽  
Misty Shea ◽  
Wei-Ning Wu

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to examine youth service librarians’ use of collaborative collection development (CCD) behaviors and interlibrary loan (ILL) to collaborate with school librarians. Design/methodology – A quantitative design was implemented with a self-administered survey that was placed online. Findings – Public youth services librarians in the USA believe it is important to collaborate with school librarians. However, they are not frequently using collaborative resource sharing strategies. Public youth services librarians that have more experience, understand trends and issues in school libraries and feel they have knowledge of collaborative strategies are more likely to engage in collaborative resource sharing. Research limitations – The study was limited to 265 public librarians serving youth in the USA. This study does not present the perspectives of school libraries. Social implications – CCD and ILL between public and school libraries are overlooked practices for building relationships between public and school librarians that should be explored. Presenting the benefits of these strategies during training programs may increase the resources that youth can access, thus having an overall impact on the quality of life in communities. Collaborating will also help communities understand the value of libraries as institutions for promoting lifelong learning. Originality/value – The results provide evidence that public youth service librarians in the USA believe in the importance of collaborative relationships with school librarians. However, they do not frequently use ILL or engage in CCD behaviors with school librarians. Using ILL and CCD are two strategies that may be used to build stronger relationships.


1974 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Burrows ◽  
J. A. Mann ◽  
D. Goodridge

SUMMARYSeven viruses isolated from outbreaks of swine vesicular disease in various countries between 1966 and 1973 were compared in pigs and infant mice. All produced a similar disease and virus excretion pattern in the pig, although the Italy/66 virus was considerably less virulent than the other viruses. The results of cross neutralization tests of convalescent pig sera and the response of 5-day-old mice to intraperitoneal inoculation indicated minor differences between some viruses. The Italy/66, Hong Kong/71 and France/73 viruses differed from each other and also from the Italy/72, England/72, Austria/73 and Poland/73 group of viruses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-419
Author(s):  
Sungwook Min ◽  
Namwoon Kim ◽  
Carlos Lo

Purpose The purpose of this study provides the enhancing factors of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and examines their differential effects on corporate social performances for business-stakeholder groups (i.e. investors, employees, suppliers and customers) and public-stakeholder groups (i.e. communities and the environment). Design/methodology/approach This study uses a differenced-equation model to test the differential effects of CSR-enhancing factors. The study tests the impact of each factor controlling the effects of the other CSR-enhancing factors in one multivariate analysis with survey data of 776 small and medium-sized enterprises from Hong Kong. Findings This study finds that firms give more CSR efforts for public stakeholders than for business stakeholders as firms’ financial resources, institutional conformity and their perceived regulatory pressure increase. On the other hand, firms provide more CSR efforts for business stakeholders than for public stakeholders when such efforts are based on their strategic motivation. Originality/value The main contribution of this study is to clarify diverse CSR-enhancing factors for different stakeholders, in particular, business vs public stakeholders, thus to help firms understand the effective ways to increase CSR actions for specific target stakeholder groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 817-829
Author(s):  
Beulah Pereira ◽  
Kevin Teah ◽  
Billy Sung ◽  
Min Teah

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct an in-depth interview with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Larry Jewelry, a luxury jeweller with boutiques in Hong Kong and Singapore. Given the ever-evolving luxury jewellery market in South East Asia, it is paramount to understand the success factors of the luxury jewellery sector. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth interview approach is used to understand the antecedents of the success of the luxury jewellery sector. Specifically, this paper presents a complex business model of Larry Jewelry and an in-depth interview with the CEO of Larry Jewelry for current insights in the sector. Findings This paper highlights the history of Larry Jewelry, its product segments and the key elements of its business blueprint. Specifically, the success of Larry Jewelry is attributed to its business model and strong branding on quality, craftsmanship, rarity, human interaction and trust. Originality/value Despite the substantial growth in the luxury jewellery sector, there is relatively little research on the success factors of this industry, especially in South East Asia. The current research provides practical insights into business blueprint of a successful luxury jeweller in Hong Kong and Singapore.


Significance Inbound and outbound Asian tourism has exploded over the last 20 years, especially in East and South East Asia. However, the sector faces challenges. Impacts Supporting tourism, Asia hosts three Olympics in a row -- South Korea 2018 (winter games), Tokyo 2020 (summer) and Beijing 2022 (winter). Tourism is a key source of exports and dollars; if Cambodia is hit by sanctions after its disputed election, tourism could cushion GDP. In ten years the UN sees India's population overtaking China's, making Indian travellers key to East and South-east Asian tourism.


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