This article was downloaded by: [The University of Manchester Library]

On: 18 November 2014, At: 09:07

Publisher: Routledge
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered
office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Community & Junior College Libraries

Publication details, including instructions for authors and
subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjcl20

Collaboration
a
Michelle L. King
a
Western Kentucky University , Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
Published online: 15 Nov 2010.

To cite this article: Michelle L. King (2010) Collaboration, Community & Junior College Libraries,
16:4, 229-234, DOI: 10.1080/02763915.2010.522932

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763915.2010.522932

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the
“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis,
our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to
the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions
and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,
and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content
should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources
of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims,
proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or
howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising
out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any
substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,
systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &
Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-
and-conditions
 Community & Junior College Libraries, 16:229–234, 2010
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0276-3915 print / 1545-2522 online
DOI: 10.1080/02763915.2010.522932

Collaboration

MICHELLE L. KING
Graduate Student, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 09:07 18 November 2014

This article explores collaboration between library media educators

and regular classroom teachers. The article focuses on the context
of the issue, positions on the issue, the impact of collaboration,
and how to implement effective collaboration into the school sys-
tem. Various books and professional journals are used to support
conclusions throughout. Overall, the author found collaboration
between the two educational fields to be beneficial to all those
involved.

KEYWORDS school libraries

A current global issue that affects all library media specialists and regular
classroom educators is collaboration between the two parties. True collab-
orative efforts can significantly benefit the instruction provided to students
when educators work together to improve curricula. There are many pleas
for collaboration from library media specialists to regular classroom teachers.
Why are these pleas ignored or receive only a half-hearted response? What
are the most effective ways to initiate collaboration? This article focuses on
collaboration between the library media specialist and the regular classroom
teacher, including context, various positions on the issue, the impact of col-
laboration, and how to implement effective collaboration into the school
system.
Collaboration is defined in many different ways throughout the liter-
ature. In the world of library media, collaboration means working with
classroom teachers to plan, carry out, and assess activities that incorpo-
rate information literacy skills. Montiel-Overall defines collaboration as, “a
trusting, working relationship between two or more equal participants in-
volved in shared thinking, shared planning and shared creation of integrated
instruction” (2005). With “vertical” collaboration, the library media specialist
works with classroom teachers to design lessons that enhance the curriculum

Address correspondence to Michelle L. King. E-mail: michelle.murray@wku.edu

229
 230 M. L. King

and learning of students both inside the media center and beyond. Through
working together as a team, collaborators can work together to form an au-
thentic, information based learning program that benefits the unique needs
of each student. According to Montiel-Overall, “When teachers and library
media specialists work together to identify what students need to know about
accessing, evaluating, interpreting, and applying information; when they plan
how and where these skills will be taught and how they relate to content area
learning; when they co-teach so students learn the skills at a time when they
need them; and when they assess the students’ process as they work with
information as well as the end product, they have truly collaborated” (2005).
Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 09:07 18 November 2014

Educators must be taught how to collaborate in order to put it into

successful practice. Pre-service library media specialists should be taught
throughout their preparation courses how to have resources available, put
those resources to use, and actually take part in co-planning lessons. Dick-
inson explains the process in her article, When Does Collaboration Start? (in
Teacher Librarian):

• Cooperation. In the Cooperation stage, school library candidates (students

in school library media preparation programs) would learn ways to pro-
vide resources for teachers and to teach students (PK-12) in the school
library program. Some sample activities might be creating newsletters and
webpages to advocate for school library media programs, learning about
children’s and young adult literature, and learning about information skills
processes including the development of isolated information skills lessons.
• Coordination. When the prepared candidates move to the Coordination
stage, they can apply the content curriculum to the provision of resources
or instruction, or to specific student or teacher needs. Sample activities
might be development of media-graphs based on state curricula, the per-
formance of storytelling or book-talking to PK-12 students, or preparation
of instructional lessons to coordinate with classroom content.
• Collaboration. In order to ensure that library media specialists are prepared
for true collaboration, they must have had at least one true collaborative
experience. Development of a co-planned, co-taught, and co-assessed in-
tegrated information skills unit in conjunction with a practicing classroom
teacher and then taught to PK-12 students provides the only authentic ex-
perience to ensure that candidates are prepared for the job. Many school
library media programs require that the instruction is videotaped so that the
supervised experience can provide the highest level of value as a learning
experience. Because teaching in a library media center is different from
teaching in an enclosed self-contained classroom, some classroom teachers
find the transition to library media specialist difficult (2006).

For today’s 21st century learners, having the ability to read and compre-
hend text in various forms is mandatory. The role of the media specialist is
 Collaboration 231

crucial in guiding reading instruction. The American Association of School

Librarians (AASL) mandates that the media specialist should play a key role
in students’ reading instruction as stated in their mission statement:

School library media specialists are in a critical and unique position to

partner with other educators to elevate the reading development of our
nation’s youth.
Reading skills involve thinking skills. The extent to which young people
use information depends upon their ability to understand what they read,
to integrate their understandings with what they already know, and to
Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 09:07 18 November 2014

realize their unanswered questions. To this end, library media special-

ists model and collaboratively teach reading comprehension strategies:
assess and use background knowledge, pose and answer questions that
are appropriate to the task, make predictions and inferences, determine
main ideas, and monitor reading comprehension as well as the learning
process.
In addition, 21st-century learners must become adept at determining au-
thority and accuracy of information, and analyzing and evaluating that
information to synthesize new knowledge from multiple resources. Li-
brary media specialists model and collaboratively teach these skills and
strategies.
With a deep knowledge of the wide variety of authentic reading materials
available in the school library media center and beyond, the library media
specialist has a key role in supporting print and online reading compre-
hension strategy instruction in collaboration with classroom teachers and
reading specialists. Library media specialists co-design, co-implement,
and co-evaluate interdisciplinary lessons and units of instruction that re-
sult in increased student learning. (AASL 2009)

Implementing collaboration between library media specialists and regu-

lar teachers is a daunting task when one thinks of time constraints, schedul-
ing, expense and willingness of others to work together. However, where
there is a will there is also a way. Russell Shayne maintains that, “Teach-
ers with experience in collaborative planning and teaching view the role of
the library media specialist more positively and welcome continued collab-
oration. Participants believe that the results of the collaboration are more
powerful and significant than the results of their individual efforts” (2004).
Information Power gives seven practical approaches to consider when plan-
ning for collaboration:

• Establish a good relationship with the teachers; be approachable.

• Raise teachers’ expectations of what the school library media program can
do.
• Become an expert on the curriculum’s goals.
 232 M. L. King

• Show the connections between information literacy and content-related

objectives.
• Solicit teachers’ assistance in library media program development.
• Be flexible in expectations and timing.
• Be persistent (2008, 51).

The results of implementing collaboration between library media spe-

cialists and classroom teachers would benefit students, staff, and curriculum.
This would increase the knowledge of information literacy in both students
and educators as well as enhance core curriculum so that it is adaptable to
Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 09:07 18 November 2014

a variety of learning styles. According to Russell Shayne, “Additional ben-

efits include more effective use of both resources and teaching time, inte-
gration of educational technologies, and a reduced teacher/student ratio”
(2004).
In conclusion, collaboration between library media specialists and class-
room teachers benefits the entire learning community. It is the goal of all
educators to put the academic needs of the learners’ first. This equals ver-
tically collaborating, across the fields, to plan meaningful, information rich
lessons that are to the advancement of all learners.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

The American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Educational
Communications and Technology. 1998. Information Power: Building Partner-
ships for Learning. Chicago and London: American Library Association.
Chapter three discusses the importance of library media specialists collaborating
with members of the learning community. The chapter professes that collabo-
ration exists between members of the learning community to ensure that the
needs of students are met both in the library media center and outside its walls.
The text also details how to approach collaborating with teachers in an effective
manner as well as detailing the leadership roles of the LMS.
American Association of School Librarians. 2009. Position Statement on the School
Library Media Specialist’s Role in Reading. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslissues/positionstatements/roleinread
ing.cfm/
This position statement posted by AASL defines the duties of the library media
specialist in regards to their role in students’ reading instruction. The LMS
should be at the head of the reading team when designing plans for instruction.
It aligns leadership roles of the LMS in extending reading comprehension
strategies and in promoting reading for pleasure.
Barnett, Cassandra. 2008. Collaborating Outside the Box. Retrieved December
13, 2009, from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/
knowledgequest/kqwebarchives/v36/363/363barnett.cfm/
This article is a true story about an elementary Library Media Specialist and
her quest for true collaboration through difficult scheduling conflicts. It is an
 Collaboration 233

uplifting article that shows no matter how difficult the situation may be there is
always a way to collaborate.
Buzzeo, Toni. 2006. “Disciplines of Collaboration,” School Library Journal 28, no.
9. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com.libsrv.wku.
edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=102&sid=9a731802–9b3f-408d-a1adaf7adea1cbb2
%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ulh&AN
=7294893/
Buzzeo discusses how to build trust and relationships with regular classroom
teachers without having unrealistic hopes for the beginning stages of col-
laboration. It then goes on to detail how to begin to build partnerships in
elementary and secondary schools. Buzzeo gives LMS’s practical advice when
Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 09:07 18 November 2014

encountering problems during the collaborative process.

Dickinson, Gail. 2006. “When Does Collaboration Start?” School Library Journal 23,
no. 2. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.
com/articles/Dickinson2006v23n2.html/
Dickinson walks the reader through the steps of coordination, cooperation, and
finally, true collaboration between regular classroom teachers and library media
specialists. Dickinson views the process of coordination through collaboration
as a continuum of sorts that a LMS must proceed through before becoming a
successful collaborator. The article also touches on the importance of educating
pre-service library media specialists on the skills necessary for implementing
effective collaboration.
Hassell-Hughes, S., and J. Mancall. 2005. Collaboration from a Planning Perspec-
tive. Collection Management for Youth. Chicago: American Library Association,
66–75.
This chapter discusses collaboration through the perspective of planning for the
media collection. It describes the steps to the collaborative Learner-Centered
Collection Development (LCCD) process so that the media center will have a
well-rounded collection. The input of the collection development committee is
critical to having a collection that fits the needs of all levels of learners in the
learning community.
Inger, Morton. 1993. Teacher Collaboration in Secondary Schools. Retrieved Decem-
ber 13, 2009, from http://vocserve.berkeley.edu/centerfocus/CF2.html/
Inger details the benefits of classroom teacher collaboration with academic, vo-
cational, and special class educators. It also gives examples of what works and
suggestions for making collaboration effective for everyone.
Montiel-Overall, Patricia. 2005. Toward a Theory of Collaboration for Teachers
and Librarians. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://www.ala.org/ala/
mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume82005/theory.
cfm/
This article on the AASL Website, distinguishes between the term collaboration
and cooperation. Four models are listed that help lead readers from merely
working jointly together to having a successful collaborative relationship where
all educators contribute to improving the curriculum.
Schomberg, Janie. 2003. TAG Team: Collaborate to Teach, Assess and Grow.
Retrieved December 13, 2009, from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/tlmag/
v 31/v 31 1 feature.html/
 234 M. L. King

This feature article in the Teacher Librarian Journal gives an example of the
process of beginning, developing, and executing a true unit of collaborative
lessons. It is another uplifting true story of how two educators working to-
gether are better than one.
Shayne, Russell. 2004. “Teachers and Librarians: Collaborative Relationships,” ERIC
Digest. Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://www.ericdigests.org/2001–
2/librarians.html/
Shayne discusses collaboration through the years and gives thee definition of
true collaboration. It also gives the reader what conditions must be available in
order for true collaboration between the library media specialist and the regular
classroom teacher to be able to work in a cooperative manner. The article also
Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 09:07 18 November 2014

discusses the continued commitment to collaboration through three common

goals: collaboration, leadership, and technology.
Small, Ruth. 2002. “Collaboration: Where does it begin?” Teacher Librarian 29,
no. 1. Retrieved December 10, 2009, from http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/
tlmag/v 29/v 29 5 feature.html/
This feature article offers successful examples of teacher/library media special-
ist collaborative efforts that best help students learn. The article also discusses
possible reasons why classroom teachers and media specialists do not collabo-
rate regularly and some possible solutions to remedy the situation. This article
touches on the instruction of pre-service library media specialists and the course
their learning needs to take in order to become prepared collaborators.