I. General Information
School Name: NLPS Libraries
School District: SD#68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Inquiry Team Members: Erin.Lawson@sd68.bc.ca, April.Hilland@sd68.bc.ca, Wendy.Roberston@sd68.bc.ca, Danielle.St Jules@sd68.bc.ca, Sara.Stone@sd68.bc.ca, Ashley.Roth@sd68.bc.ca, Kimmy.Birkand@sd68.bc.ca, Stephen.Walsh@sd68.bc.ca, Tracy.Sannes@sd68.bc.ca, Kristin.Singbeil@sd68.bc.ca, Liz.Laforest@sd68.bc.ca, Kim.Dawson@sd68.bc.ca, Laura.Jacobs@sd68.bc.ca, Heidi.Fargo@sd68.bc.ca, JanelleTenHave@sd68.bc.ca, Natalie.Stewart@sd68.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: jenn.patternregier@sd68.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Not applicable
Focus Addressed: Community-based learning, Self-regulation, Social and emotional learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Library Learning Commons as Safe Spaces for Students.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Teacher Librarians are unique in that there is only one Teacher Librarian in each school, district-wide. We have unique needs for our own learning, and truly learn better when we are together. A study in the USA noted that 9/10 LGBTQ youth feel that the library is a safe place, while only 4/10 LGBTQ students feel that the classroom is a safe place. How do our students feel in the library? What makes a space feel safe? We surveyed students for words that described our libraries. The top 5 words were: cozy, organized, interesting, warm and big. We also asked students, “Do you feel safe and supported in the Library”. Of the 533 students who answered the survey, 457 said yes and 76 said no. We would need to dig a bit more to inquire why they said no. Our hunch is that one location had a large no response, and is in need of an update in the space. However, there are still students who say no.
Focus: We knew that physical space matters. We wanted to find a way to connect and learn from being in a physical space, what makes a space special. The Library Learning Commons is the hub of a school, and despite working in isolation, the fact that the library is the heart of the school unites us and is a universal truth. Why is that?
Hunch: We have a hunch that spaces that are planned with intention, impact student success. We also believe that having one teacher connect with students from K-7 and understand the continuum of growth amongst students, is essential for belonging.
New Professional Learning: Our new professional learning was a Library Bus Tour! We toured 5 libraries in our district via school bus, and learned by visiting various sites across the district. We made observations and then shared our observations with the group, and used the data collected as evidence in determining our next steps in advocacy for School Libraries across our district. We had many professional conversations on the tour, conversations that would not have happened had we not had this opportunity.
Taking Action: The challenge for Teacher Librarians is to make connections with each other as we are only specialists in a building, so the act of connecting is important. Despite this challenge, we all have similar experiences with our school communities, and our scan showed that almost all students felt safe in the library. By planning time to connect and spend a whole day together in a space, we were able to have valuable discussions about our spaces and why students feel safe.
Picture description: Picture of Teacher Librarians from Nanaimo Ladysmith SD 68, on a library bus tour.
Checking: We realized that we need to meet more often to check in with each other and give updates about successful ways to create a safe space. After we went on our school library tour, we did not check in regularly. Developing a structure and routine, like meeting monthly to talk about safe spaces, will help us continue to check in. It’s more important for us to do this, especially as we are isolated in different sites.
Reflections/Advice: We learned that we are “better together” and for the 2024-2025 school year we are creating a “common collaboration time” within our schedules so that we can connect virtually, if needed. By creating a space for collaboration across the district we are enabling continuous development instead of a “one and done” approach.