Home > Publications > IASL: School Libraries Worldwide - January 2003

Volume 9, Number 1, January 2003

Theme: Reading in the Age of Harry Potter

Theme Editor: Julie Tallman

A Note from the Editor
Dianne Oberg

The School Library as a Space for Learning
Louise Limberg and Mikael Alexandersson
The aim of the paper is to present findings about the meaning of the school library as a space for learning as experienced by students. This complex aim implies a theoretical framework that consists of a sociocultural perspective on learning and a phenomenological perspective of space. Data were collected through observations, interviews and questionnaires in seven schools (8 to 19 year-old students) during one year. Among the various meanings of the school library emerging from the data analysis are a warehouse for books, a place of leisure and refuge, a place of strict order and quiet, and a service area. The school library also appears as an opaque information system. Conclusions are that the library has potential to support an alternative discursive practice in a school provided that the predominant meaning of the school library as a warehouse for books is challenged by other meanings such as a space for free discourse and intellectual activity as well as a space for collective rather than individual action.

Developing a Self-evaluation Model for English School Libraries
Sarah McNicol
The ability to demonstrate the impact which school libraries have on learning is becoming increasingly important. This article reports on a recent project undertaken in England by the Centre for Information Research (CIRT) on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The project involved a survey of school library staff, teachers and headteachers and resulted in the production of draft self-evaluation models for English school libraries which will allow school librarians to demonstrate to teachers, governors, inspectors and others the contribution that their services can make to teaching, learning and attainment levels. The research team also investigated current evaluation practices and identified a number of issues which need to be addressed to ensure the successful adoption of the models in schools.

Theme Section: Reading in the Age of Harry Potter
Pottermania and the World of Young People's Reading
Theme Editor: Julie Tallman

Motivating the Lifelong Reading Habit through a Balanced Use of Children's Information Books
Ray Doiron
As literacy educators we have a tendency to use mostly fiction books as our chief source of materials for motivating the reading habits of our students. When we examine children's reading interests and the books they choose for their independent reading, we discover that many children enjoy, and even prefer, to read information books. Coupled with students' strong interests in information books is the growing selection of quality children's information books available in today's school's libraries. This article explores the rationale for balancing the use of information books in literacy programs with a focus on how we can use information books to encourage and motivate girls and boys to do more independent reading. Ideas for practical applications of this rationale for both classroom teachers and school librarians are provided in the hope that all elementary literacy teachers will start using more information books to motivate their young readers.

Risk, Safety, and Control in Young People's Reading Experiences
Margaret Mackey
Young people read for many reasons. It is a great paradox that reading can provide a safe environment for experimenting with moral and psychological risk. Alternatively, reading may provide a safe haven in a world of real-life risk. Either way, the reader needs to feel a sense of control over his or her reading matter. Adults who work with young people need to be clear about the importance of this control, and to realize that by attempting to wrest that control away from the young reader, they may wind up devaluing the power of reading in that person's eyes.

The Literature Continuum: The Harry Potter Phenomenon
Rebecca P. Butler
This article discusses the Harry Potter phenomenon as popular culture, and traces the evolution of the literature from children's work to young adult. Additionally, it demonstrates uses of this literature in the school environment with a large number of activities to support this use. Available companion literature is also covered, as is the controversy over the appropriateness of the series for our children.

In Defense of Harry Potter: An Apologia
Nancy Flanagan Knapp
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books are arguably the most popular series ever in children's fiction, but also one of the most controversial. Repeated challenges have led some schools and libraries to remove or ban the books, with even more choosing to avoid problems by simply recommending or using other books. This article presents evidence that Rowling's books should be kept, used, and recommended in libraries and schools because they exemplify three essential qualities of great children's literature: they are intensely engaging; they have significant literary worth, and they raise questions of deep significance to children's social and ethical development.

Last Updated 20 April 2003 (LAC)