By Kate Johnson-McGregor
What information literacy skills do students in Ontario need to survive and thrive as they enter post-secondary institutions? Ontario university and college librarians, high school librarians and teacher-librarians and public library staff gathered together to discuss solutions and next steps for easing the transition and bridging the gap!
When I was approached early in 2018 by Sarah Shujah, former president of the Ontario College and University Library Association (OCULA), to represent the Ontario School Library Association (OSLA) in a collaborative, cross-divisional project, I leapt at the opportunity. For years, school and academic librarians have been having conversations when we have the opportunity to connect at Ontario Library Association events: the possibility of launching a real partnership initiative was too good to pass up! Fast forward a year, add a few great colleagues from other invested organizations and amazing support from the OLA staff and we had created the OCULA Spring Conference: Bridge Between: Information Literacy Challenges, Needs and Opportunities for Students’ Transition from High School to University/College.
On Friday April 26th, 2019 a group of eager academic librarians, public librarians, teacher-librarians and library technicians gathered at the library at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) in Toronto to discuss, collaborate and learn from each other. There were a few more than 70 participants, all of whom contributed valuable insights and experiences about how we currently work with young adults transitioning from high school to college and university and how we might improve our current practice. The day was a culmination of creative ideation that had been ongoing for 12 months by a team of keen planners from across divisions of the library world: OCULA , OSLA, CIS (Canadian Independent Schools) and OTELA (Ontario Teacher Education Librarian Association).
The day opened with delicious snacks and an engaging keynote by Dr. Kara Brisson-Boivin, Director of Research at MediaSmarts Canada , who spoke on the impact of digital media on today’s youth, as well as some of the meaningful research currently being undertaken by MediaSmarts. In addition to Dr. Brisson-Boivin, there were five diverse Lightning Talk presentations by current practitioners and stakeholders in the delivery of Information Literacy skills to teens.
Lightning Talks
What’s Up with OSLIP? (Ontario School Library Impact Project) – Heather Buchansky, Student Engagement Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries & Kate Johnson-McGregor, Teacher-Librarian, Grand Erie District School Board
Orienting Grade 12 Students to College & University Libraries: What has Worked (and What has Not!) – Shelagh Straughan, Librarian, Trinity College School
Public Libraries: The Missing Information Literacy Link? – Cathy Duong & Laura Freeman, High School Outreach Librarians, Toronto Public Library
Cats, Dogs and Coffee: First Year Students’ Wants and Needs at McMaster University Library – Anna Flak, Learning Support Librarian & Nicole Doro, Learning Support Co-op Librarian, McMaster University
Every Small Change Helps: How Discussions with Teacher-Librarians Helped Improve Information Literacy Instruction in First-Year Engineering Courses – Tracy Zahradnik, Engineering Librarian, University of Toronto
It was fascinating to hear the different experiences and methods implemented around our province in high schools, college and university libraries and public libraries.
Research skills are the driver of independent learning
and should be taught in ways that promote agency in students.
A foundation of the learning was based in making connections between the Ontario Library Association vision document for school libraries, Together for Learning: School Libraries and the Emergence of the Learning Commons and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, a group of core concepts about the instruction of information literacy (IL) skills in post-secondary institutions. There were interactive activities organized in workshops and teaching redesign scenarios and the blending of groups from different areas of the library world made the learning rich and provoked lots of great discussion. Participants made connections, drew comparisons and developed lessons in mixed groups from all sectors. The energy in the room was electric while people learned and shared. It was exactly the type of collaborative learning experience that is the foundation of library learning commons philosophy. Truly everyone was a learner and everyone was a teacher.
As I reflect on the experience as a conference planner for the OCULA Spring Conference 2019 and member of the dynamic team of professionals who volunteered countless hours to put this day together, I am reminded of the reason I love libraries and the importance of the work we do.
Community
Libraries are places of community. Even when someone is reading silently in a quiet corner, they are part of the greater whole that makes up the space. We help people find resources, access makerspaces, seek out knowledge and sometimes work the photocopier. Libraries are founded in the idea that helping others and being a community is essential in schools, in post-secondary institutions and in cities and towns.
Embracing diversity and equity
The participants for our conference came from all divisions and some from outside libraries – and everyone was welcome and their voices and experiences valued. Libraries are places where diversity and equity are paramount; where learning and understanding are valued, where many perspectives are visible and where people are safe. The planning team worked hard to make everyone feel represented and welcome and I believe (and based on feedback) we were successful.
Love of Learning
The incredible response we got from our participants regarding their enthusiasm for the topic and the opportunity to work together across divisions was outstanding. I love that we are all so passionate about learning – both student learning and lifelong learning as professionals! There is something intoxicating in the buzz of a bunch of librarians getting really excited about Information Literacy – it was a nerdfest of significant magnitude – and we embrace our truth! If learning is wrong, we don’t want to be right!
Open to Possibility…
Finally, planning with the team and the culmination of the conference day reminded me that libraries and library people are open to possibility. We love working through new ideas, forming new relationships and moving into uncharted territory. Bridge Between was the first cross-divisional event planned between OCULA and OSLA (with support from OTELA and CIS) and based on feedback, it won’t be the last.
The theme of the event was Bridge Between and I believe that theme extends beyond the focus of supporting high school students as they move to post-secondary. There were meaningful bridges built between individuals from academic, public and school libraries. Old friends reunited, new bonds were formed and everyone came away with some new ideas.
The OCULA Spring Conference 2019 built the bridge – now we need to explore the possibilities on the other side!
With thanks to the conference planning team:
- Christopher Tomasini, OTELA Co-Chair; Librarian, Lakehead University
- Samhita Gupta, CiS member; Teacher-Librarian, Branksome Hall
- Sophie Bury, Director of Learning Commons & Reference Services, York University Libraries
- Sarah Shujah, Librarian, University of Toronto Scarborough Library
- Emily Burns, Education and Conference Manager, OLA
- Cindy Smith, OCULA President, 2019
- Kate Johnson-McGregor, OSLA Super Conference Co-Planner, Teacher-Librarian, Brantford Collegiate Institute
Session Materials from OCULA Spring Conference
Kate Johnson-McGregor is teacher-librarian at Brantford Collegiate Institute in Brantford, Ontario. She was the 2016 president of the Ontario School Library Association and currently serves as the association’s Super Conference co-planner. Kate is a frequent presenter at library and education conferences and in school districts.