Not Only an Idea, Not Only

Functions. But also a Room.

C. C. Rasmussen

Ennis, 26th March, 2012

• Chairman of the Danish School Librarians 1999 –

• Master of Education (MeD), Childrens Literature

• Teacher at a new school for 7th – 9th class

• School librarian in Tønder

• Worked from 1975 – 2011 at a public school

• Publischer`s Reader at Rosinante & Co.

• Rewiever at ”Folkeskolen”, teachers trade union

The Danish Primary Education Act stipulates that all

independent public schools must have a school library.

That means

• SL is a central part of the school`s learning environment

and acts as the school`s informative, educationel and

innovative learning centre.

• SL supports the purposes of the public school and

contributes to realising the school`s core values,

academic learning targets and other focus areas.

• Together with the teachers and management, the SL

contributes to laying the ground work for teaching,

learning and development.

• Contributing to creating a solid basis for teaching and learning

• Offering educationel advice and counseling

• Making physical and virtual learning instruments available and placing

them at pupils and teachers disposal

• Providing reading counselling

• Organizing activities that present and foster culture, visits by authors,

theatre performances, talks, exhibitions etc.

• Organizing courses in library knowledge, development of information

skills etc.

• Instructing in the use of all media; IT, video, AV recordings use of web

technologies, mobile and internet services etc.

• Collaborating with the school management on the school`s

development

The objects of the association are to work for improved

conditions of employment and education for school librarians

and to seek influence on the development of school libraries

in all its forms.

The association collaborates closely with the trade union for

teachers (Danmarks Lærerforening) and other library

organisations.

The associations co-operates with the Danish Ministry of

Education concerning various development projects.

The association co-operates with the Professional University

Colleges, where the education is located.

That is the state of the affairs just

now.

But there is a change coming on.

Before 1995: The school libraries were bound by law to the Ministry of

Culture. They had their own culture

After 1995: The school libraries are now part of the Danish Primary

Education Act and are bound by law to The Ministry of Education and

are acting like a pedagogic center for services.

2005: The school libraries are now described as learning centers

Oct. 2010: The school librarians are described as learning counsellors

The school is challenged by the development in society and media.

The school has focused on certain media and genres and on certain

technologies and less on how these things together fundamental

changes our ways of communication, of sharing knowledge and how

we learn.

The school library must in general be looked upon as a physical and

virtual room, where there is focus upon the connection between

culture, media and learning.

The school library supports and challenges

• Cultural activities (play and learn)

• Media pedagogic and didactic

• Resources and educational materials (analog and virtual)

• Projects and subjects

• Sharing of knowledge and guidance/counselling

CC`s 9th class 2011:

• Technology that works!!

• The teacher as a mentor

• Lessons with real meaning

• More options and alternatives

• More experienced relevance

a function

a team

a collection

a room

A place for

gathering information

converting information into knowledge

passing on knowledge

The way, that we arrange and organize rooms,

has great impact on how we handle, think and

learn, when we are staying in the rooms.

Unnoticeable the arrangement of the room is

guiding the gathering in certain directions and

has great impact of the choices and values, that

are made

Man has for centuries carved everything up in right angels and our

thinking has decoded the world through “squared glasses”.

We have categorized, classified and put things into boxes.

We build and organize everything in squares, that are placed right-

angled to each other.

The square is solid stocked in our subconscious mind.

The Grid

Organization of the grid

The grid of the moon

The grid of the world

USA

’Agribusiness’,Yuma, Arizona

Athen, Greece

Somerville, Massachusetts

Palm Beach, Florida

Postoffice, Amstedam

Bridgewater, Massachusetts

The library room

Malmø public Library (1997), Henning Larsen

Esbo, public library

A new public library, Denmark

The school library room needs:

More space for development

and presentation of all kind of media

and spaces for exciting the senses

We must create library rooms, that are

dynamic

flexible

creative

www.wemakespace.dk