Service-learning, where students use what

they learn in the classroom to help solve

real-life community problems, is gaining
momentum in education. As a school library
media specialist, you play an integral role
in connecting your media center to the
local community. One of the best ways you
can accomplish this is to collaborate with a
classroom teacher and assist students with
their service-learning projects. The media
specialist is in an ideal position to help
students conduct research on community
issues, use research findings to promote
critical thinking skills, offer students the
opportunity to evaluate and reflect on their
projects, and use the media center for service
learning presentations.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICE-LEARNING?

WHAT IS SERVICE-LEARNING?

5. Foster civic responsibility.

Service-learning has been defined by the

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
as "a teaching and learning strategy that
integrates meaningful community service
with instruction and reflection to enrich the
learning experience, teach civic responsibility,
and strengthen communities. Service
learning projects may include students from
K-12. The media specialist may work with a
group of students, one or more classes, or
the entire school. Students can integrate
what they have learned during their library
sessions and apply it in a real-life situation in
the local community.

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LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

Successful service-learning collaborative

efforts between the school library media
specialist and the classroom teacher have some
common characteristics:
1. Design, implement, and evaluate a service
learning activity in the local community.
2. Conduct research in the media center to
determine local issues faced by organizations.
3. Enhance academic skills.
A. Provide structured time for student
reflection to think, talk, and write about their
service-learning project.

Service-learning is not:
1. A volunteer program
2. Only for high school students
3. One sided/only benefiting the student

or community

EXAMPLES OF SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECTS

Elementary school students: picture book
giveaway. Students conduct research in the
library on the importance of reading at a young
age. Donated picture books in good condition
are collected by students and brought to the
media center. Throughout the school year,
picture books are sent to a local public library
to be given out free to younger patrons.
Middle school students: senior bookmobile.
Locate information on the Internet regarding
literacy and the elderly. Select books that
appeal to this age group, such as mysteries,
westerns, or biographies. Students can collect
discarded library books from school and public
librarians. Have book donations dropped off
at the school library media center. Transport
books to the elderly, and let them check out
books. Go back on a monthly basis to collect
and check out more books.
High school students: community health
fair. Students visit the library and research
the health problems that result when poor
nutrition occurs, and then organize a Saturday
community health fair in the school gym. The
fair features speakers such as the school nurse
and a hospital nutritionist. Brochures created
by the students will be distributed to all
visitors. The media specialist can offer to help
by funding the printing costs of the brochures.
Novem ber,/Decern ber 2014

A community organization
benefits from the service
being offered, and it
is a powerful learning
experience for students.
THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST

Collaborating with the classroom teacher.

To help each student achieve success in their
service-learning project, the media specialist
must work closely with the classroom teacher.
a. Meet with the teacher to preplan service
learning activities.
b. Arrange for scheduled class visits to the library.
Preliminary questions. During a scheduled
library visit, ask students questions to help
them become more focused on the service
learning project they would like to be
involved in.
a. What would you like to do to help your
community?
b. What is a major goal you would like to achieve?
c. What could you do th at would benefit the
most people in the area?
d. Are there other students who would join you?
e. What services can I, as a media specialist,
provide to help you be successful?
Research assistance. A service-learning
project gives students the chance to have a
real-life connection w ith a local community
need. Students should select a community
issue th at interests them. The library media
specialist can offer research assistance. Some
possible areas of interest might include safety,
the environment, health and wellness, or
senior citizens.
N o v e m b e r /D e c e m b e r 2014

Media specialists must work with individual

students to help them locate Internet sources
on their local community partner:
a. Locate the contact information of the
organization th at students have selected.
b. Browse authoritative websites to obtain
information and become familiar with the
organization.
c. Know how to access local public libraries on
the Internet for additional books, journals,
and databases.
SERVICE-LEARNING BENEFITS:THE UNIQUE ROLE OFTHE
SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST

The media specialist can play an important

role in helping students during any phase of
the service-learning project so their goals are
achieved, classroom learning is enriched, and
a positive relationship between the school
library and the community is enhanced.
Benefits of a service-learning project include:
1. Develops a positive relationship
between the library media center and
the community. Service-learning projects
supported by the school library media center
help students engage in activities th at
address community needs.
2. Improves academic performance. In a 2002
national study conducted by the Learn
and Serve America program, it was found
th at successful service-learning programs
improved academic grades, increased
attendance rates, and sharpened problem
solving, research, and computer skills.
3. Enhances the classroom curriculum.
Because students are so actively involved
in a service-learning project, they will gain
new skills by working directly within the
community. Information found through
research can be applied to a real-life situation.

4. Encourages teamwork. Students often work

together to achieve a common goal in order
to meet their community partners needs.
Students learn to communicate better, make
decisions, and establish leadership skills.
5. Helps develop future career goals. When
students graduate from high school, they will,
eventually, look for a job. When they do, the
employer will be impressed by a young adult
who has been involved in a service-learning
program. This experience can be on a resume,
mentioned during an interview, and provide
students with future career choices.
6. Promotes civic responsibility. In our society,
people need to work together as well as look
out for each other. When students get the
opportunity to work side by side to help
community members, they become civicminded individuals.
7. Breaks down preconceived prejudices. A
service-learning program puts students in
touch with people they might not normally
meet. Being involved in a real-life situation
enables students to identify biases they
might hold.
8. Encourages reflection. To help students in
the process of reflecting on their experiences
and how the community project has enriched
their lives, provide them with journals (e.g., ten
sheets of notebook paper stapled together).
9. Involves students in a real-life situation.
Students gain new knowledge and skills by
working directly with the local community. A
service-learning project can have a significant
effect on a student's academic performance,
self-esteem, and civic role in society.
10. Offers opportunities for mentoring
students. The school library media specialist
is in an excellent position to mentor students.
Ways to help students include researching
the local community organization, using
authoritative search engines, keeping
daily journal entries, and having library
discussions about what students experience
in the service-learning environment.
LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

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The media specialist may work with a group of students, one or more classes, or the
entire school. Students can integrate what they learned during their library sessions
and apply it in a real-life situation in the local community.
REFLECTION STAGE IN SERVICE-LEARNING
One important component of service-learning is the reflection stage. Students can look back
on their service-learning experience and understand how they have made a contribution to the
community. The library media specialist can focus on the reflection process by doing the following:
- Provide opportunities for students to think, talk, or write about their experiences.
- Help students connect their service experiences to their class work, the school library, and
the community.
- Assist students so they can understand how the project was personally relevant to them.
- Re-examine the critical issue related to the project and decision-making strategies that were used.
- Discuss the impact students had on their community.
- Help students reflect on how the service-learning project can allow them to achieve future
career goals.

POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL

No matter what career a student goes into, he
or she will always be a member of a community.
Some projects students might consider are
cleaning up a neighborhood, getting donations
for a homeless shelter, visiting a local senior
center, selling wristbands to help our troops,
organizing a food drive, or scheduling recycling
events in the community.
Service-learning is a dynamic process. A
community organization benefits from the
service being offered, and it is a powerful
learning experience for students. Having
a school library media specialist on board
will provide meaningful experiences for the
students and teachers, and help strengthen ties
between the school library and the community

EVALUATE THE SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT

At the end of the project, the media specialist can assess students in the following ways:
- Have a class discussion on the students experiences; share journal entries.
- Distribute a handout w ith the following questions for students (share these sheets with the
classroom teacher):
1. How did you decide what issue or problem you were going to work on in your community?
2 . Who helped you the most in the organization?
3. Did your project fulfill its goals and objectives?
4. What was the feedback from your community partner?
5. What effect did your service-learning experiences have on you personally?

TYPES OF COMMUNITY-RELATED EVENTS IN THE MEDIA CENTER

The library media center is an ideal place to set up special events during which students involved
in a service-learning project can make a presentation to an audience. The media specialist
and classroom teacher can help students organize each event and advertise via fliers, school
announcements, social media, or word of mouth. During the event, students reflect on their
experiences and show how their community involvement has impacted their lives. Some activities
students might participate in are:

Works Cited
Barry, Maureen. "Service Learning Librarian" American
Library Association. Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
www.ala.org/nmrt/news/footnotes/february2011/
service_learning_librarian_barry.
Lewis, Barbara A. The Kid's Guide to Service Projects.
Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 2009.
National Commission on Service Learning.
"Characteristics of Service-Learning." No Date.
http://w w w .yc.edu/v5content/gift-center/docs/servicelearning/Characteristics%20of%20SL%20V.4.pdf.
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. "W hat is
Service-Learning." NSLC. 2013. 28 July 2013.
https://www.nationalserviceresources.gov/links/whatservice-learning-nslc.
Prentice, Mary and Gail Robinson. "Improving Student
Learning Outcomes with Service-Learning." American
Association o f C om m unity Colleges. 2010. Web.
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/E D 535904.pdf.

J u lie H arris is the Library Media S pecialist at

Raceland (Kentucky) High School. She m ay be
reached at harris.julie@ raceland.kyschools.us.

- Present a video or PowerPoint presentation, display posters, give speeches, or have panel discussions.
- Display student journals on library tables or the counter for the audience to view.
- Students can write a poem, story, essay, or newspaper article. Some might want to compose a song
or musical piece, or come up with a dance.

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LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION

November/December 2014

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