Virtual School Libraries

A great virtual school library is like any great school library in that it provides opportunities for learners to gain knowledge through provision of thoughtfully selected resources and well developed library programs created by a great teacher-librarian.

Qualities of a Great Virtual School Library:

Joyce Valenza’s “A Webquest About School Library Websites” gives a detailed list of the features and the characteristics to examine when evaluating school library websites. I began exploring various school library websites using her list and found it to be quite useful but very time consuming. With only a week to examine school library websites, as well as other library websites and to locate those qualities that I felt were important involved a more succinct and less encompassing list.

In the end I found that great virtual school libraries are:

· tailored to the needs of the school community it serves
· interactive
· accessible
· easy to navigate
· dynamic
· visually appealing

A virtual school library is representative of the school library itself. The information and online resources it provides are intended to meet the needs of its school community. The pathfinders are designed to support grade specific curriculum and the library catalogue is available to students and staff 24 hours a day. New books in the library are featured, as well as book reviews and book talks. Upcoming events are relayed via online calendars. The site is designed to be inviting and easy to use, with the links being checked on a regular basis to ensure that they are still viable. Students have the opportunity to participate through blogs and wikis, as well as have their projects shared on the website. A school library website allows teacher-librarians to provide for the school community in a greater capacity. As stated by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, “while you can’t clone yourself, you can create an online environment providing virtual resources and services that are available even when you’re busy with other professional activities.” (“The virtual teacher-librarian: establishing and maintaining an effective web presence.” Teacher Librarian. Seattle: Apr. 2008. Vol. 35, Iss. 4)

Some Great Virtual School Libraries:

The virtual school libraries I began with were Canadian and came from school-libraries.net. From this list, my favourites based on ease of use, information provided, and visual appeal were:

· Calgary Middle School Libraries

· Calgary Elementary School Libraries

· Calgary High School Libraries

· DW Poppy School Library

· C.W. Jefferys C.I. Library

It was interesting to note that some sites I explored were virtually identical to others with only the school name changed.

I then looked at those recommended by the course web links and found a couple particularly appealing. These were sites that I would revisit when I create my own school library website.

· Springfield Township High School Virtual Library

· Parkcrest School Library

· Grandview Library

There were many other great library sites that I found by searching with Google. These sites contained a wealth of information with many useful links that I can use for my students. One of these sites is the “Internet Public Library” and the link I find relevant for my students is “KidSpace”:

· The Internet Public Library


Being relatively new to the virtual world, I was impressed by the quantity and quality of virtual school libraries already online. As a venture that we have only recently discussed within my district, I am looking forward to examining more of these sites and then incorporating the best aspects to create a site that would be beneficial to my school’s community of learners.