The world knows Hawaii as a tropical paradise, but for a select few, it’s home. As the nation’s only statewide public education system, the Hawaii State Department of Education is committed to leveraging the latest technologies to meet the needs of students in the 255 public schools spread across eight main islands.
In a climate of austerity and collaboration amongst school library media programs, School Library Services launched a statewide shared ebook collection. Leveraging the deep and seamless integration of Library•Solution for Schools system will make the discovery and accessibility to the extensive collection of fiction and nonfiction ebooks, audiobooks and embedded audio books available 24/7 for academic and personal reading pursuits.
The Hawaii State Department of Education will rely on Library•Solution for Schools to integrate with an array of curated K12 electronic databases and bring equitable access of national and global resources to the fingertips of students. These resources promote information literacy and the Hawaii Common Core standards through search skills, close reading of age appropriate text complexity, ethical use of technology and citation of digital resources.
The school library media programs support and enhance the curricula of every classroom and extend access to resources beyond library walls. Each school library media program prides itself on promoting active learning and curating educational and enrichment materials that foster a love of reading and develop a new generation of successful and contributing global citizens.
Aligned to their school’s goals, Leilehua High School librarians Jenny Yamamoto and Yvonne Lau are re-imagining the library as a learning commons space focused on three words: Relevant, Supported, and Self-Reliant. A revamped library space includes two group study rooms, in-library laptop checkouts, a comfortable reading area, a tech help desk and technology in each alcove to support students in the digital age.
Focusing on developing strong research skills, Aina Haina Elementary librarian Shelley Lau collaboratively works with teachers on the Student Showcase, a fifth grade culminating research project around the central theme, “Our choices define who we become.” Designed to apply information literacy, oral communication and teamwork skills, the project allows students to synthesize information gathered from print, online sources, and interviews towards a variety of self-selected research topics such as bullying, caring for the environment, peer pressure, and spending money wisely. Using online collaborative suites, students asynchronously share their findings with the larger Aina Haina community.
TLC celebrates the work of Hawaii State Department of Education’s school libraries and is proud to support their mission with the Library•Solution for Schools automation system.
