Researching in a Modern High School Library
Written by Andrew Downie, Teacher Librarian, Fairfield High School
Can I say at the outset, that I am not on the payroll of any company that produces any commercial product mentioned in this blog. I simply mention these products in terms of how I believe that they have assisted the staff and students at Fairfield High School in undertaking their research.
Background:
As a Teacher – Librarian with over 25 years experience in working across 3 different schools, I have, for many years, been concerned about how much our staff and students rely on Google to do their research. In the last few years, this concern has extended to social media sites as well. This concern has been highlighted in a number of U.S. congressional hearings in the last few years particularly in regard to the amount of censorship that has been going on. That is why in 2022, the decision was taken to explore the use of Online data bases at Fairfield High school to overcome these issues.
The procedure:
Over the December/January school holidays of 2022, I took a number of Online data bases from Infobase on a trial basis whereby I could evaluate them from a Teacher – Librarian’s point of view. We already subscribed to Links Plus from Weblinks, who along with their data base, provide a tailored research service as part of their subscription. This research service is particularly useful when looking for Australian content as the data bases from Infobase are American based.
Once I returned to school in late January 2023, I held a series of meetings with various Head teachers to evaluate these same data bases from a subject specialist’s point of view. Having done that, the school Library then subscribed to a number of those same data bases.
In evaluating these data bases, one has to keep several factors in mind. These include:
They have to be affordable ie within the Library budget.
They have to be fully integrated with the library management system through Federated Search. In my school we use Oliver. One needs a single-sign on so that users do not have to remember 2,3, or 4 different passwords. By adopting this stance, users would be able to access the data bases at school and at home through their staff/student portal.
The decision as to whether to subscribe to a particular data base would be made by the Teacher – Librarian and the relevant Head Teacher as the subject specialist. This is most important. The Library covers the cost of the data bases, because several of the databases cover more than one subject area. Ie they are cross curricula.
The data bases have to have an administrators website where usage can be monitored.
A Problem:
Once the data bases were introduced, I took it upon myself to demonstrate the use of the data bases to both students and staff. The problem was that students suffered from information overload. For example, with a Year 9 class in Term 1 2023 who were studying the novel: “To Kill a Mockingbird” we came up with over 400 references. Far too many references for our students to decide which references were the most appropriate.
The Solution.
At Fairfield High School, we market our data bases as follows.
I ask our teachers for copies of the research tasks a few weeks in advance. Then as the Teacher- Librarian I design, in consultation with classroom teacher, a tailored research guide for each task.
In Oliver, there is a feature known as Learn Path. We pay a small fee to Softlink, the manufacturers of Oliver, to upload each guide to Learn Path. If you have better ICT skills than I do, you can learn how to do this yourself. I prefer the former method as it allows for consistency of approach with the guides and often further material is added that has been included by teachers from other schools who have uploaded their tasks.
Once the task is uploaded to Oliver, I then check the task to see that all the links work. Sometimes minor adjustments are needed.
Once that is done, as Teacher – Librarian, I then take the relevant class (es) and explain to the students how to use the research guide. Typically, the guide consists of the set question, other questions which help the students to unpack the assessment task, links to some relevant articles in the databases and relevant YouTube videos.
By adopting these practices, I have seen the use of the guides by the students sky rocket. (see below) Bear in mind that this is not a one year strategy, but will take place over many years and be constantly modified depending on the assessment tasks being set by our teachers.
By following this approach, the tasks are there for all classes over several years unless the task needs to be modified. Thus I do not have to constantly reinvent the wheel.
In early 2024, after preparing several research guides, I launched a campaign to offer this service to all faculties across the school. The benefit was clear: the library could now meet the needs of students and staff better than ever before, offering easy access to curated, subject-specific guides that could be accessed from anywhere through Learn Path.
By the end of 2024, there are over 30 subject-specific guides available in Oliver. These guides support students by helping them conduct quality research—a skill often overlooked, yet one that teacher-librarians are trained to foster.
Results
The introduction of Learn Path and these tailored research guides has yielded some impressive results:
Improved Student Engagement and Research Skills:
Students who once viewed me simply as a librarian now appreciate my role as an educator. Their approach to research has improved, and they understand the value of credible sources beyond Google or social media. This has led to better behaviour and focus in the library, as well as reduced stress around assignments.
Many students have started asking for similar research guides in other subjects, demonstrating the practical utility and demand for this resource. This level of student engagement is a clear indicator that the guides are helping students take ownership of their learning.
Empowering Teachers with High-Quality Resources:
Teachers have also benefited. During faculty meetings, I’ve introduced the guides to staff, with several head teachers praising their quality. Some even use the references for their own professional learning, reinforcing the value of Learn Path for teachers as well.
Creating Faculty Competition and Engagement:
A friendly competition has emerged between some head teachers, with each trying to ensure their students make the most use of the guides. This rivalry is encouraging greater faculty involvement and interest in expanding the use of Learn Path across the school.
Increased Usage: Learn Path’s success is also measurable through Oliver’s reporting function, which tracks guide usage. Since November 2023, we’ve seen a steady rise in activity, particularly between April and August 2024, when we created and taught over 30 guides. This data will be invaluable when reviewing future budgets, ensuring we can justify the investment in both online databases and Learn Path.
EXPLANATION OF LEARNPATH FIGURES:
The graph above plots the usage of the Learn Path guides from 1st November 2023 to 1st December 2024.
The attached spreadsheet plots the usage figures for several guides for each month from November 2023 to November .
In the monthly figures you will see a number of Zeros. This can be explained by the fact that either the assessment task has not yet been given to the students or the fact that students have submitted their assessment task.