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It Takes More than Computers... Libraries in the Information Age
By Jamie McClelland Youth Access Coordinator Libraries for the Future There have been intensive efforts the last few years to provide access to computers for students. While noble in purpose, if done in a simplistic way these efforts make the incomplete assumption that computers plus students equals education. Often lost in this equation -- witness how quickly youth discover computer games and chat rooms -- are curriculum and context. To meet these needs, Libraries for the Future has developed Youth Access, a curriculum using computers and the Internet, designed to be used in libraries or other information centers. Implemented to date in two branch libraries in Oakland, California (Oakland Public Library) and Newark, New Jersey (Newark Public Library) as well as a community center in Harlem, New York (Minisink Townhouse), Youth Access emphasizes that computers are tools that can be used to accomplish educational goals -- developing communications and leadership skills. Building a solid curriculum Adapted in different ways to meet local needs, all Youth Access sites share certain characteristics: Youth Access places computers and the Internet in an educational context. The "shopping-mall" metaphor seems to be taking over from that of the "library" to describe the Internet. But, by basing the programs in the library or by making frequent use of it, Youth Access places Internet use in the context of getting and sharing information. One activity, Access Virtual Tours, asks students to find certain information from the World Wide Web and fill out an online form with answers. This activity is conducted together with a non-virtual worksheet asking students to find information in print materials. By combining these activities, participants see the Internet as one of many information tools. Youth Access is not a computer program. Computers and the Internet are not ends in themselves, they are means to an end. For Youth Access, the goal is for youth to express their opinions about their communities. The Internet and computers are a vital source of information and communication and also provide, through the World Wide Web, an excellent publishing medium. From a curriculum perspective, Youth Access is more than that -- it's a journalism-based leadership and communications program that uses computers and the Internet. Information and communication are inseparable. Computers and the Internet have not only revolutionized the way we receive information, they also have the potential to democratize people's ability to communicate and create their own media. Youth Access encourages student use of free web-based e-mail, and teaches youth how to edit their articles and format them for the Web -- enabling students to be producers as well as receivers of information. A good program involves the community. All Youth Access sites involve partnerships with other community-based programs. In Newark, the program works with Making Healthy Music and Communities in Schools, in Oakland with the Friends of the Oakland Public Library, and in Harlem with the Harlem Partnership Center. Placing computers in front of students, particularly students from low-income households who might not otherwise have access to them, is vitally important, but not enough. Youth Access, by combining solid curriculum with a library context using computers, creates a powerful learning environment for young people. If You're Building Your Organization's Own Curriculum
For more information, contact Jamie McClelland, Libraries for the Future, 121 W. 27th Street, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10001, telephone (212) 352-2330 or (800) 542-1918, fax (212) 352-2342, e-mail jamiem@lff.org or lff@lff.org. Web site: www.lff.org. |
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