“We used to think of a library as a building with stacks of books,” says Skinner, who has served as high school principal of the St. Louis Park, MN, Catholic preparatory school since 2007. “Now we should think of it as a space where people come together to share ideas, be creative, access information, and even read. Instead of thinking of it so literally, we should think of it as a more active space and evolving.”

The expansive use of digital tools at Benilde-St. Margaret’s plays a major role in the success of the “no books” library, Skinner says. Since 2010, the entire school is 1:1, with each student receiving a MacBook plus user access to various online databases including Gale and ProQuest.

Another key to the library’s success? A robust community of neighboring branch and university libraries in the surrounding area. There are 50 public libraries alone in a 15-mile radius of the school, Skinner points out. “We weren’t saying no to hard copy books,” she says. “But let’s not duplicate what public and other libraries have.” The school’s librarian as well as teachers help students to complete requests online for the books they need and want from all of these local branches.

Before distributing the library’s print stacks to local centers and donation sites in Africa, says Skinner, she had teachers comb through the physical books and pull anything they wanted for their curriculums into classrooms. Then she allocated additional funding towards purchasing new and used fiction books in physical form, since her students, Skinner says, actually prefer to read this genre on the printed page like many adults do. These titles, too, went into classrooms.

Today, the library is nearly devoid of books save for a few reference titles and any books that students bring in themselves, Skinner says. She notes, however, that the library still is a work in progress. While it contains some tables and chairs where students can work alone or in groups, Skinner hopes for even more resources. On her wish list? An interactive white board, a big monitor where students “can throw up things on a screen” as they work collaboratively, and even more power stations—although she’s “not convinced” yet that a coffee shop, a popular request from students, is needed.

At the top of the wish list, though, is a new school librarian; filling this role soon is crucial because Moore’s current librarian is retiring after 20 years spent at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Skinner explains. As Skinner combs through the candidates, she is looking for someone who shares her vision that student learning isn’t based solely on digital or physical resources, but a hybrid of both, she says.

“I think I want to be picky,” she adds.  “I want someone who understands the role of a librarian as an instructional partner, an information specialist, a program administrator, and a school leader. I think the role and importance of a librarian and a media specialist is highly underrated. I am excited to get someone with a strong vision.”

Photo by Altrendo Images

Digital research tools have a “mostly positive effect” on students’ work, according to 75 percent of teachers surveyed for a recent report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. But 87 percent of those teachers contend that these technologies also foster an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans,” and 64 percent believe that they “do more to distract students than to help them academically.”

The report, “How Teens Do Research in the Digital World,” was conducted in association with the College Board and the National Writing Project with the goal of exploring how teenagers’ research habits are evolving in the digital age.

Though the Internet offers a plethora of accessible research options, students’ literacy skills “have yet to catch up,” the report’s overview states.

Data for the 115-page report was culled from an online survey of more than 2,000 middle and high school teachers from the advanced placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) communities, along with online and in-person focus groups made up of teachers and students.

Key findings include the following:

“Virtually all (99 percent) AP and NWP teachers in this study agree with the notion that ‘the Internet enables students to access a wider range of resources than would otherwise be available,’ and 65 percent agree that ‘the Internet makes today’s students more self-sufficient researchers.’ ”

“76 percent of teachers surveyed ‘strongly agree’ with the assertion that Internet search engines have conditioned students to expect to be able to find information quickly and easily.”

“Large majorities also agree with the notion that the amount of information available online today is overwhelming to most students (83 percent) and that today’s digital technologies discourage students from using a wide range of sources when conducting research (71 percent).”

“Fewer teachers, but still a majority of this sample (60 percent), agree with the assertion that today’s technologies make it harder for students to find credible sources of information.”

“Given these concerns, it is not surprising that 47 percent of these teachers strongly agree and another 44 percent somewhat believe that courses and content focusing on digital literacy should be incorporated into every school’s curriculum.”