The Mission of the AIS-R Library

We've been preparing our kids so long for the 21st century, that before you know it, it will be the 22nd century.  Did educators in the late 19th century try equally hard to live as far into an unknown future as we are today?  Not meaning to sound like a sloganeering heretic, I think it is extremely important to move away from slogans and all things that sound like propaganda and look at what we realistically want for our kids.  The library at AIS-R plays a vital role helping define what this is.

The job of the 21st century  librarian is similar in many ways to what it was 100 years ago.  The role of promoting higher level thinking skills while turning our kids into independent, self reliant users of information has not changed.  Teaching students to become informed citizens, entrusted to make intelligent decisions that will affect the world in which they live, remains paramount.  The things that have changed are the means we now have to promote and enhance what we do.  The rate with which things change -- especially when it comes to technology -- is at best unpredictable.  The highest and best practice, the element of greatest importance is good teaching -- instructing students how to use their minds to think intelligently.  More than anything else, when it comes to all the tech tools we have, we must promote and integrate the tools that are most appropriate.  The library at AIS-R is at the forefront of this recognition -- information alone is not knowledge.  Although we are in the middle of what is constantly referred to as the information age, just imagine that time when Mr. Gutenberg invented the printing press, and how overnight, the world changed - what an information age that created.

To support the library's mission there are necessary prerequisites the AIS-R library, in collaboration with the administration and staff, are doing to insure that our students use the appropriate technology to fulfill our mission.  Of all the technology tools that have come our way in the past two decades, some of the most important and relevant are ones we rely on in the library; 1) our online search catalog, 2) online databases, 3) tools to guide and connect teachers and students like NoodleBib and Turnitin, 4)networked computers that are always available to do research,and are loaded with productivity software like Office, Photoshop, and a variety of others.

Although we must remain current in the technology necessary for our students to be successful, the sacrosanct role of the library has always been and should  remain the promotion of reading and the love of books.  To that end the AIS-R library offers our students an excellent collection of print materials to inspire and guide them in becoming lifelong readers.

Access, availability, and an atmosphere conducive to study, whimsy, and scholarship are extremely important as well.  If, from the earliest age, we are to attract and keep the student's interest, we must instill in them a love for the library - a place that will endure for them as a place of importance the rest of their lives.  To this end the AIS-R library provides multiple places for study and recreational reading.  We open at 7:20 and close at 4pm and the library is open for students and classes all day.  The library is constantly filled with small groups and independent students relaxing with a book, studying or using a computer to do research.

With the tremendous support of the AIS-R Board and administration, the library will continue to be a focal point of the school - the heart, the soul, and the living room of AIS-R.  The library has forever been and remains one of the most respected institutions in the world.  It is the gatekeeper for intellectual freedom, a place to promote lifelong reading habits, and a place to be inspired by a showcase for all human knowledge.

The expectations of our parents and staff for these students are enormous.  To instill a love of learning, to foster the desire to be an educated citizen of the world, to be a lover of books and ideas - these are the enduring legacies the library at AIS-R wish to leave with our students.

Bob Jonas
K-12 Librarian