A Web Portal Just for Kids

A big problem facing school libraries—how to provide student-friendly, information-rich collections online that support the curriculum—may have a solution in a unique Ohio project.

Developed jointly by INFOhio, a state cooperative school library and information network, and SirsiDynix, a provider of integrated library systems, School Rooms is a new multimedia online portal designed for K–12 schools.

Based on the SirsiDynix Rooms content management platform, School Rooms will link to both state and national curricular standards and will feature databases, selected Web sites, the library’s catalog, and e-content from publishers, such as DK and Helicon. Metasearching, or federated searching capability, will allow users to simultaneously search multiple resources, displaying result sets in a clear, student-friendly format.

“It’s an engaging way to support student discovery, while providing educators with high quality resources and parents with an accessible way to help their children learn,” says Theresa Fredericka, executive director of INFOhio, which provides schools statewide with electronic resources, library automation, and other services.

The project will be piloted in the Shaker Heights City School District beginning in January 2006, before a potential statewide launch in fall 2006, according to Fredericka.

Thus far, School Rooms have been developed for earth science and U.S. history for grades K–12. There’s also a special School Room for parents, which, in addition to providing the same information students receive, will include articles on issues such as peer pressure, bullying, tutoring programs, and good homework habits, a link to “ask a librarian” services, and other content to help parents stay connected to their child’s learning.

Fredericka says the idea for creating student portals grew from INFOhio’s strategic planning process. INFOhio, which has automated more than 2,300 schools, was looking to better support learning, with a more student-centered approach to engaging kids in the process of online exploration and discovery.

Development began this past summer. SirsiDynix employed Ohio school librarians and teachers to work in “content teams” to choose material—including Internet sites—and develop taxonomies. In addition, each team also included a media expert, experienced in presenting Web content.

Shaker Heights, with 5,600 students in eight schools, will be the first to test the earth science and U.S. history School Rooms. “That’s the litmus test—if the kids use it and like it,” says Angus Carroll, SirsiDynix’s chief marketing officer. Kent State University’s School of Library and Information Science will also provide usability testing.

Feedback and evaluation from the trial will help shape School Rooms in preparation for establishing the project statewide, says Fredericka.

But the INFOhio community is optimistic. The idea of teaching students to use a portal to access a variety of resources—all chosen specifically for them—is compelling.

“I see it as a tool that is easy to navigate and packed with information sources tied to school goals and student achievement,” says Kathy Fredrick, director of library media and instructional technology for Shaker Heights. “It’s the antidote to Google overload.”