CT High School Library Wins ALA Cutting-Edge Tech Award
RSSBy Laura B. Weiss
That's because the Connecticut school's library has snapped up numerous kudos over the years—including the 2010 American Association of School Librarians' National School Library Program of the Year Award. The latest recognition from ALA, announced at its midwinter meeting, was for the school's learning portal, dubbed "The Annex@New Canaan High School Library." Launched two years ago, the site, with QR codes, a centralized catalogue that puts databases and other resources at students' fingertips, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, and more, leaves virtually no e-learning stone unturned. The aim is to leverage the site's tools and resources to aid what's going on in the classroom at the 1,350-student high school, explains Michelle Luhtala, the library's department chair. When asked why she thought the school vaulted into the winners' circle, Luhtala says "The [school] district really lets us explore and experiment with new learning and it makes for some innovative practices." What's more, she says, The Annex@New Canaan High School Library empowers students, helping them drive their own learning experiences. New Canaan students "know how to dig for what they need," she says. For example, a social studies class used Twitter during last year's Arab Spring demonstrations as a source for gathering information on the historic uprisings, explains Christina T. Russo, who works alongside Luhtala at the New Canaan facility. "We asked them to evaluate facts, such as who was sending the tweet, was it valid, how did it add to the discussion." Though Luhtala and her colleagues may be old timers when it comes to receiving awards, the librarian, who also won a 2011 Carnegie Corporation of New York/ New York Times I Love My Librarian Award, does remember being "excited" when she got a call notifying her that she had nabbed an ALA tech prize. "It was late in the afternoon and very quiet, which it hardly ever is in here," she recalls of the day she was notified. When asked if wealthy New Canaan had a financial leg up in devising innovative technology learning solutions, Luhtala says that her "robust budget" wasn't really the key factor. Instead, she points to the district's support for her program and to her staff, both librarians and support personnel. "It's enough people, the right people, and people who think out of the box," she says.
January 26, 2012
When the American Library Association (ALA) recognized four libraries on January 23 for their innovative technology offerings, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise that New Canaan High School's library garnered one of the accolades.
