Ontario Library Association
Super Conference 2005
The Library Cooperative
Feb. 5, 2005, Session 1017
Dian Borek, Mississauga Library System
Gail Richardson, Oakville Public Library
Walter Lewis, Halton Hills Public Libary
School-Public Library
Symposium Dec. 2002
Mississauga Library System: 52 attendees
from school boards, schools, public and
academic libraries
 group focus: collaboration, library as a
community hub, access and resource
sharing.
 opportunities brainstormed for mutual
cooperation consensus 6 opportunities.
Opportunities!
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Curriculum Support: elementary and
secondary
Special Education
At-risk/remedial students
E.S.L
French Immersion
Love of Reading (Literacy)
Steering Committee
...
Steering Committee:
“The Library Cooperative”
School Boards:
– Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Halton
Catholic District School Board, Halton District School
Board, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board,
Peel District School Board
Libraries:
– Public: Brampton Library, Brantford Public Library,
Burlington Public Library, Caledon Public Library,
Halton Hills Public Library, Hamilton Public Library,
Kitchener Public Library, Mississauga Library
System, Oakville Public Library.
– Academic: University of Toronto Mississauga
“The Library Cooperative”
PRIORITY: Curriculum support
• accessibility: Special Ed./ remedial students,
E.S.L., F.I.
• Love of Reading: fiction links to curriculum
Reviewed existing resources:
• publicly available resource lists, pathfinders, and
webliographies tend to be vendor or location specific
• there is no flexibility or interactivity available
• little or no quality control, and too much information
• sources are often out-of-date and links dead
Conclusion:
No single, dependable, relevant, fully accessible,
comprehensive resource currently exists for the Ontario
Curriculum.
The idea of a new curriculum resource
began to emerge. . .
 a one-place-to-look for local and
online resources relevant to the
Ontario school curriculum
 a customizable database: interactive,
dynamic and location specific
 User-friendly
Who would use OSCR?
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students
parents
teachers
teacher-librarians
other school library staff
public librarians
The Dream
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•
•
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curriculum support for all major streams:
elementary & secondary
intuitive for all users: easy to use
able to incorporate cross discipline assignments
include local access to electronic resources
internet resources : catalogued
fiction links to curriculum topics
The Dream (cont’d. . .)
 Dynamic Resource: limited content,
professionally controlled.
• ability to jump into local Library Catalogues
• interactive interface with easy-to-use pulldown menus
• easy to update and give input, share and
exchange information
 Communication links built in, between–>public
librarians –>teachers –>teacher/librarians –
>boards–> administrators–> O.L.A–> Ministry
The Dream
(cont’d. . .)
 DB customizable: tagged fields, can be
arranged according to local user interface
 data input and access not geographically or
technology limited
• accessible for all networks and platforms
• ability to interact with local networks and
catalogues.
 Database would be housed on a provincial
network
The Reality!
 We
began to grow: New
partners!
• High School Students as
Researchers group
• Gail Richardson (OPL)
and Walter Lewis (HHPL)
New partners . . .more expertise
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the technology exists for our Dream to
become a reality!
Objectives were set. . .
The first Action Plan was developed
Grant applications, funding from
partners, articles written, OLA. . .
Prototypes are being developed and
tested
What’s next?
Discussion and notes
References
URL’s for OSCR (Ontario School Curriculum Resource)
http://oscr.hdsb.ca/
http://hpl.oscr.halinet.on.ca/Projects2.php?p=36&g=3
http://oscr.opl.on.ca/Projects2.php?p=34&g=3
Borek, Dian, Raffaela Barrata and Wendy Wade. “Public Librarians and Teacher Librarians
Working Together.” Teaching Librarian 12.1 (Fall 2004).
Borek, Dian. “Project Contact: Mississauga Library reaches out to schools.” Feliciter 46.2
(Spring 2000), 92-96.
Kyle, Todd and Marilyn Willis. “School and Public Libraries Co-operate: New Challenges new
Solutions.” Teaching Librarian 10 (Spring 2003), 10-11.
Richardson, Gail. “OSCR - Academic, Public, and School Libraries work together to develop
Online Curriculum Resource for Students, Parents and Teachers.” HOOPLA. (Fall 2004).
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Gail Richardson, Oakville Public Library [email protected]
Walter Lewis, Halton Hills Public Library [email protected]
Dian Borek, Mississauga Library System [email protected]
URL: http://oscr.opl.on.ca/Projects2.php?p=34&g=3
URL: http://hpl.oscr.halinet.on.ca/Projects2.php?p=36&g=3