Core Values: Lifelong Learning

LIS 701
Lisa Marie Winchell
July 30, 2014

Librarians Leadership for Lifelong Learning by Anne E. C. Norman

Definition of Lifelong Learning (according to Rubin): Ensuring that all types of
libraries and library services support the education of users throughout their lifetime
(p. 415).
Purpose of the Article: The author, Anne E. C. Norman, conducted action research on
lifelong learning in libraries throughout the state of Delaware from 2007 to 2010. This
article is based on the dissertation and contains updates on additional action research
conducted in 2011.
Anne Normans definition: For the purpose of this study, a self directed lifelong
learner is defined as one who assumes the initiative, ownership, and power for his or her
own learning, seeks out information and assistance as needed, and continuously develops
and applies his or her own interests and talents to achieve full potential.
Why does lifelong learning matter: The slow pace of economic recovery combined
with the fast pace of technological innovations indicate that now is not a time for
librarians to be complacent. These changes force individuals, professionals, businesses,
and governments to reinvent themselves in order to remain relevant and viable.
Her mission: When I was appointed State Librarian of Delaware in 2002, despite the
best efforts of the Delaware Division of Libraries/State Library and with significant
support from the State administration and legislature, Delaware public libraries still
coasted along the bottom of several of the categories compiled by the NCES (National
Center for Education Statistics 2001)My challenge as a leader was to better understand
what was causing Delawares poor performance ratings and to craft solutions to ensure
the Delaware libraries were able to achieve excellence in the midst of the economic and
technological whitewater.
Her starting point was and is- lifelong learning:
*I believe libraries are in the lifelong learning business; we help people to find and use
information every day in ways that support their learning needs and interests.
*Librarians are passionate about the transformational impact libraries have on the people
who use them. But as a profession, what do libraries actually know and understand about
learning? What do librarians know, or need to learn, about learning?
*The published research on lifelong learning through public libraries was and is
insufficient; therefore, there is a need to document the potential opportunities.
Pilot:
Beginning in 2002, the Delaware Division of Libraries embarked on a quality learning
journey, exploring business best practices and tools that businesses use to reinvent
themselves and achieve performance excellence and how to apply them to libraries.

Four years before beginning this action research, a pilot was launched that included an
adult book discussion group, one for young adults (11-14 yrs.), and home schoolers
(grades 2-6th). They were given a blank journal (based on a review of contemporary
reading journals) that was hard-bound, spiral, and had blank and lined pages. They could
use this to keep track of the books they had read, jot down concepts or phrases, draw,
doodle, and record favorite passages to journal their reading paths. However, if they
tracked their reading/learning in a different way, they were encouraged to continue with
that. The purpose of the pilot was to determine whether library users would be willing to
track their reading, if they would find it useful, and if so, in what ways.
Dr. Norman was surprised to find that many of the participants already documented their
learning in unique and personal ways. They kept reading logs in 3x5 memo books, they
jotted notes on their calendar, wrote on a daily basis. Some kept lists. This finding was
true for all 3 groups. Still one person commented that they were amazed at the insights
and connections they made.
Launch of the Action Research Project:
The 3-year action research project was introduced to the public by the Delaware Division
of Libraries at the Delaware Book Festival in November of 2007. Participants discussed
their self-directed reading and lifelong learning paths and were supplied with a learning
journal to assist in documenting their discoveries in order to build on them. The
participants were voluntary and self selected. They were asked to provide their email
addresses so that they could share their new discoveries. The program was offered and
conducted in public libraries and other venues for testing and feedback through June
2010.
Details:
*Included were children of all ages (including pre-kindergarteners with parent
involvement using a question journal).
*11 libraries signed up, 685 participants- 60% already tracked reading and learning in
some way. Throughout the three years, over half of Delawares public libraries hosted
programs at their libraries.
*Journals were not collected out of respect for privacy. They contained what they learned
and what they planned to explore next. All info was confidential and names were not
included in tabulating results.
Significance of this study:
Policies and practices that more explicitly describe and support libraries roles and
responsibilities in lifelong learning are needed for libraries to improve their effectiveness
in supporting individuals and communities in achieving their full potential.
Significant attention was placed on helping the librarians develop skills in interpersonal
interactions as the librarians preferred to interact with objects more than people. Dr.
Norman believes this is because librarians have had difficulty envisioning themselves as

educators. Librarians from the participating libraries were trained to provide consultation
and to design learning plans for adult learners.
Key Conclusions:
*Collaborative work produces better results.
*Library staff are readers, but they must also be passionate learners if they are to provide
leadership for lifelong learners.
*Access data live, rather than once per year. It leads to effective improvements!
*Focus on providing a few services well, rather than providing many services poorly.
*Follow individual leads. The key to empowerment is to follow the lead of the leader to
nurture and support individual interests, rather than impose learning identify individual
needs and help individuals scaffold to the next level.
Self-awareness self-improvement self-empowerment.
*Librarians can empower individuals by making the power of learning visible, and can
foster self-direction and self-improvement by providing techniques to help organize the
lifelong learning of library users.
*Motivate learning by tapping into personal interests. For libraries, servant leadership is
engaging people in informal lifelong learning through topics about which they are
passionate may spark the personal connection with learning, support career choices, and
make formal education easier and more effective by increasing personal motivation.
Individuals must be engaged in their own learning to achieve success as they define it.
*The literature review suggests that conversations, inquiry, and discovery of individual
talents are key to learning motivation, success, and empowerment. This has implications
for all the realms of learning and for determining how libraries might design and organize
services to provide servant leadership for learning.
*This action research demonstrates that libraries can have a more significant impact on
society and can strengthen their position simply with renewed focus on lifelong learning
with minor changes to existing library policy and practices.Like Dorothy discovering
the power within her ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz, librarians have had the tools they
need and the power all along. Librarians simply need to marshal and align the
information, technologies, and customer interactions at their fingertips in more informed
and intentional ways to achieve even greater success for their users and themselves.

Norman, Anne E. C. "Librarians' Leadership For Lifelong Learning." Public Library

Quarterly 31.2 (2012): 91-140. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 July 2014.

About the Author:

Anne E.C. Norman has been State Librarian and Director of the Delaware Division of
Libraries since 2002. She has her masters degree in library science, received her
doctorate of education in innovation and organizational leadership from Wilmington
University and won the Audrey K. Doberstein Award for Leadership. Under her
leadership, the Delaware Division of Libraries won the Delaware Quality Award of Merit
and the Delaware Library Association Institutional Award in recognition of excellent
performance principles and practices.