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Evaluate Your School Library
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Evaluate Your School Library
Judith Anne Sykes
LIBRARIES UNLIMITED
AN IMPRINT OF ABC-CLIO, LLC
Santa Barbara, California • Denver, Colorado • Oxford, England
Copyright 2013 by Judith Anne Sykes
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in
writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sykes, Judith A., 1957–
Conducting action research to evaluate your school library / Judith Anne Sykes.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–1–61069–077–5 (hard copy) — ISBN 978–1–61069–078–2 (ebook)
1. School libraries—Evaluation. 2. School librarians—Rating of. 3. Teacher-librarians—Rating of.
4. Action research in education. 5. Educational evaluation. 6. School librarian participation in
curriculum planning. I. Title.
Z675.S3S9565 2013
027.8—dc23 2012051277
ISBN: 978–1–61069–077–5
EISBN: 978–1–61069–078–2
17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
Libraries Unlimited
An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC
ABC-CLIO, LLC
130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911
Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911
This book is printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
To teacher-librarians—inspire, collaborate, learn, prosper, embed.
To Bob and Michelle, ever supportive in my writing.
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Part I Discovering Issues Affecting School-Librarians and

Their Use of Action Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1 Questions, Mind Map, Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2 Issue, Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 3 The Journey (Goals, Outcomes, Plans, Events, Patterns/Themes,
Conclusions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 4 Actions, Reflections, New Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Part II Work Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 5 Action Research Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Part III Timely Ideas for Teacher-Librarians to Explore through

Action Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Chapter 6 Action Research Explorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chapter 7 Shared Project Ideas, Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Preface
“The things which are most important to us are the hardest to measure.”
—McBeath, 1999
“Celebrate the understood, not the found”
—Todd, 2003
Teacher-librarians today may find themselves in a variety of precarious positions. They
are either at the leading edge of innovative educational pedagogy in their schools or
districts; or they are fighting for their programs and positions. I have found that situa-
tions vary considerably among states, provinces, and countries—even among schools
themselves—and are highly dependent on the school or school district culture as well
as the leadership of the principal. Some of this variance is due to the fluctuating
economy; some of it is due to rapid changes in technology, educational theory, and
librarianship itself; however, there is also a great deal of misperception, unawareness,
and stereotyping in the broader educational community about the role of libraries
and teacher-librarians in schools, particularly related to learning and teaching as well
as the impact collaborative planning and teaching of curriculum can have on student
learning and school culture.
As school principals struggle with balancing budgets and leading schools (Sykes,
2002a), often the school library is viewed as superfluous, a luxury, or a place—book
warehouse—where students sign out books, perhaps as remembered from their past,
an outdated commodity, with few taking notice of the centrality of learning that trans-
formational school libraries can and have provided to students. This impact on the
centrality of learning a school library can have is notably addressed and championed
as a “transformation to a learning commons perspective” in the work of David
Loertscher, Carol Koechlin, and Sandi Zwaan. The transformation from a school
library to a learning commons requires a shift in whole school culture, where a key
indicator of collaborative inquiry and pedagogical change often involves a “profes-
sional learning communities” approach (Eaker, DuFour, and DuFour, 2002) that
focuses on each student’s success through personalizing learning based on a wide
range of student learning data. This learning commons perspective permeates within
and beyond the school environment 24/7 and is guided by specialists such as
x Preface
teacher-librarians and other teachers who are increasingly available virtually in inno-
vative and strategic ways. Ultimately, students are taken to broader and deeper levels
of learning. Over 30 years of research (Lance and Loertscher, 2005) provides docu-
mented effects.
Therefore, teacher-librarians and teachers (in schools in which teachers are

responsible for the school library, for example, learning commons lead teachers or
technology teachers) can benefit from the processes and tools of action research to
study their own professional practice to “focus on the teaching and learning process,
to solve a problem or institute a change, and to document professional growth”
(Alberta Teachers’ Association [ATA] 2000, 3). Using action research to study their
own school libraries will allow them to understand if they are doing everything pos-
sible to enable advanced student achievement through their efforts, rather than limit-
ing school library learning commons transformation to cleaning up or modernizing a
physical/virtual space, important steps certainly but not the heart of learning and
knowledge building that truly exemplifies best teacher-librarian pedagogical practice.
Teacher-librarians can study issues pertinent to their own professional growth and the
school’s student learning goals through action research as a professional development
tool in order to take action that facilitates a desired change or answers significant ques-
tions related to learning, teaching, and professional growth.
This book is intended to provide a practical look at enabling engagement in using

action research skills and processes for this intent. Action research skills, processes,
and tools will be modeled in Chapters 1 through 4 as I seek to discover what will most
help teacher-librarians be able to use action research in daily practice and create dedi-
cated working pages to support the process along the way. Favorite literature, other re-
sources, and experience with timely topics school librarians often find themselves
involved with are also chronicled in this book and are presented as “five favorites” to
give the reader a starting point for an action research process or topic. When making
these suggestions, I sought to keep to a manageable number of well-tested resources,
as quantity can overwhelm; as the teacher-librarians delve into their own research
within or beyond the suggestions, they will no doubt discover many additional re-
sources and other supports. The “favorites” suggestions are found in Chapter 5 to
accompany work space tables and charts for action research, and in Chapter 6 follow-
ing these possible topics for teacher-librarian action research—time for doing action
research, the emergence of the learning commons, reading: breadth and depth/child-
ren’s literature, studying student achievement data, collaborative planning and teach-
ing, new/emerging technology, interdisciplinary learning, and advocacy. Practitioners
who are using the action research process have kindly shared some of their projects
and reflections in Chapter 7 to hopefully inspire others to consider engaging in the pro-
cess.
As teacher-librarians become comfortable with the skills, processes, and outcomes

related to using action research in their daily practice, they are the ideal practitioners to
lead students and teachers through learning these processes to truly create a learning
commons perspective in the modern school library environment.
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the many school library leaders, practitioners, and
supporters who volunteered to reflect upon their experiences and suggestions regard-
ing action research in order to enable me to be able to help others embark on similar
journeys.
Introduction
The action research model (summarized in the chart later in this introduction) can
accommodate a blend of qualitative and quantitative research strategies that “provide
teachers with a systematic process to reflect, consider options, implement and evaluate
potential solutions” (ATA, 2000, 4). It is a self-reflective, cyclical process generally
thought to be rooted “in the USA during the 1940s through the work of Kurt Lewin,
a social scientist” and “also promoted (as) the idea of ‘teacher as researcher ’ “or
“practitioner-based research” (McNiff, 2002, pgs. 8, 11). Dr. Anna Richert, professor
of education and faculty director of the Mills Teacher Scholars Project at Mills College
in Oakland, California, defines the action research process as:
Different people have different ideas about what constitutes teacher action
research. Common to all is the idea of teachers studying their practice—
typically their students’ learning and their own teaching—in a systematic
way. Whereas all good teachers reflect on their practice to make sense of their
work, those who engage in teacher research do this reflection in a deep and
intentional manner . . . They include the need: 1) to carefully formulate a
research question; 2) to conceptualize and enact a systematic and intentional
plan for gathering and analyzing classroom and school-based data to answer
that question, and 3) to articulate and enact a plan for changed classroom
practice that reflects the teacher’s learning from the research process. (Cody,
2011, 1)
Keith Curry Lance reminds us:
As much of a supporter of action research as I am, I am not keen on the term
itself. Evidence-based practice, or self-assessment—terms I prefer—is
extremely important, both for informing one’s own professional practice
and for advocating for one’s program. The problem with the term action
research is its use of the term research. By definition, research, to be taken seri-
ously, must be objective, and nobody can study himself or herself objectively.
Still, self-assessment is extremely important. No field can claim to be a profes-
sion if its incumbents do not assess their own performance with the goal of
improving it. We talk about action research as if it was something entirely
new—some might even say a frill. On the contrary, it is absolutely fundamen-
tal to any kind of serious professional practice. As it happens—in the
xiv Introduction
environment in which school library programs find themselves these days—

it is also vital to survival. (Email interview November 2011)
A teacher researcher often enters into the action research process when engaged in
formal academic study. However, many could continue to use or discover the merits
of using the process to address a topic that they are curious or passionate about, a
question or issue that “nudges” at them as they go about their daily practice. This
could involve a challenge such as how to support the diverse reading needs of stu-
dents or how to create a collaborative inquiry project with the eighth grade social stud-
ies teachers. The topic can nudge at the professional as daily interactions occur or
when a question or comment from a student, teacher, or parent leads to a purpose for
study with the intention of creating action plans from the strategic gathering and
analysis of pertinent data.
Once a teacher-librarian comes to the decision to study his or her own school
library, and this could serve as a powerful form of professional development, he or
she begins to pose key questions to drive self-directed inquiry. These questions will
be modified and refined throughout the process as events unfold, but initially, the
action researcher will openly list many questions and types of questions as possible
drivers of research, exploration, and analysis. This process will eventually lead to
action, reflection, and further inquiry.
Each question unfolds through further brainstorming—creating mind maps,

charts, or lists that indicate what the researcher already knows about the question,
where he or she will begin to seek information, and what other questions lead off from
the initial questions.
These first few steps into action research help a teacher-librarian decide on a con-
text for research breadth and depth. Will he or she follow one student, a class, or many
classes? Remain within the school or go beyond? Will it involve working with other
colleagues, and how? What is the context of the school environment that he or she is
working in, and what is the role of the school library in that context? How does the
issue at hand parallel with other issues in the school, the context and culture of the
school, among colleagues? Are time or cost factors implicit in making decisions around
this professional inquiry?
Contextual decisions will lead the teacher-librarian to focus on the key issue and
to set parameters to be examined through action research. The key issue can be formu-
lated as a vision statement or a “hunch” that the researcher intuitively knows or
hypothesizes about in relation to the issue. He or she needs to study, think about,
reflect, and weigh what he or she envisions or predicts with what others can provide
and contribute to his or her learning.
These preliminary steps open up additional questions about the researcher ’s

topic, as well as give a boost of confidence about what is already known and where
expertise will be needed to inform ideas, questions, and views on the issue. At this
Introduction xv
point, the teacher-librarian will conduct a literature review to examine what the
experts in the field are investigating and documenting. Researchers can find affirma-
tion, discovery, and dissonance in the literature when exploring what others are bring-
ing to the topic. They should now be able to discern which experts in the field they
could contact or study further as they move into designing an action research plan—
setting goals and outcomes for specific activities to enable successful attainment of
the goals and outcomes. They will decide what their “journey” will involve, how they
will collect new and raw data about the topic as they “live in the question,” and how
they will document their journey through field notes that may resemble a diary or
log. With the literature review and data collecting, the teacher-librarian must decide
what merits study for their purpose(s) and what is extraneous to their particular
study’s goals and outcomes.
A series of at least three or more types of data collection tools, that is, triangulation of
data, will most benefit the study. Will the teacher-librarian collect both quantitative and
qualitative data? How? From whom? During what time period? What permissions will
be needed? Is there anyone who can help the teacher-librarian collect and interpret data?
Once a plan is formulated, the researcher is immersed in intense learning through

a journey of interventions or events that he or she has designed. As with a scientist, this
is experimentation in the field—engaging others in events such as surveys, interviews,
focus groups, and dialogue. This can be a fascinating journey and can result in collect-
ing a great deal of data.
When the researcher has fulfilled the data collection plan, analysis of the data for
patterns and themes will provide insight and answers, promote actions, or change the
dimensions of the teacher-librarian’s initial hunch, quest, or vision. Using a variety of
tools, the researcher codes or graphs the data to enable him or her to see the emergence
of key patterns, themes, or trends. Dominant patterns and themes will lead the researcher
to draw conclusions about his or her school library and professional practice, which he or
she can then translate into strategic action plans. The process will cycle as the researcher
acts, reflects upon actions, ponders what may be missing from the data or strategies, and
asks new questions or follows new directions that he or she may not have previously con-
sidered. The action research process restarts and can evolve into a way of “living” for the
practitioner, who develops an ability to live in questions, hypotheses, and experimenta-
tion that propels action, reflection, and growth. I would hope that teacher-librarians
living in this constructivist process will also engage their students and fellow teachers
in the process.
Action Research Model (summary and diagram)

Note: This summary and Figure I.1 appear in the chapter by Judith Sykes in
the anthology Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional Developers, Debbie Abilock,
Kristin Fontichiaro, and Violet H. Harada, editors. Copyright © (2012) by Debbie
Abilock, Kristin Fontichiaro, and Violet H. Harada. Reproduced with permission of
ABC-CLIO, LLC.
xvi Introduction
Figure I.1. Action Research Cycle Diagram

Source: This diagram appears in the chapter by Judith Sykes in the anthol-
ogy Growing Schools: Librarians as Professional Developers, Debbie Abilock,
Kristin Fontichiaro, and Violet H. Harada, Editors. Copyright © 2012 by
Debbie Abilock, Kristin Fontichiaro, and Violet H. Harada. Reproduced
with permission of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
The intent of action research is to enable the professional to “live in a ques-

tion” for a period of time and ultimately define ways to improve practice.
(Pascarelli as quoted in Sykes, 2002b, vii)
Action research is a process of defining a question related to one’s practice,
then designing, executing, reflecting upon, and changing that practice as a
result. It combines studying and reviewing literature, collecting and analyzing
quantitative and qualitative data, and structuring action plans to create continu-
ous cycles of informed professional renewal. Individuals (educators or stu-
dents), schools, school districts, and even states or provinces can adopt the
methodology of action research. As such, it lends itself to mobilization—indeed,
action and transformation—in enabling schools and school libraries to support
and advance the learning of each student. Developing skills and strategies for
formulating questions, amassing data, structuring events, and analyzing results
can lead to profound professional renewal and more responsive service to the
students and learning communities one serves.
Additionally, an action research fold-out chart has been provided following this
introduction as a handy reference to the researcher. See Figure I.2.
Topic
Begins with a topic that the researcher is curious or passionate about, a question or issue that is nudging at them as they engage in practice.
From Conducting Action Research to Evaluate Your School Library by Judith Anne Sykes.
It can involve a challenge such as how to support all of the student’s needs through the school library program and resources or how to get a
grasp on investing in the best technology enhancements to learn about for improving practice and student learning. It can nudge at the
professional as daily interactions occur, or a question or comment from a student, teacher, or parent might lead to a research topic that can be
studied on hand, every day, to lead to action and reflection.
Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. Copyright # 2013.
Questions
Once a researcher realizes the need to examine a topic relating to their school and their own practice, a list of questions is developed to drive
the inquiry. These questions will be modified and refined throughout the research process as events unfold, but initially the researcher
openly lists as many questions as possible that could drive the topic’s exploration.
Mind Map
Each question further expands by brainstorming or creating mind maps that address what the researcher already know about the questions,
what they wonder and want to learn about it, where they think they can garner information from, and what other questions lead off the
initial questions.
Context
These initial steps lead the researcher into creating a context for the research, it’s breadth and depth. Will the research follow one student, a
class or many classes? Will it involve working with other colleagues, and how? What is the context of the school and how does the school
library fit into that context? How does the issue at hand parallel with the school, the context of the school, the culture of the school?
Issue/Hunch
The researcher intuitively knows or hypothesizes about what it is that they envision the research will accomplish or what they will discover.
Literature Review
The researcher is confidence about what they already know about the topic and where they need to seek expert information. At this point
conducting a literature review to examine key literature and what the experts are saying and finding out about the topic becomes evident.
Researchers will find affirmation, new learning and even dissonance when reading about the research of others in or beyond the field
relating to the topic.
Goals Outcomes Plan

The researcher is now able to discern which experts in the field to contact or study regarding their topic as they now move into setting goals
and outcomes for their specific research; and developing a plan to enable successful attainment of their own set outcomes. They will decide
xvii
how they want to “live in the question” and collect data about the topic. The researcher will need to decide what tools of action research will
xviii
most benefit their journey. How will they collect both quantitative and qualitative data? From whom? During what time period? What
permissions will be needed?
Journey Events: data collection

Once the plan is formulated, the researcher is immersed in action and must be prepared for intense learning through their journey of events.
Like the scientist, this is actual experimentation in the field, engaging in events such as surveys, interviews, dialogue, discussion and
discourse. This is a fascinating part of the journey, and can result in a vast amount of raw data.
Patterns/Themes Conclusions
When the researcher has fulfilled their data collection plan, it is time to analyze the data for patterns and themes to give insight, answers, or
change the dimensions of the researcher’s initial hunch, quest, or vision. Using a variety of tools such as color-coding the data or using digi-
tal graphing the researcher will start to see patterns and themes emerge. The dominant patterns and themes will lead the researcher to make
some conclusions about the issue and then move into creating actions.
Actions
The researcher now will have information and insight to create an action plan or actions for enhancing practice—specific strategies, timelines
and responsibilities will come into play.
Reflections
The researcher will examine the results of the actions in a reflective manner—what worked? What didn’t? Why did something work or not
work? What could be done differently?
New Question(s)
The researcher will discover that the process will lead them to asking new questions or following new directions that they may not have
previously considered. The action research process re-starts and repeats itself, becoming a way of self-reflective practice for professional
growth. To live in ideas, questions, hypothesis, and experimentation that leads to action, reflection, and growth ultimately is a process to
teach students and colleagues.
Figure I.2. Action Research Fold-Out Chart

Part I
Discovering Issues Affecting
School-Librarians and Their
Use of Action Research
Chapter 1
Questions, Mind Map,
Context
In order to provide teacher-librarians with a practical guide to enable action research

for reflective practice and planning on the job, and be able to bring students and teach-
ing colleagues into the process, I found that I would once again need to “live in the
question” as I had done previously in graduate school, school-based practice, and pro-
vincial research (Abilock, Harada, and Fontichiaro, 2012, 95–118) and examine what
thoughts teacher-librarians had related to their experiences using or thinking about
using action research to study their own school libraries and practice as a job-
embedded professional growth tool. I assumed that many teacher-librarians and other
educational researchers had familiarity with action research through graduate work,
yet may not have returned to it on-site due to the daily demands of work site designs
based largely on the industrial age school model rather than cultures of inquiry or
whole school learning commons. I wondered if teacher-librarians felt that the process
of engaging in action research to study their own school libraries and professional
practice would be doable with the limited number of hours, numerous expectations,
and fast-paced schedules that are inherent in schools, even as many schools are mov-
ing toward a more conceptual framework for twenty-first century learning and teach-
ing. I began to consider a question to drive the research: What do teacher-librarians
need to be able to do to use action research to study their own school libraries and professional
practice?
I refined this question a number of times so that I could collect responses as I pre-
pared to design a working guide for ongoing action research for teacher-librarians.
I began to further develop questions such as What benefits do teacher-librarians believe
action research would hold for them in studying their own school libraries and professional
practice? What would benefit their teaching colleagues? Their students? What do teacher-
librarians perceive to be challenges in using action research to study their own school libraries
and practice? Would any be willing to be interviewed on this topic, given the time constraints
many face? Was action research being modeled or introduced to students and teachers?
I needed to step away from the questions and spend some time thinking about how
I might refine the questions further and actually go about the process as I considered
3
Mind map
Figure 1.1.
Questions, Mind Map, Context 5
Figure 1.2. Triangulated Diagram
the work responsibilities, volunteer commitments, and family life that many teacher-
librarians would be also encountering.
There are many tools to facilitate brainstorming or mind-mapping for gathering

information and data to inform questions; yet I found myself jotting down thoughts
as they came to me in a notebook and as time permitted recording them digitally.
The notes became a diagram that is shown in Figure 1.1.
The diagram was refined a few times until I could visualize what I wanted to do
and could accomplish based on the parameters of time and other multiple commit-
ments. It was important to remind myself that by triangulating my approach, as
I had practiced in previous action research projects, I could garner sufficient knowl-
edge for new or affirmed understandings of my questions and then come to terms with
what was possible and probable to collect. I knew that the collection of data could
mushroom as conversations and connections began, so I began to relax with the pro-
cess and prepare for the excitement of hearing about new ideas, sources, and the pro-
fessional reflections and expertise others could offer as I worked through each event
in the journey.
Context
My sample diagram, Figure 1.1, helped me to establish parameters around context
so that I felt ready to build on what I had learned in past projects such as contacting
experts in the field—the school library leaders, university researchers, and association
presidents who could provide studied expertise and current thinking on the topic—
and then aligning that thinking and expertise with the reflective voices of practicing
teacher-librarians in specific schools or school districts. In so doing, I could develop
practical tools and ideas that would assist practitioners as they went ahead to try
action research in the specific context of their schools and practice as illustrated as a
triangulated approach in Figure 1.2.
I wondered how I would collect thoughtful responses in the timeliest fashion

possible—Phone? Email? Focus groups? Meetings? Again, I thought I would begin
6 Conducting Action Research to Evaluate Your School Library
with what I thought many of my contacts could reasonably handle in their personal
time by going digital, in this case using email, which I hoped would give the recipients
who volunteered to share their expertise or projects time to reflect and respond. If
needed, I could extend initial email contact into live meetings or conversations. I could
engage with what new knowledge transpired and what I would be able to learn about
from my growing bank of data on the questions.
Chapter 2
Issue, Literature Review
From the questions and mind-mapping outlined in Chapter 1, I began to see that a key
issue or hunch was forming. I was recalling a theory of action I had previously dwelt
upon regarding impacts on educational reform during my graduate studies, the con-
cept of teacher as researcher being the key to educational reform and transformation.
In this case, teacher-librarian as researcher—if the process is a constant of their
practice—as key to the transformation of school libraries impacting school culture
and advancing student learning.
I began to review literature in the areas of teacher as researcher, reflective practice,

and action research. In the province of Alberta, where I live and practice, certificated
teachers and administrators are required by government regulations (Alberta Educa-
tion, 1997) to develop and implement an annual Teacher Professional Growth Plan
(TPGP), which is due 30 days into the new school year. This professional growth plan
must outline goals, related resources, strategies, timelines, outcomes, and indicators of
success. These regulations very much support action research as a professional growth
tool, which in turn would receive the support of the school or district administrator(s).
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) provides a self-paced online tutorial with
strategies, templates, and examples for teachers and administrators to use to develop
their plans. The importance of self-assessment, including action research, is outlined
in the following quote:
The self-assessment of teacher learning needs is critical to professional
growth. Teachers develop their professional practice throughout their entire
career. Therefore, self-assessment must be continuous and seamless with pro-
fessional growth. Self-assessment can take many forms from reflective prac-
tice and journals to action research; from analysis of student achievement
data to peer coaching and critical friends. Many tools exist to assist teachers
in assessing their professional learning needs. (ATA, 2010)
The document Action Research Guide for Alberta Teachers (ATA, 2000) was developed fol-
lowing the determination “that teachers would benefit from a practical resource
for action research focused on the Alberta educational context.” This practical docu-
ment focuses on the importance of action research to school improvement and the
7
changing nature of staff development. This changing nature is described in the guide
as having four key components:
Recent developments in the field of education have contributed to how we
think about professional development.
• Results Drive Education—decisions about curriculum and instruction should
be driven by what we want students to know and be able to do as a result of
instruction.
• Systems Thinking—systems thinkers see the interconnectedness of all things
and understand that causality is circular rather than linear.
• Constructivism—learners create their own knowledge rather than receiving
it from others. (ATA, 2000, 36)
Teacher-librarians considering engaging in action research could examine these
resources or could investigate their local state or provincial teacher growth, evaluation,
or development models and regulations to learn what supports might be available and
encouraged.
In 1999, the Alberta government introduced and provided funding for a highly
successful venture that supported teacher research for professional growth to advance
student learning success. All school boards in the province engage in the Alberta
Initiative for School Improvement (AISI), which is now going into its fifth cycle. AISI
is described as:
. . . a bold approach to improving student learning by encouraging teachers,
parents, and the community to work collaboratively to introduce innovative
projects that address local needs . . . AISI provides targeted funding to school
authorities to improve student learning and enhance student engagement
and performance. (Alberta Education, 2011)
Each school in the province is part of an AISI project in three-year cycles. The
fourth cycle ended in 2012. Cycle 5 will be in place from September 2012 to
August 2015. AISI projects are based on 12 attributes that include an action research
component, as demonstrated in the following list.
What Is AISI?
AISI is a bold approach to supporting the improvement of student learning
by encouraging teachers, parents, and the community to work collaboratively
to introduce innovative and creative initiatives based upon local needs and
circumstances. AISI is characterized by the following 12 attributes.
1. Partnership—AISI is a partnership among teachers, superintendents, trust-
ees, business officials, universities, parents, and government. By working
together, the partners continue to develop new relationships, strategies,
and practices that provide long-term benefits to teaching and learning in
our province.
Issue, Literature Review 9
2. Catalyst—AISI is a catalyst for change. The common goal targeted funding,

partnership, positive climate, and supportive infrastructure act in concert to
achieve significant change in teaching and learning.
3. Student Focused—AISI communicates a compelling commitment to school
improvement that aligns with the long-term vision of Alberta Education.
AISI projects continue to strengthen the focus on student learning and
accommodate the diverse learning needs of individual students and special
populations.
4. Flexibility—School authorities choose strategies that enhance learning in
the local context.
5. Collaboration—Projects are developed and implemented with meaningful
involvement of the school community. The active engagement of staff,
students, parents, and partners is critical to project success.
6. Culture of Continuous Improvement—AISI promotes a culture of continu-
ous improvement that is evident in schools and jurisdictions that clearly
align school improvement goals, classroom practices, and performance.
7. Evidence-based Practice—Evidence that educational practices benefit
student learning and performance, through the collection, analysis and
interpretation of data, is foundational to AISI. The use of multiple methods
and data sources gives Albertans confidence in the results.
8. Research-based Interventions—Solid research provides a reasonable
expectation that improvement will occur. Implementation of effective
instructional strategies is core to AISI projects. AISI is a vehicle for testing
the efficacy of these interventions in the Alberta context.
9. Inquiry and Reflection—A clear focus on student learning is the foundation
for inquiry and reflection. Analyzing strategies that worked and building
on them lead to continuous improvement. Strategies that did not work as
expected can provide important information about what needs to change
and what might be successful.
10. Building Capacity and Sustainability—Effective professional development
(PD) is planned, systemic, and sustained. Promising practices, tools, prod-
ucts, and processes developed and/or acquired through AISI will benefit
Alberta’s students in the future.
11. Knowledge—AISI contributes to the body of knowledge about teaching,
learning, and instructional improvement. The AISI family shares this
knowledge widely through conferences, reports, the Clearinghouse, and
provincial networking sessions.
12. Networks—AISI networks contribute to the exchange of information, ideas,
and resources as well as communication and knowledge dissemination.
Networks include face-to-face and digital interactions and may be local,
provincial, national, and/or international.
(Alberta Education, 2011)
AISI projects were developed in different ways by the province’s various school
boards, with about 99 school library–focused projects that teacher-librarians can access
through searching on the Alberta Education website “About AISI” for ideas, results,
and actions affecting school libraries.
During cycle 3 of the AISI projects, I was able to design and co-lead a project with 13
other principals entitled “21st Century Learning Environments.” The strategy was to:
develop and implement an information literacy strategy to enhance digital lit-
eracies, including educational technology with Information Learning Serv-
ices, principals, libraries, teachers and students . . . using best practice to
create 21st century learning environments, including libraries but not just
one location in the school, expanding the notion of classroom and library—
the classroom and library will be able to come to the learner instead of the
other way around.
(Alberta Education, 2011b)
Five learning leaders were hired, including an experienced teacher-librarian who
successfully worked in four schools to plan information literacy projects in large blocks
of scheduled instructional time to facilitate professional collaboration. An online pro-
fessional community was created to help bridge “the gap between teacher knowledge
in technology and student knowledge” and create “context for a more collaborative
and generative learning environment” (Alberta Education, 2011b).
The Ontario Ministry of Education’s Teacher Learning and Leadership program

(http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teacher/tllp.html) is essentially a supported struc-
ture for teachers to carry out action research and share exemplary instructional strate-
gies. Participants in this program have shared a number of their projects in Chapter 3,
“The Journey,” and Chapter 7, “Shared Project Ideas, Contacts.”
Leaders in school librarianship from universities, teacher and teacher-librarian

professional associations, and school districts extensively practice, encourage, support,
and write about action research as a professional growth tool for teachers and teacher-
librarians. Most of the authors who are reviewed here also graciously agreed to be
interviewed for this book. Their interviews appear in Chapter 3 under the first event.
In The New Learning Commons, Where Learners Win! (Koechlin, Loertscher, and
Zwaan, 2008, 2012), the authors talk about the “power of action research” and refer-
ence Douglas B. Reeves, founder of the Leadership and Learning Center, in his book
Reframing Teacher Leadership to Improve Your School (ASCD, 2008), (who) “places action
research at the center of school improvement.” Indeed, action research is viewed as
the essence of the “experimental” aspect of the learning commons perspective that is
founded on collaboration, teaming, and evidence based practice. Additionally, a chap-
ter (Koelchin et al. 2008, 2012) is devoted to action research as the focus of the experi-
mental learning commons (87–93) and is followed by a list of key references and a
participatory wiki. The authors invite us to consider “Collaborative action-research
based teaching vs. isolated classroom teaching” (3) and emphasize that the collabora-
tive nature of the learning commons team should extend into the whole school, which
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
That particular night—early in the evening—she had gone to Mr.
Zzyx's apartment with Henry. She happened to be carrying a new
novel which she was particularly anxious to begin reading that night.
Mr. Zzyx took a fancy to the book, probably on account of the picture
of an African jungle luridly depicted in colors on its cover. Pat refused
to give it to him, which put him in a bad temper.
She was in a dressing-gown and mules, when she discovered that,
after all her trouble in holding on to the book, she had left it behind in
Mr. Zzyx's apartment. She hurried back just as she was, and
knocked at the door. Niki answered her knock, and on her request,
returned the novel, and then closed the door. She went back to her
own apartment, and was just about to re-enter it, when she glanced
back, down the hall.
Mr. Zzyx was peering out of the doorway of his bedroom. This gave
her quite a start, and she darted into her room, quickly locking the
door after her.
Her story of what followed was an odd one.
"I wasn't so awfully frightened when I saw Mr. Zzyx peeping out at
me," she said, "or I would have gone straight into Aunt Jane's
apartment, the safest place in the castle. I had become so
accustomed to Mr. Zzyx's antics—he's just as playful as a child—I
saw no reason why I should become unduly alarmed. So I settled
down, and read my novel until about midnight. I went to sleep almost
as soon as my head touched the pillow.
"I don't know how long I'd been asleep when something aroused me.
It was a sound outside my bedroom door. I switched on the lights,
slid out of bed, caught up my dressing-gown and went to the door
and listened. I distinctly heard a scratching noise outside my door—a
sound my pet poodle makes when it wants to come into my room.
Then I saw the brass knob, inside my door, moving, and I got the
impression that some one was pressing his full weight against the
door. Well, I was just too scared to scream, so I started hammering
on the door.
"Then I listened again, by placing my ear close against the door. I'm
sure I heard a stealthy movement outside, a soft, cat's-foot
movement, as though some one was moving away, down the hall;
then everything became quiet. Finally, I became more composed
myself, and finding that I had not aroused anyone by hammering on
the door, I went back to bed. But I never closed my eyes again that
night."
When Pat recounted her adventure the next morning at breakfast,
Henry was inclined to dismiss it as trivial. "My dear, you had a
nightmare," he said. "Who on earth would want to get into your
apartment at that hour of the night? As for Mr. Zzyx, why, he wouldn't
hurt a fly."
Jane was stunned by Pat's story, and immediately added another
bolt to her bedroom door. For myself, I had heard no sound during
the night, and I'm a very light sleeper, and easy to waken. I felt, like
Henry, that perhaps Pat may have dreamed it.
At least, that was my opinion, until shortly after breakfast, while
examining the outside of her bedroom door, I found several distinct
marks, where the paint had been scratched, or clawed, off.
Discovering these marks, I felt it was not a nightmare of Pat's. So I
questioned Niki.
"You don't think it could have been Mr. Zzyx at Pat's door?" I asked
him.
Niki looked startled, then he grinned, and established a complete
alibi for our guest. "No," he said. "Mr. Zzyx never left his room last
night."
I left him, my mind confused in many ways, but entirely clear on one
point. There was something at Pat's door, that was sure.
Jane was naturally upset and uncomfortable the first night Mr. Zzyx
dined formally with us. We were both dressed for dinner, and waiting
in the entrance hall for the others to come down. She had just been
telling me of her resolve not to close the castle on November first,
and open our town house, a custom we had rigidly followed for so
many years, when she happened to glance up the grand staircase.
Clutching my arm suddenly, she whispered: "My God, Livingston!
Look!"
I turned, and gave one look, and then I burst out laughing, the sight
that met my eyes was so incredulous. Marching down the staircase,
three abreast, came Henry and McGinity, with Mr. Zzyx between
them, all three in immaculate dinner dress and enveloped in an
atmosphere of complete dignity. Henry seemed more astounded
than affronted at my mirth. Before he could voice his sentiments one
way or the other, an excited murmur came from Pat, who had just
entered the hall from the drawing room.
"Good work, Uncle Henry!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the foot of
the staircase. "And Mr. Zzyx! He looks as smart as they make them!"
Mr. Zzyx seemed pleased at the furore he was causing, and proud of
his tailed dinner clothes. He kept drawing our attention to his pearl
shirt-studs and cuff-links.
"Now, I suppose Mr. Zzyx will be expected to escort me into dinner,"
said Pat.
"Not a chance," said McGinity, moving quickly to her side; "unless
he's smarter than I think."
As Mr. Zzyx advanced towards Jane, she walked away. She stopped
when Henry said: "Don't be afraid, Jane. Mr. Zzyx has no idea of
hurting anyone. What interests him is that gold-beaded bag you're
carrying."
"Oh!" said Jane, flushing. Then she handed the bag to Mr. Zzyx, who
inspected it closely, smelt it, and then gave it back to her.
"Really!" she exclaimed. "He acts almost human!"
At this stage of the proceedings, Schweizer appeared on the scene,
to announce that dinner was served. And to my dying day, I shall
never forget the mingled look of amazement and horror that spread
over the butler's rotund face as his eyes fell on Mr. Zzyx.
And one couldn't blame him. It was enough to give any one the jitters
to see this half-human creature in smart evening dress, his heavy
animal fur framing a human face, and his hairy hands and forearms
protruding from the white cuffs of a stiff-bosomed shirt.
We had not been seated long at the table before I realized that Mr.
Zzyx, despite his repulsive appearance, possessed the mentality and
playful urge of a child. This was evident during the entrée course,
when he began to make wig-wag signals with his napkin, in an effort
to attract the butler's attention. What possible motive could he have?
Then, suddenly, the truth dawned on me. It was Schweizer who
served the dinner, and it was the food he brought that interested Mr.
Zzyx most. He had a most voracious appetite.
He sat between Henry and McGinity, in a great throne-chair which
Henry had brought from Europe. I must admit Niki had accomplished
wonders in teaching him how to handle his knife, fork and spoon. He
ate everything that was set before him, and showed a great
fondness for Henry's choice wines and champagne. Now and then,
he would pause in his eating, and look round the table, his sharp
black eyes taking us all in, one at a time; then he would chatter
something unintelligible, and resume his eating.
Henry noted this, and remarked: "Of course, we all appear very
strange to our honored guest, as it would be if we, ourselves, were
catapulted to Mars in a rocket, and suddenly found ourselves dining
with a group of Martians. In time, I hope he will be able to speak our
language."
"And then we'll know what he thinks about us," McGinity suggested.
"But he must realize by this time, how much we all think of him."
Turning to Mr. Zzyx, he patted him on the arm, and added: "You're in
pretty soft, aren't you, young fellow?"
And to out utter amazement, Mr. Zzyx turned to McGinity and spoke
—actually spoke for the first time. He distinctly mouthed a word that
sounded like "Spaghet!" with emphasis on the last syllable. He sort
of hissed the word.
"There you are!" exclaimed Henry. "I thought all along he had the
power of speech. I shall engage a tutor for him the very first thing
tomorrow morning."
"He certainly said something," McGinity observed; "sounded like
Latin to me."
And then Pat distinguished herself. "My opinion is that he tried to say
'spaghetti'," she offered. "That has some Latin connection, hasn't it?
Niki says he's terribly fond of it."
After dinner, Mr. Zzyx lounged indolently in the largest easy chair in
the library, while Schweizer served coffee. He smoked one cigarette
after another with evident enjoyment. When Henry first offered him
one of his big cigars, he surprised and amused us by biting off the
end of it, and then throwing the cigar away. The end he thrust in his
mouth and began chewing it.
A little later, as I placed my empty coffee cup on the butler's tray—
this was after Niki had taken Mr. Zzyx upstairs, to undress him and
put him to bed—Schweizer whispered: "I beg pardon, sir, but I don't
like the looks of that fellow!"
"I'm afraid, Schweizer," I rejoined, "that you'll be seeing a good deal
of this 'fellow' from now on."
The butler reflected a moment in silence on this information, and
then walked away, muttering: "I don't like his looks—I don't like his
looks!"
XVIII
The following morning, while Henry was making arrangements about
engaging a tutor for Mr. Zzyx, and McGinity busied himself in giving
proper publicity to our guest's first attempt at speech, Pat and I
strolled down to our dock. We went there on Niki's pressing invitation
to see the progress Mr. Zzyx was making in operating a runabout
Henry had recently acquired.
When we arrived at the dock, Mr. Zzyx was seated in the bow, at the
steering-wheel, looking very nautical and important in a blue worsted
suit, a white, soft-collar shirt, with a blue and white polka dot tie, and
a smart yachting cap. He beckoned at once to Pat to come down
and get into the boat.
"Oh, no! Thanks!" she called down to him.
He looked up at Pat and me imploringly. "I guess he wants us both to
come for a ride," I said. But Pat said she didn't want to go.
What happened, then and there, was an exhibition of handling a
runabout I didn't believe possible in a creature of such low mental
caliber. He seemed to take to it instinctively. Knowing there was a
great scarcity of water on Mars, I wondered how it came to him so
easily.
At Niki's word of command, he started the engine, and then steered
the boat, as unerringly as an arrow, in a swift and successful quarter-
mile run between the dock and our tiny island of rock, on which
stands the ruins of the old, stone lighthouse.
Pat and I applauded his feat on his return. In fact, Pat became so
enthusiastic over his expertness in steering the boat, that she took
her courage in hand, and ran down the steps, and jumped into the
runabout. "Now, Mr. Zzyx," I heard her say, "please give me a ride to
the island, and back."
Before I could voice my objection, Niki hopped out, and I was
horrified to see the boat race off again towards the island. While I
was protesting to Niki, I was keeping my eyes trained on the
runabout, which had now reached the island. Even from that
distance, I could see Mr. Zzyx doing a peculiar thing.
He had pulled up alongside the small dock; the engine was still
running, and the propeller kicking up a lot of foam. Apparently, he
didn't know how to tie up the boat. He was standing up, and making
funny motions to Pat, who seemed to be protesting by gestures. To
say I was not only puzzled but frightened is rather to understate the
situation.
If I had any coherent thoughts at all, they were that Mr. Zzyx wanted
Pat to go ashore with him and explore the island; he had an
abnormal sense of curiosity. There was really nothing of interest to
see there. It was all rock, devoid of trees and grass. The only
habitable building was a small shanty, which the Government had
used for storage purposes before Henry purchased the island.
"Why, in heaven's name, did you let him take Pat off like that?" I
protested to Niki. "Why didn't you stay aboard? He's dangerous."
Niki shrugged rather insolently at my fears. Since receiving a liberal
payment from Henry on the reward he had earned by first
discovering the rocket, he had become rather impudent. "Mr. Zzyx is
not dangerous, Meester Livingston," he countered. "He only likes fun
—like a leetle kitten!"
"When I say he's dangerous I mean that he is," I replied, with
vehemence. Then, profoundly shaken over Pat's security, I cried:
"Oh, what shall I do?" and turned round to run back to the castle.
The next moment, I had run full tilt into McGinity.
McGinity's reaction to the situation was typical. "That bird is too
dangerous to trifle with," he said; and within a few minutes he was in
one of our row-boats, heading for the island.
To my amazement, the next thing I saw was Mr. Zzyx bringing the
speed-boat back to the dock. I had pulled myself together somewhat
when he returned. I was surprised to see Pat, lolling comfortably
among some cushions, a cigarette in her hand and a cool smile on
her face. By that time, McGinity had put back to the dock. He arrived
in time to help Pat out of the runabout.
"What's all the trouble?" she asked him, a little sharply.
"Oh, I don't know," he replied, vaguely. "We just thought you might
be stuck over there, and couldn't get back."
"No fear," she returned, and laughed a little. "Mr. Zzyx has too much
common sense for that. The way he handles the boat is simply
marvelous. It was real excitement. I wouldn't have missed the ride—
not for anything!"
"All the same," McGinity remarked, "it was lucky for you, perhaps,
that I got here in time—that is, in case anything did happen."
Pat waved that off with a light gesture, and turned to me. "How does
Uncle Livingston feel about it?" she inquired.
"I was pretty well excited myself, Pat," I replied; "uneasy-like."
"I simply wanted to show Mr. Zzyx that I'm not afraid to be alone with
him, and that I'm a good sport besides," Pat explained.
"It's bad business," said McGinity, "any way you look at it. Matter of
fact, I think Mr. Zzyx is bad business."
"I don't see it," Pat retorted.
It was not until an hour later, when I found myself alone with Pat, that
I learned the truth about the situation, although I was convinced from
the first that she had deliberately overplayed her attitude of
indifference to danger.
"I was nearly scared to death," she confessed. "I did not miss Niki
until we were well on our way to the island. Mr. Zzyx showed by his
actions that he wanted me to tie up the boat, and go ashore with
him, but I wouldn't budge. If he had remained there, at the dock, a
minute longer, I would have yelled, screamed—jumped overboard.
But—" she concluded, as she tightened her grasp of my arm, "never
mind what I felt—Bob mustn't suspect."
In other words, she was still concealing her fear of Mr. Zzyx lest
something might happen to spoil McGinity's news stories, and
remove him from our midst. For some weeks now, he had been
assigned by his paper to "cover" Mr. Zzyx's every movement, and to
report all the news developments in connection with Henry's theories
about Mars. This necessitated his remaining at the castle.
The Daily Recorder, however, long since, had announced in its
editorial columns that while it printed all the news concerning the
recent Martian revelations, the publishers assumed no responsibility
for their veracity, and their readers were left to render a verdict in
accordance with the facts. This was a little raw on Henry, I thought.
Anyhow, the incident of the runabout was forgotten in the excitement
of the following day, when the Swedish-born Mayor of New York, His
Honor, Oscar Swenson, gave an official reception for Mr. Zzyx at the
City Hall. And what happened there became local history.
There was a large crowd outside our lodge-gate as we drove off, in
an open car; and all along the way, in the suburbs, and through the
city, to the downtown district, police reserves had to be called out to
control the vast throngs which lined our route.
It was a triumphal procession through the city. Mr. Zzyx waved to the
people in response to their loud huzzas. From the clouds of ticker-
tape and confetti that descended upon us, he collected a great
quantity. He and Henry, sitting in the rear seat, were knee-deep in it
by the time we reached the City Hall. On our way, while the
procession was held up by cross-town traffic, I bought a raspberry
lollypop from a street vendor for Mr. Zzyx. Henry frowned on this as
very undignified, but Mr. Zzyx sucked it with great enjoyment. His
actions reminded me of a small boy at his first circus.
The day was perfect—the air cool and crisp. We found City Hall
plaza one vast sea of faces. As we passed through a barrage of
cameramen, a Swedish chorus burst into song; and we had no
sooner taken our places on the steps, beside the Mayor, scores of
other city officials, and many notable invited guests, when several
hundred Swedish gymnasts entertained us with feats of physical
prowess.
I wished that Jane and Pat had come with us, but they both had
elected to remain at home, and enjoy the happenings at the City Hall
through the medium of the radio and television.
Mayor Swenson is a tall, gaunt, rosy-cheeked Swede, but his head
only reached to the shoulders of Mr. Zzyx when they stepped in front
of the microphone and television transmission instruments. Niki had
accompanied us as the Martian's bodyguard, and never left his side.
He carried an automatic pistol, ready for any emergency, as I
learned afterwards.
It was not my first experience of an official reception at the City Hall,
but many years had intervened since I attended the last one.
Although I was very familiar with the great changes that had taken
place, politically, in the city administration, this first close personal
contact with the Mayor, the Board of Aldermen, and the various
Commissioners, was in the nature of a shock. There was not one
single Irishman in the Aldermanic board, nor even a Jew. The board
was composed mostly of Chinese, Turks, Filipinos, and Bulgarians,
and one Eskimo, who had entered politics after graduating with
honors from Princeton University.
Amid this gathering of mixed nationalities, Mr. Zzyx was an
outstanding figure. As time passed, he grew restless, and kept
running a long, hairy finger around his immaculate collar as though it
choked him. He was attired in a formal cutaway coat and striped
trousers, topped with a silk hat, which he wore at an angle that gave
him a rather rakish appearance. He looked to me exactly like a huge,
over-stuffed piece of furniture, with the hair sticking out.
A breathless hush fell upon the thousands as the Mayor raised his
hand to command silence. His voice sounded a bit squeaky through
the loud speakers, not thunderous, as I had anticipated. I took notes
of his speech, which follows:
"I t'ank it's about time I introduced the city's distinguished visitor from
Mars." (A pause until the cheering had subsided.) "I bane t'anking as
I stood here that Mr. Zzyx is probably the most unique visitor the
great city of New York has ever welcomed, officially, yah?" (More
applause.) "Some of you no doubt bane t'anking that he is a great
fakir. My wife and me, we bane having an argument about this. My
wife, she t'anks he's just a big monkey that's got loose from some
zoo." (Laughter.) "When I ask our good friend, Mr. Henry Royce,"
(Mayor's voice lost in a tumult of cheers)—"when I ask him what he
bane t'anking about Mr. Zzyx, and his coming in a rocket, on a beach
out on Long Island, he only shakes his head, and says he knows
next to noddings; and I t'ank he's just as much fooled as the rest of
us. But whether our distinguished guest comes from Mars or the
moon, I bane t'anking we must hold fast to our traditions, and bestow
on him the key to our great city of fifteen million people—yah?
Therefore, it is with the greatest pleasure that I confer such an honor
upon Mr. Zzyx, the jungle man from Mars."
So saying, the Mayor handed an important-looking scroll to Mr. Zzyx,
who took it, and immediately unfolded it and began to look for
pictures. Not finding any, he passed it over to Henry, at whose signal,
Niki stepped forward to superintend Mr. Zzyx's introduction at the
microphone.
Our Martian visitor made a better showing at the microphone than I
had expected. I did not know then that for several days previous to
the reception, Niki had coached him in the use of the instrument.
First, he peered curiously into it, then he stuck his finger in, as
though he had seen some imprisoned insect inside.
Suddenly, he began to chatter, and then, just as suddenly, he
stopped. Hearing his own voice amplified through the loud speakers
seemed to have startled him. After Niki had patted him reassuringly
on the arm, he burst into chatter again, concluding with the only word
he could pronounce—"Spaghet!" He seemed to spit the word into the
microphone, which sent the crowd into convulsions of laughter and
cheers.
That practically ended the official city reception. After stepping into
our car, Mr. Zzyx further amused the crowd by smoking a cigarette,
and tipping his hat to the ladies, another trick Niki had taught him.
On the return trip to Long Island, he was greeted with even greater
acclaim than had been shown him earlier in the day.
We found Pat in a state of excitement. Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyk, she
said, had telephoned during our absence, to announce that she was
giving a dinner for Mr. Zzyx on the following Monday. After dinner,
she planned to take Mr. Zzyx to the opening performance of the
winter season at the Metropolitan-Civic Opera House.
Naturally, Pat was excited about this; we all were. Mrs. Van Dyk is
the last word in fashionable exclusiveness in New York society; even
European royalty is more accessible.
XIX
Mr. Zzyx behaved beautifully at the very brilliant dinner given in his
honor by Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyk at her town residence, the last red
brick mansion of a remote period, except our own, still left standing
in Washington Square. A dinner made more memorable than it
otherwise would have been by the distinguished array of guests.
Among them, Henry's beloved and revered old friend, the venerable
Episcopalian prelate, Bishop William Buckingham, who had grown a
bit queer in his dotage.
"A very novel idea on the part of our hostess," the Bishop remarked
to Henry after dinner, in the smoking-room, while I sat by, listening
and silent. "This sort of thing was done, years ago, at Newport, a
monkey-dinner, as I recall reading about it, and the clergy and the
newspapers made an awful row. Certainly times have changed when
we can sit down to dinner with a man-ape without the flicker of an
eye-lash. After this, I shan't be at all surprised to have one of my old
parishioners invite me to dine with a white rabbit. Mrs. Van Dyk sets
the fashions in New York, you know."
"After all," remarked Henry, "brutes and humans really belong to one
great family by common descent."
"Hold your miserable tongue, sir!" the Bishop responded, perkily.
"Not until I've extended an invitation to your reverence, to attend the
banquet the Exploration Club is giving for Mr. Zzyx on November
thirtieth," Henry rejoined.
"The Exploration Club! How extraordinary!" the Bishop exclaimed.
"The most exclusive club of its kind in the city. What's up?"
"Oh, just another revelation concerning Mars," Henry replied,
nonchalantly. "You will come, won't you?"
"Do my best to oblige," the Bishop replied.
At that, I felt my ears pricking. I already knew that Henry, Olinski and
McGinity, had something new about Mars up their sleeves, which
was to be disclosed at the banquet at the Exploration Club. What it
was, I had no idea. And I found out nothing that night. The
conversation between the Bishop and Henry was cut short by the
return of Mr. Zzyx and Niki, who had taken our Martian visitor to the
lavatory immediately after dinner, to tidy him up a bit before we left
for the opera.
A few moments later, we joined Mrs. Van Dyk, and her house guest,
Lady Gwynne of London, in the drawing room. The other dinner
guests had gone. Both were ready for the opera, Mrs. Van Dyk in a
stunning ermine wrap, and Lady Gwynne in sables.
We had no sooner entered the room, when, to my horror, Mr. Zzyx
went straight up to our hostess, and began to chatter, and stroke her
ermine coat. Then he walked over to Lady Gwynne, and repeated
the action on the sable wrap. I could see that they were both terribly
frightened.
Henry took the matter in hand at once, and drew Mr. Zzyx aside,
tenderly, as a father would treat a child of doubtful sanity. After
quieting him with a cigarette, he left him in Niki's care, and
approached Mrs. Van Dyk.
"A bad break, I'm afraid," he said to her, "and I apologize for this
breach of propriety. After all, Mr. Zzyx is part animal, and I'm afraid
the high instinctive animalism in him was beguiled by the sight and
smell of ermine and sable."
"A gesture of Martian jungle courtship," Lady Gwynne suggested.
Henry shook his head. "No; I don't think so," he said. "Mr. Olinski, my
associate, and I, have definitely proved that he is not influenced in
any way by what we mortals call sex appeal. Otherwise, he would be
very objectionable to have about. Pretty clothes, sparkling gems and
furs attract him just as toys intrigue small children. While instinctively
curious, and perhaps a little bold, he means no harm."
"Let's hope he'll keep up this high standard of behavior," the Bishop
remarked. "Undoubtedly a tremendous brute force lies sleeping
under his apparent docility. A pretty go, if this brute force is ever
aroused in him."
"I hope to God that'll never happen," said Henry, gravely.
And then Mrs. Van Dyk spoke. "We can't expect him to measure up
to Park Avenue social standards," she said. "A little clowning now
and then is relished by the best of men. Indeed, I've known men in
my own set to go much further than the mere stroking of a lady's fur
coat."
"Exquisite!" laughed the Bishop.
"How droll!" Lady Gwynne commented.
"As a creature from another planet," Mrs. Van Dyk continued, "I feel
very honored in having Mr. Zzyx as a guest in my house."
Henry sighed gustily, and said: "Very friendly of you, Mrs. Van Dyk."
And then the Bishop said: "Well, let's push on to the opera."
The Metropolitan-Civic Opera House was packed that night with one
of the largest crowds in its history. I was convinced upon our arrival
that the throng was there, not to hear Verdi's opera "Otello," but to
see Mr. Zzyx. The evening newspapers had heralded our coming,
and we encountered a large crowd outside the opera house, and
were met by a barrage of cameramen's flashlights as we entered.
Once inside, the crush about us was so great, we had considerable
difficulty in reaching Mrs. Van Dyk's box, in the parterre. Although
grand opera now was democratized, the "diamond horseshoe" still
remained. Opera, I'm afraid, will always remain the pet hobby of the
fashionably rich, just as racing will ever be regarded as the sport of
kings.
Two uniformed city policemen stood on guard, in the corridor, outside
the box. Mrs. Van Dyk, regal in black velvet and sparkling with
jewels, occupied the corner nearest the stage. Mr. Zzyx sat in the
other corner, with Henry sitting between. Behind them, Bishop
Buckingham was sandwiched between Lady Gwynne and Jane,
while I hovered, standing, in the rear, too nervous to sit down. Niki
was at my elbow.
We had missed the first act. Five minutes after we had settled
ourselves in the box, the curtain rose on the second act. Fashionable
women, like Mrs. Van Dyk, seem to make it a point to be late at the
opera. I doubt if our hostess had ever heard the first act of any opera
in the entire Metropolitan-Civic repertoire, during her long ownership
and occupancy of the box.
During that five minutes, every eye in the house appeared to be
turned on Mr. Zzyx, who, fortunately, was now in a state of lassitude,
which always overtook him after a heavy dinner. Apparently
undisturbed by the sensation he was causing, he devoted himself,
first, to a curious scrutiny of the packed masses in the balconies,
then he looked down at the arena below, and, finally, rested his gaze
on the two rows of boxes, filled with superbly gowned and bejeweled
women.
I was curious to see what effect grand opera music would have upon
him. What little music he had heard at the castle had come from our
radio, and in this he had displayed only a mild interest. His attitude
toward such music as he had heard rather dispelled the theory that
had been advanced, that if direct radio communication was ever
established between the earth and Mars, the interchange of ideas
would necessarily have to be through the medium of music, on
account of the lack of a common language.
Here, at last, was a chance to try music at its best on an inhabitant of
Mars. I wondered what the reaction would be. Mr. Zzyx watched the
musicians curiously as they trickled into the pit, and the noise of the
tuning up seemed to interest him immensely. Finally, when the house
went dark, he appeared quite excited. Then the baton of the
conductor rose, and the first crash of the orchestra came like a
thunder-clap.
Mr. Zzyx leapt to his feet, and started to climb over the edge of the
box. For a frenzied moment, I thought he was going to dive head first
into the midst of the spectators below. But Henry quickly grabbed
him by his swallow-tails, and pulled him back into his chair. The
incident did not attract the general attention it might have done if the
auditorium had not been darkened.
While Henry patted Mr. Zzyx on the shoulder to quiet him, Mrs. Van
Dyk leaned over, and said: "I don't wonder at him trying to jump out
of the box. To many, grand opera is a perfect hullabaloo, and
devastating. That's why so many people go out between acts for a
cocktail."
Presently Mr. Zzyx fell to listening, with his mouth open. At first, I
thought he was wholly lost in the delight of the orchestral movement
—drums and horns were silent now—and the beautiful singing on
the stage. Then, like a flash, it occurred to me that it was the dark-
skinned Otello who was claiming his attention, not the music or
singing.
I watched him, studied him attentively, as the opera swept on to its
violent climax—the smothering to death of Desdemona—by the
enraged Otello. After the final curtain, while the audience was
recalling and applauding the singers, I noticed he looked a little wild
about the eyes; a sort of inward brooding.
Was it possible that he had grasped the significance of the story, as
it had been unfolded before him on the stage? Could the climax of
the opera put ideas into his head beyond his purely natural instincts?
The force of ideas even stronger than his own inherent brute force,
which might quicken him to the fury of some deed of incredible
violence?
But I had no time for surmises. Yet, as we passed out of the opera
house, in an atmosphere of acclaim and some disorder, almost
mechanically, I jotted down the details in my memory of what I had
observed in him. From the look in his eyes, I felt some terrific instinct
had been aroused. It gave me a strange and eerie feeling, but I
made no mention of it to Henry.
Within ten days I was glad to have paid attention to such details.
Little did I suspect then that a black, threatening cloud was gathering
over our heads, or that more mystery, intrigue—even death—was
closing in about us.
XX
Life at the castle followed its usual routine during the interval
between Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyk's dinner and opera party, and the
banquet at the Exploration Club, in Mr. Zzyx's honor, with one
exception, which I shall mention further on.
I was delighted to see that McGinity shared the place of honor
allotted to our family group at the banquet, and justly so, because he
had put Henry's discoveries and theories over in the biggest possible
way. Later in the evening, I found he had other honors accruing to
him.
It was not until I was seated with the family party at the head of the
long U-shaped table, that I noticed the motion picture screen at the
far end of the dining room. Then the full significance of those secret
visits to a large film studio in Long Island City, on the part of Henry,
Olinski and McGinity, began to dawn upon me.
Gradually worming the secret out of McGinity, who sat on my left
(Jane was on my right) I was in possession of the complete facts of
the Martian revelations, shortly to be disclosed to this most highly
honored body of explorers and scientists, by the time the soup
course was over.
After Olinski had deciphered the Martian written message contained
in the mysterious scroll, found in the rocket, McGinity had put the
information contained therein into scenario form. A screen
production, backed by Henry's money, had been staged by one of
the largest and most progressive film corporations, at its Long Island
City studio, with Henry and Olinski acting in an advisory capacity.
I am telling this circumstantially, because the part McGinity played in
writing the scenario made the first real contribution to the solving of
the strange mysteries that enveloped us, and because it explains
how I myself in a small way became involved in the untangling of the
web.
As we sat placidly at the banquet table, my last thought was that
within twenty-four hours we would be plunged into a series of events,
which savored of the sort of thing associated with sensational fiction,
or exciting melodrama on the screen.
At odd moments, I cast my eye across the table at Mr. Zzyx. His
prolonged sojourn under our roof had become a "beastly vulgar
business," quoting Jane's own words. Daily, we were growing more
resentful of his impenetrable stupidity, and utterly bored with his
gross and ugly presence. Often I felt myself in the mood to wring his
neck.
It was also perfectly clear to me that Henry was beginning to tire of
shouldering the responsibility of this big, lumbering creature, but so
far he had kept it to himself. I felt angrier with him that I had ever
been in my life, yet I was angry rather for him than with him. It was
so utterly unlike him to allow the family's unpleasant associations
with Mr. Zzyx to continue, when a word from him would have ended
it.
The exception to our usual routine at the castle, during the week,
related to our guest from Mars. He was beginning to act very
queerly. I was of the opinion that a sort of madness was creeping on
him, brought on by the unnatural state in which he was living, the
strange food he ate so ravenously, and the constant excitement to
which he was subjected. One of the spookiest things he did was to
move about the castle during the night. Niki might be on guard, and
Mr. Zzyx's own bedroom door locked and bolted, but with uncanny
skill both were circumvented.
His first real outburst had come on the Friday night, preceding the
banquet. He began throwing things at Niki, and did considerable
damage to the furniture, pictures and walls in the State Apartment.
When I questioned Niki, he had dismissed the affair lightly, with the
excuse that Mr. Zzyx had been suffering from insomnia, and was not
himself.
Certainly he was not himself at the Exploration Club banquet. During
the dessert course, I saw that he had not touched his charlotte
russe, and was making holes in the table-cloth with his fork. His pet
hobby, while dining, was to roll his bread into little balls, toss them up
in the air, and then catch them in his mouth as they fell, something I
considered inexpressibly vulgar and disgusting.
I was astonished that Henry, or Bishop Buckingham, who was a
member of our party, did not rebuke him for making holes in the
cloth; but both seemed preoccupied. In a state of anxiety, I glanced
around at Pat, who was sitting on McGinity's left. It was not strange
to find that they both were practically oblivious to their surroundings.
The speech-making was now going on, having begun shortly before
coffee was served. The speakers were long-winded and tiresome. I
am neither a student, nor a philosopher, but I would like some
exponent of the doctrine of psychology to explain why men talk so
much and at such great length at banquets. I've often wished that
some bright person would organize a society for the suppression of
after-dinner speakers.
For fully half an hour, now, a little, rabbit sort of man, with big ears
and completely bald, and wearing tortoise-shell spectacles, had
been telling of his pursuit of prey, biped and quadruped, in distant
places, with minute detail of how he had killed one of every species
of beast and bird and fish in the world. The guests were showing
signs of impatience. Mr. Zzyx began making horrible grimaces, when
Henry tapped him warningly on the arm. Then he started to amuse
himself making those little bread balls. I became uneasy myself for
fear he might throw one of them at the speaker, something I wanted
to do myself but did not dare.
Then, suddenly, to my stunned astonishment, Mr. Zzyx picked up the
untasted charlotte russe, which is custard in a form made of sponge
cake, and hurled it at the speaker, who was directly opposite him.
His aim was true, and the little rabbit man got the charlotte russe full
in the face.
The guests roared with delight as the mighty hunter dug his features
out of the spattering custard, while Henry shook Mr. Zzyx sternly by
the arm, and whispered: "You ought to know better!"
Bubbling with mirth, I leaned over to McGinity, and said: "Too bad he
got it in the face." To this, the reporter replied: "The main thing is that
he got it."
After the bespattered speaker had gone to the lavatory to wash his
face, the toastmaster rose, and said: "Now that Mr. Zzyx, our
honored guest from Mars, has enlivened our dinner, we shall
proceed to the surprise event of the evening.
"No one is asked to accept these new disclosures about Mars which
our friend, Mr. Olinski, decoded from the mysterious writings of the
scroll, discovered in the rocket, as infallible," he continued. "Even our
fellow-scientist, Mr. Royce, who is accountable for this, and other
recent events of a scientific nature, which literally have rocked the
world, declares an uncertainty still exists in his own mind, and that
he is simply making public the information that has fallen into his
hands, from strange and unknown sources. In other words, he
wishes me to make clear to you all that he's not trying to put
something over on us. So, now, let's see what we shall see!"
The film, in four reels, was in the nature of a travelogue, beautifully
colored, and interspersed with sound and music. Henry was the
pictorial lecturer. McGinity's clever hand was seen in the numerous
whimsies and dramatic highlights. Many scenes were genuinely
stirring.
Mr. Zzyx, closely guarded by Niki in the darkened dining room,
watched the picture unfold with fascinated interest. At times, he
would gesticulate, strangely, like one familiar with the subject matter,
and utter primitive sounds, as though he wanted to speak, and tell us
more startling things about his home planet.
This newly acquired and first-hand information of present day life on
Mars, presented in picture form, supplemented by the free play of
imagination on the part of the director, proved infinitely more
valuable as educational entertainment than the cold facts would
have been if delivered from the lecture-platform.
The picture divulged, first of all, that life on Mars had originated and
evolved the same as on the earth, with the white division of the
human species exercising supreme authority over the affairs of the
planet.
Secondly, it showed that the strange, geometric markings on the
planet, as studied by astronomers on earth, are not a canal system,
or even man-made. The lines, or bands, which some of our
astronomers believed to be canals, constituting a system of
irrigation, are really deep wide canyons, ten to twelve miles in width
at the rim, and descending 2,000-3,000 feet below the sterile

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Conducting Action Research to

Evaluate Your School Library 1st

Disseminating Your Action Research: A Practical Guide

Transformative Climate Governance: A Capacities

Conducting Your Literature Review Susanne Hempel

A Light in Dark Times The New School for Social

Educational research planning conducting and evaluating

Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research 3rd

Developing a 21st Century Global Library for

Children and Peace: From Research to Action Nikola

Judith Anne Sykes

Part I Discovering Issues Affecting School-Librarians and

Part II Work Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Part III Timely Ideas for Teacher-Librarians to Explore through

Therefore, teacher-librarians and teachers (in schools in which teachers are

This book is intended to provide a practical look at enabling engagement in using

As teacher-librarians become comfortable with the skills, processes, and outcomes

environment in which school library programs find themselves these days—

Each question unfolds through further brainstorming—creating mind maps,

These preliminary steps open up additional questions about the researcher ’s

Once a plan is formulated, the researcher is immersed in intense learning through

Action Research Model (summary and diagram)

Figure I.1. Action Research Cycle Diagram

The intent of action research is to enable the professional to “live in a ques-

Goals Outcomes Plan

Journey Events: data collection

Figure I.2. Action Research Fold-Out Chart

In order to provide teacher-librarians with a practical guide to enable action research

Figure 1.2. Triangulated Diagram

There are many tools to facilitate brainstorming or mind-mapping for gathering

I wondered how I would collect thoughtful responses in the timeliest fashion

I began to review literature in the areas of teacher as researcher, reflective practice,

2. Catalyst—AISI is a catalyst for change. The common goal targeted funding,

The Ontario Ministry of Education’s Teacher Learning and Leadership program

Leaders in school librarianship from universities, teacher and teacher-librarian

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