In many classrooms around the world, students have begun using iPads to research, collaborate, and create. But could iPads make a difference in how students learn
in their school libraries as well? Chicago Public Schools’
(CPS) librarians embarked on a yearlong experiment with
the mobile devices that inspired them to completely reinvent the way they teach.
Investigating and Experimenting
In 2011, five CPS elementary school libraries received carts
with 32 iPads each as well as a MacBook and a charging/
sync cart. We dubbed the initiative, which was part of a
larger districtwide iPad program, iPads in the Library.
We couldn’t find comprehensive information matching
our needs about other school districts using iPads in libraries, so our participating librarians became investigators
and experimenters working together to solve issues. I developed a program called Mobilary (mobilary.wikispaces.
com) to offer customized support as well as a web portal
to collect information about the librarians’ use of various devices, including the iPads. This portal allows other
librarians in the district who want to use iPads to access
information—from initial setup to loading apps and using
the devices with students—to support implementation at
their own schools.
Originally, I anticipated that the formal portion of the
program would end within one semester, but we decided to
extend it through the entire school year so everyone could
work at his or her own pace while continuing to meet together. The librarians participating in the iPad Mobilary
program accomplished quite a bit over the course of that
year. The group:
• Attended two full-day districtwide kick-off training days
• Participated actively in our iPad Google group
• Attended a Department of Libraries orientation geared
to using iPads in the library setting
• Attended two subsequent Department of Libraries
after-school training sessions on making EPUB books
and using various productivity tools
• Collectively contributed more than 15 recommended
apps to our shared Diigo group
• Collectively contributed more than 15 recommended
ebooks or audiobooks to our Diigo group
• Helped create a rubric to evaluate apps
• Helped build guidelines for best practices for
circulating iPads and using them in the library
• Contributed to best practices for cataloging ebooks
and ebook apps
• Helped develop video documentation of students
using the iPads
• Participated in a culminating showcase event
Tools and Apps
In addition to the iPads and the Mobilary wiki, we used
a plethora of ed tech tools, including a Google group for
communications, a Diigo group to house recommended
apps and ebooks, a Google form to create a template rubric, and a private Google spreadsheet where I worked
with each librarian to track his or her progress through the
program. All of these resources are linked to the Mobilary
wiki. We used Doodle.com polls to find mutually convenient times to meet, and we rotated from school to school
for the meetings. Except for the initial two-day training, all
the other meetings occurred after school. We created video
documentation of their practice using Animoto, and we
edited video footage, recorded on an iPhone, and posted it
to Vimeo.
The Department of Libraries wanted to provide additional support to librarians as they worked through this
discovery process, so after they had completed about 75%
of the program requirements, we gave each school a $1,000
voucher to purchase additional paid apps. Some schools
chipped in to buy even more apps. When possible, librarians used our district’s Volume Purchasing Program (see
the Mobilary wiki for details) to buy apps at half price.
Device Management
The librarians soon realized that they faced a different
set of challenges than classroom teachers when it came
to managing their sets of iPads. Some of the solutions
they came up with included:
Color coding. As all of the schools participating in this
program were elementary schools, their classes had fixed
weekly schedules. So most of the librarians decided to
color-code sets of iPads using various colored skins or
covers as well as numbered wallpaper on the screens. A
student who always sits at a particular seat, for example,
would automatically know to use the orange #3 iPad. This
helped avoid conflicts when students selected their iPads
and limited the number of students using a particular
device. Color-coding also extended to the charging cart,
so students could easily help re-slot devices. (See the Mobilary wiki for pictures.)
Cleaning. We required students to clean the iPad screens
after each use. To facilitate this, the librarians purchased
large pieces of microfiber from a fabric store, cut them
into swatches, and put them into Ziplock bags, which they
stored at each table.
Tracking inventory. To facilitate students checking the iPads
out of the library, librarians affixed barcodes to the devices,
which allowed them to inventory and track them in their
integrated library systems.
