Course:LIBR559A/Krueger, K., & Stefanich, G. (2011)

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Citation:

Krueger, K., & Stefanich, G. (2011). The School Librarian as an agent of scientific inquiry for students with disabilities. Knowledge Quest, 39(3), 40-47.


Annotation:

This article is written to persuade school librarians that all students deserve access to information and that as librarians they are the agents to make that happen (41-42). Following their introduction, Professor’s Assistant Karla Krueger and Professor Greg Stefanich point out that scientific inquiry is not more or less important that information inquiry (42). Kruger and Stefanich follow this up by explaining what the methods and purposes of information and scientific inquiry are (43-45). The most important piece of this article is the author’s emphasis on the need for librarians to provide accommodations for all users and the methods by which the librarian should accomplish this goal (44-45). Kruger and Stefanich recognizes the similarity between the fields of Universal Design for Learning and Assistive Technology and that the long term goal of both fields is to make it possible for all learners to access information. Kruger and Stefanich make a valid point that the UDL goal of instruction being accessible to all users from the start is impossible due to the numerous differences between people (45). Kruger and Stefanich present several options that could be used to increase information access 45-46. They conclude by restating the point that it is the librarian’s responsibility that everyone have equal access while recognizing that it is natural to resist change due to the responsibilities librarians already have. The authors believe that school reform on the subject of information accessibility and leadership on the issue should be placed on the school librarian with appropriate resources to ensure the success of the goal (46).

There are a few drawbacks to the article. The Stefanich promotes his own research to the reader. While the research is quite valuable for finding equipment and supplies to facilitate the goal of equal access, the a cognizant reader will be disturbed by the self-promotion. The article does not focus solely on the visually impaired. Despite this, it is an excellent resource for finding information on technology that would help the visually impaired. Finally, one of the primary problems with the article is that it pushes an utopian vision of the librarian which is that real change only occurs due to instructional leaders and librarians. This utopian view seems to be rooted in a pro-librarian bias. Kruger and Stefanich seem to be grasping at straws to make librarians relevant to the modern era by making such bold claims.

Page Author: Manfred Nissley