AASL Foundation Interview #3: Inquire with Dr. Childs

The AASL Shared Foundation of Inquire helps students learn to ask questions, find information, and think carefully about what they learn. After talking with Dr. Natalie Childs, a school librarian at Dorman High School in Spartanburg School District Six, I gained a clearer idea of how this works in a high school where research matters.

Dr. Childs works with around 2,800 students in grades 10 to 12 and is one of two librarians at the school. She explained that because the school is so big and students have a lot of academic work, “most of our lessons are on research, so they would fall under Inquire.” This showed me how important inquiry is in high school.

Rather than doing a traditional interview, Dr. Childs shared answers she had already written for another MLIS student. She offered to write new responses if needed, but her existing answers fit my questions and gave me helpful insight into her program.

Here are the questions she gave me for the interview:

• What are some examples of how you implement these competencies?
• What resources do you use to support them?
• Do these competencies involve collaboration with teachers?
• What challenges do you face when implementing them?

One of the main things I learned is that students are taught how to tell if sources are reliable. Dr. Childs said students learn “how to determine if resources are reliable” and are encouraged to use Discus databases because they are trusted. Librarians show students how to use Discus tools that match their research topics. This helps students move past basic searching and do more meaningful research.

Collaboration with teachers is also a big part of this process. Teachers share what students are learning and what they need for assignments, and librarians create lessons to support those needs. These lessons help students “locate, use, and cite resources that are reliable and relevant,” which connects directly to their classwork.

She also talked about some challenges, especially not having much time. With only one 90-minute class block per day for lessons, there is a lot to cover quickly. She also said that librarians do not always know students’ learning styles, so lessons have to work for many different learners.

This interview helped me see that inquiry in high school is focused and purposeful. In my future work, I want to make sure students do more than just find information; they should understand how to judge and use it. I also want to use time wisely and work closely with teachers so library lessons really help students learn.