Confronting the ‘Crisis of Significance’ in 21st Century School Libraries

The demands of life in the 21st century have evolved dramatically, giving rise to the need for a complex set of interrelated and interdependent skills in order to cope with this complexity and to achieve success in life. Unfortunately, there is a widening gap between the world experienced and created by youth outside of school and their in-school experiences leading to what Michael Wesch has called a “crisis of significance” (2009) facing teachers and schools today. Many would suggest school libraries today are also struggling to find their place and regain their significance in the learning lives of students. How should schools and school libraries respond to this „crisis‟ and change the learning landscape to better match 21st century realities? This paper explores these issues and clarifies the characteristics of 21st century learners and learning, and provides ideas for re-visioning schoollibraries to meet the expectations for 21st century learning.