Information Access

As the information specialist, the school library media specialist makes connections for students and staff with the information they need to support the teaching and learning process. As the information hub of the school, the library media center is the information infrastructure providing connections to information within the school, the school division, the community, and the world.

Information Literacy Instruction

To align the library media program with the Wisconsin State Standards of Learning in the core content areas and implement the national standards for student learning as published by AASL & AECT, the library media program has implemented information literacy standards and performance indicators at all grade levels, K-12. These standards and indicators have correlated the WASD Essential Learnings with the Wisconsin Standards of Learning. To effectively teach this curriculum, it is imperative that the library media specialist establish collaborative partnerships with classroom teachers by:

• serving on curriculum development committees at all levels in order to integrate information literacy and provide instructional resources

• working jointly with teachers as partners in the planning, designing, teaching and evaluation of instructional activities;

• assisting both teachers and students in the effective use of instructional technologies;

• establishing the integration of information literacy skills across the curriculum.

Defined

Information literacy is knowing why you need information, where to find it, how to scrutinize for quality information, how to apply that knowledge, and how and when to communicate the information with others and oneself in an ethical manner.

Stokes, Sandra. Spring 2006). Introduction to Vol. 46, Issue No. 2: Literacy Overview. WSRA Journal. Volume 46 number 2.

Developing Skills for Information Literacy. (July 10, 2007). Class Discussions.

-submitted by Brionne Roberts-Bray, Nov. 2007


Attaining and continually improving the skills necessary to:
• understand a need for information
• access and responsibly and effectively use the information from a variety of mediums
• scrutinize and critically judge information most relevant to the topic
• take the data and make meaning from it
• reflect upon the accomplishments and failures
• be able to communicate in a global environment
• adapt to new knowledge and changes

- written by Amanda Gast, 2007

Citations

"Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education," American Library Association, September 01, 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm (Accessed November 25, 2007)Document ID: 185693

"Presidential Committee on Information Literacy," American Library Association, July 24, 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.cfm (Accessed November 25, 2007)Document ID: 126315