Building Partnerships for Learning
The following presents some of the key points and philosophy of this volume. It was prepared by the American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (pub. 1998)
“Information literacy—the ability to find and use information—is the keystone of lifelong learning. Creating a foundation for lifelong learning is at the heart of the school library media program. Just as the school library media center has moved far beyond a room with books to become an active, technology-rich environment with an array of information resources, the school library media specialist today focuses on the process of learning rather than dissemination of information. The library media program combines effective learning and teaching strategies and activities with information access skills.
Philosophy
“Today’s student lives and learns in a world that has been radically altered by the ready availability of vast stores of information in a variety of formats. …………. The information explosion has provided countless opportunities for students and has dramatically altered the knowledge and abilities they will need to live productively in the twenty-first century. Students must become skillful consumers and producers of information in a range of sources and formats to thrive personally and economically in the communication age.
“Contemporary learning theory describes the student as an active and engaged information user and underscores the importance of students’ developing information expertise. Cognitive psychologists define learning itself as the active building of knowledge through dynamic interaction with information and experience. ……….
“Promoting authentic learning demands both an acceptance of current learning and information theory and a new conception of the context of education. For all students, that context will include learning environments that are fundamentally different from any that we have known. Central to this new context is the idea of the ‘learning community.’ This phrase suggests that all of us—students, teachers, administrators, and parents as well as our local, regional, state, national, and international communities-are interconnected in a lifelong quest to understand and meet our constantly changing information needs. This new learning community is not limited by time, place, age, occupation, or disciplinary borders but instead is linked by interest, need, and a growing array of telecommunications technology.
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“Helping students flourish in this learning community is the central concern of student-centered library media programs. The goal is to assist all students in becoming active and creative locators, evaluators, and users of information to solve problems and to satisfy their own curiosity. With these abilities, students can become independent, ethical, lifelong learners who achieve personal satisfaction and who contribute responsibly and productively to the learning community and to society as a whole.
Mission and Goals of the School Library Media Program
1. To provide intellectual access to information through learning activities that are integrated into the curriculum and that help all students achieve information literacy by developing effective cognitive strategies for selecting, retrieving, analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, creating, and communicating information in all formats and in all content areas of the curriculum
2. To provide physical access to information through
a. a carefully selected and systematically organized local collection of diverse learning resources that represent a wide range of subject, levels of difficulty, and formats;
b. a systematic procedure for acquiring information and materials outside the library media center and the school through such mechanism as electronic networks, interlibrary loan, and cooperative agreements with other information agencies; and instruction in using a range of equipment for accessing local and remote information in any format.
3. To provide learning experiences that encourage students and others to become discriminating consumers and skilled creators of information through comprehensive instruction related to a full range of communications media and technology
4. To provide leadership, collaboration, and assistance to teachers and others in applying principles of instructional design to the use of instructional and information technology for learning
5. To provide resources and activities that contribute to lifelong learning while accommodating a wide range of differences in teaching and learning styles, methods, interests, and capacities
6. To provide a program that functions s the information center of the school, both through offering a locus for integrated and interdisciplinary learning activities within the school and through offering access to a full range of information for learning beyond this locus
7. To provide resources and activities for learning that represent a diversity of experiences, opinions, and social and cultural perspectives and to support the concept that intellectual freedom and access to information are prerequisite to effective and responsible citizenship in a democracy.
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The Nine Information Literacy Standards
for Student Learning
Information Literacy
Standard 1 The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively
Indicator 1. Recognizes the need for information
Indicator 2. Recognizes that accurate and comprehensive information is the basis for intelligent decision making
Indicator 3. Formulates question based on information needs
Indicator 4. Identifies a variety of potential sources of information
Indicator 5. Develops and uses successful strategies for locating information
Standard 2 The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently
Indicator 1. Determines accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness
Indicator 2. Distinguishes among fact, point of view, and opinion
Indicator 3. Identifies inaccurate and misleading information
Indicator 4. Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand
Standard 3 The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively
Indicator 1. Organizes information for practical application
Indicator 2. Integrates new information into one’s own knowledge
Indicator 3. Applies information in critical thinking and problem solving
Indicator 4. Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate formats
Independent Learning Standards
Standard 4 The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests
Indicator 1. Seeks information related to various dimensions of personal well-being, such as career interests, community involvement, health matters, and recreational pursuits
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Indicator 2. Designs, develops, and evaluates information products and solutions related to personal interests
Standard 5 The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
Indicator 1. Is a competent and self-motivated reader
Indicator 2. Derives meaning from information presented creatively in a variety of formats
Indicator 3. Develops creative products in a variety of formats
Standard 6 The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.
Indicator 1. Assesses the quality of the process and products of personal information seeking
Indicator 2. Devises strategies for revising, improving, and updating self-generated knowledge
Social Responsibility Standards
Standard 7 The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society
Indicator 1. Seeks information from diverse sources, contexts, disciplines, and cultures
Indicator 2. Respects the principle of equitable access to information
Standard 8 The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.
Indicator 1. Respects the principles of intellectual freedom
Indicator 2. Respects intellectual property rights
Indicator 3. Uses information technology responsibly
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Standard 9 The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.
Indicator 1. Shares knowledge and information with others
Indicator 2. Respects others’ ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions
Indicator 3. Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to identify information problems and seek their solutions
Indicator 4. Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to design, develop, and evaluate information products and solutions
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Learning and Teaching
Learning and Teaching Principles of School Library Media Programs
Principle 1: The library media program is essential to learning and teaching and must be fully integrated into the curriculum to promote students’ achievement of learning goals
Principle 2: The information literacy standards for student learning are integral to the content and objectives of the school’s curriculum
Principle 3: The library media program models and promotes collaborative planning and curriculum development.
Principle 4: The library media program models and promotes creative, effective, and collaborative teaching.
Principle 5: Access to the full range of information resources and services through the library media program are fundamental to learning.
Principle 6: The library media program encourages and engages students in reading, viewing, and listening for understanding and enjoyment.
Principle 7: The library media program supports the learning of all students and other members of the learning community who have diverse learning abilities, styles, and needs.
Principle 8: The library media program fosters individual and collaborative inquiry
Principle 9: The library media program integrates the uses of technology for learning and teaching.
Principle 10: The library media program is an essential link to the larger learning community.
Connections to the Learning Community
“Authentic learning for today’s student is not bound by the textbook, the classroom, the library media center, or the school. By linking students with the unlimited learning opportunities available throughout the learning community, the school library media program provides a bridge between formal, school-based learning and independent, lifelong learning.…
“The learning community involves a wide range of human and resource connections within and beyond the school. Like a series of concentric circles, the learning community begins with the school’s students, teaching staff, and administration, and then extends to parents and families and to other local community members and resources. Beyond these circles, the learning community connects with district, state, and regional educational offices and agencies and with professional associations and other national resources. Ultimately, the learning community encompasses international and global resources.
Collaboration
Establish effective working relationships with teacher and school administrators
Develop strong relationships with parents and families
Form links with community resources such as public libraries, museums, and governmental and other public agencies
Collaborate with business and civic organizations
Collaborate with colleges and universities
Maintain links with district, regional, and state educational offices and agencies
Develop links with national and international groups
Leadership
Engage in curriculum and instructional leadership
Offer programs and services to parents and families
Form connections with community agencies and businesses
Help form policies and make decisions at the district, state, and regional level
Assume formal leadership roles in professional organizations
Technology
“Technology is a primary tool used by the library media specialist to forge connections between the program and the learning community………Using the concepts and skills embedded instructional technology, school library media specialists collaborate with teachers to develop and manage effective instruction and to evaluate processes and resources for learning. The jointly create learning experiences that integrate the information literacy standards for student learning with subject-matter content.
“No individual school contains all the resources and information that students need to master to flourish in the twenty-first century. A host of technological devices provides multiple ways to connect the school library media program to the learning community. Computer systems linked through local are networks bring program directly to students and teachers in their classrooms and laboratories. Electronic mail, listservs, and newsgroups enable library media specialists to reach out and to augment personal, face-to-face connections.
“While technological links do not substitute for the human connections that are central to effective learning and teaching, they allow library media specialists to quickly and easily connect with people and resources. Especially by using technology to make connections that are otherwise impractical or impossible, the school library media specialist offers opportunities for students to explore the world and its resources in unprecedented ways. Technology connections allow learners to apply the information literacy standards for student learning and to participate in a community of learners that spans the globe.
“Both the lay and professional literature report concerns that schools can no longer follow the design of the past, preparing young people for an industrial society. Instead, we must be preparing students for an information society. What does this mean for how students need to learn and how we need to teach? We must teach students to be learners, because in their lifetimes so much new knowledge will be generated that they cannot expect to stop learning when they leave school. What are learners? They are people who inquire, who seek information, evaluate it, apply it to new problems, questions, or decisions, and assess how well the information has met their needs.
These aspects of intellectual work call for students to exploit the potential of the school library media program as a point of access, communication, learning, and creation. When this kind of intellectual activity occurs, students will leave us ready to thrive in an information society.