Once More with Feeling: What Does Information Literacy Look Like in the Google World?

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Author: Abram, Stephen1,2 stephen.abram@sirsi.com

ACCORDING to the Association of Teacher-Librarians in Canada (now called the Canadian Association of School Libraries), students, to become lifelong learners, must be able to do the following:

* Recognize the need for information to solve problems and develop ideas.

* Pose important questions.

* Use a variety of information gathering strategies and research processes.

* Locate relevant and appropriate information.

* Access information for quality, authority, accuracy and authenticity.

* Use the practical and conceptual tools of information technology.

* Understand form and format of information, location and access methods, including how information is situated and produced.

* Format and publish in text and multimedia, adapting to emerging technologies.

--From Information Studies, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Curriculum for Schools and School Library Information Centres

Seems simple enough--these are pretty clear graduation outcomes. But what does it really mean in grade 1? Grade 3? Grade 9? I personally like and admire the work done in my province and provincial school libraries association, where we code our expectations of our learners and help them build their information literacy skills in a planned and effective manner. Each stage of life and school comes with its own set of new skills requirements to achieve success across the curriculum. This curriculum recognizes the need for and importance of these types of learning opportunities:

* Formal and informal programs to encourage the transfer of information literacy skills and knowledge to real-life situations

* An information problem-solving process, as well as specific information application skills

* A research process to develop higher-order critical and creative thinking skills

* Expertise in the use of the tools and applications of the Information Age, from traditional print to digital information technologies

* The development of student independence in using information for lifelong learning

* The use of information-based decision-making and decision-making to enhance life at school, at work, and at home

* The collaborative role of parents, teachers, and teacher-librarians in promoting independent thinking and information problem-solving

* The development of safe, ethical and responsible practices in acquiring, using, and communicating information

* The integration of a wide range of activities and resources to provide a lifetime of reading and learning

--From Information Studies, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Curriculum for Schools and School Library Information Centres

A report from the Canadian Coalition for School Libraries shows that students who attend schools with well-funded, properly stocked libraries that offer library programs managed by qualified staff have higher achievement, improved literacy, and greater success at the post-secondary level.

The study, entitled "The Crisis in Canada's School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Reinvestment," was written by Ken Haycock, professor and former director at the graduate School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia. According to Haycock, "The evidence is there for all to see. That's why governments in the U.S., Europe, and Asia are aggressively investing in their school libraries. What's disturbing is that too many policymakers are ignoring the findings of literally decades of research that shows why school libraries and qualified teacher-librarians are essential components in the academic programming of any school."

The wonderful research and Web sites of such school library and reading luminaries as Keith Curry Lance, Ken Haycock, Ross Todd, David Loertscher, Stephen Krashen, and Ray Doiron are all connected here and continue to track the value of school library programs and collections. You can read and download the report at http://www.peopleforeducation.com/librarycoalition/Report03.pdf. You will also find useful links at the School Library Information Portal [http://www.cla.ca/slip/] hosted by the Canadian Library Association. Another useful site is the Ontario Library Association's School Libraries Toolkit [http://www.accessola.com/school%5flib/], along with one provided by AASL at http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/toolkits/aasladvocacy.htm.

The Ontario curriculum shows detailed outcomes for reasoning, organizing, communicating, and applying information literacy skills by grade level and ties these to the tools and resources for each level. While we are all aware of the range of skills and abilities in each grade level, these guidelines are incredibly valuable in focusing our attention on what deliverables we want to see in our partnerships between teachers and school libraries and, indeed, between schools and public libraries. These partnerships are even more valuable in placing technology and electronic resources in the appropriate context and perspective in the K-12 curricula.

There are specific school curriculum markers that can serve as the skeletal framework for a successful school/public library partnership--especially if your school doesn't have a full-time teacher-librarian or enough library staff or volunteers who link the library program to learning needs and overall curriculum objectives. Although it's sad when resources are restricted, we can't just throw our hands in the air and give up. Schools need the ability to serve the full width and depth of student abilities, and the library--any type of library, actually--can be the point where our overachieving and underachieving learners can blossom.

Quite a few librarians in Canada have built programs that linked public and school libraries. Some have assigned every librarian a specific grade to contact in their branch's district--for instance, identify and contact every grade 3 teacher. They are focused on a specific literacy goal: grade 1 for love of story time; grade 3 for independent reading; grade 6 for research resources for their first five-paragraph essay; grade 9 for research resources, print and electronic for their first major paper; grade 11/12 for advanced research skills database training. It's a simple scaffolded approach that builds skills over time and ensures a balance of resources--print, books, journals, Web, databases, CD-ROM, and film.

Others have started with hospital maternity wards and offered baskets of books and library cards to new mothers to get them involved early on. At Toronto Public Library they once went very BIG. They got the Toronto Blue Jays' 55,000-seat SkyDome facility and brought in famous Canadian authors, topped with a reading by none other than J. K. Rowling, and invited all school-age kids. Giving 55,000 people a good impression of the library can't hurt at all! The Toronto-Dominion Bank sponsors a nationwide summer reading program that is promoted in the schools before vacation time. CanWest Global, a national television and media company, sponsors CanSpell and other reading and literacy activities that are cross promoted in schools and public libraries. We are not limited by anything other than our own creativity and ability to take a risk and dream big.

The public library, sometimes through consortia or statewide purchases, often has electronic resources that are underused by students. If you haven't visited your public library and talked to the librarian lately, perhaps it's time for a chat. Invest an hour in this someday. If you can't get away, most libraries are open at least some nights or weekends and librarians can be reached by telephone. Perhaps the best thing you could do this month is to assign your students this homework task: Obtain a public library borrower card. (Warn your local library first so they'll be ready for the onslaught!) Next, show the students how to access the public library's Web site to identify books or other items like videos, CD-ROMs, and cassettes that might help them with their projects. (Play with it yourself if you haven't already; there's a wealth of content there!) Then, show them the resources they can use in the library or through the Web with their new cards and that a library card is can be one of the smartest cards they'll ever own!

And if your community isn't funding its public library well and the library is consequently providing services on a shoestring, write a letter. Children and their families deserve better from their communities. Communities with great library programs are great communities. If we don't build these relationships now, we continue to risk having Google and the other search engines control our kids.

I mentioned above that there is an Ontario curriculum for information literacy from K-12. Here are the citations.

Information Studies, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Curriculum for Schools and School Library Information Centres. Edited by Tim Gauntley, Rose Dotten, and Liz Kerr. Ontario Library Association, 1999. 110 p. ISBN 0-88969-040-5 $14.00 CDN

There is also a supplement that comes with its own CD-ROM: Coded Expectations: A Companion to Information Studies, Kindergarten to Grade 12, by Angela de Prima. This companion volume is $17.50 CDN. ISBN 0-88969-046-4. Highlights are available at: http://www.accessola.com/action/positions/info%5fstudies/.

Both can be easily ordered in hardcopy:

Ontario Library Association
100 Lombard Street, Suite 303
Toronto, ON M5C 1M3
416-363-3388 or 1-866-873-9867
FAX: 416-941-9581 or 1-800-387-1181
info@accessola.com

There are important roles for both public and school libraries to play. Each complements the other and provides a steppingstone on the path to a life enhanced by reading and information. You're teaching your learners one of the most important life skills that can possibly be taught. And, even more, you're helping to bridge the digital divide--both the economic one and the one that comes from neglect of teaching information skills. You have the opportunity to give the gift that lasts a lifetime. Googling isn't enough! Keep up the good work.

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By Stephen Abram

Stephen Abram, M.L.S., is 2004/5 president of the Canadian Library Association and is vice president of innovation for Sirsi Corp. He would love to hear from you at stephen.abram@sirsi.com.