How to Lead the Info Lit Band

Enid Davis

Library Director

The Harker School

Drum this into your head!

Information literacy skills must be integrated into the curriculum in all subject areas and on every grade level.

You can LEAD this effort, but you cannot BE this effort.

Planning the band

• Know what you are talking about: Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age.

• Know what info lit skills look like: Standards and Guidelines for Strong School Libraries.

• Find a research methodology: The Big6

Info lit is a very broad term

• Actually, it covers your entire library program and much that is taught in other classes!

• Break it down into specific, mostly measurable goals in language teachers can understand.

Start by talking it up

Hi, teacher! How are all those research projects working for you?

You mean to tell me…

• Those kids don’t know what’s important to include in a three paragraph paper?

• You wish you had an inkling of what they should have learned last year in 5th grade?

• Those high school kids don’t cite resources on science papers!

Have I got an idea for you!

• Wouldn’t you just love a scope and sequence for research skills?

• Well, I’ll get back to you!

Talk with the IT teacher

Would you like to join the hottest trio in

town?

1. Teacher = content

2. Librarian = research

3. IT teacher = new tools

Go straight to your supervisor!

“What sad stories I have heard from the teachers trying to do research projects!”

Boss, I would like permission

… to start an Information Literacy Committee that will discuss the best way for our school to teach 21st-century

research and creative problem-solving skills.

Try to get an administrator

to join the committee…..

The Committee….

• Introduces administrators, teachers and students to your research methodology, the standards, skills, and indicators of your continuum, and assessment tools.

• You do this through workshops, orientations, department meetings, collaboration projects, library curriculum, email, newsletters, displays, etc.

Info lit is like doing the Cha-Cha

First you do a workshop – so that leads to a collaboration – so that leads to another collaboration – which leads to your telling your boss how well it’s going – which leads to more time given for a faculty

meeting demo – which leads to another

idea you have – which leads to more…

Which Leads to Inviting Youto Lead Your Own Parade