Subareai.Information Access and Delivery

SUBAREAI.INFORMATION ACCESS AND DELIVERY

IN THE LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAM

Competency 1.0Understand the mission of the library media program and the roles and responsibilities of the media specialist.

Skill 1.1 Identifying characteristics and functions of an effective school library media program

An effective school library media program can become the heart of learning in any school environment. A deciding factor in the success of the program is the dedication of the school library media specialist. For a school library media program to be successful it must possess the following characteristics:

The program must be student-centered. Students have the opportunity to learn to be efficient managers of information. They participate in learning activities that foster creativity and build critical thinking skills. Students collaborate with the school library media specialists to facilitate their learning experiences.
The program works to expand students’ interests and to foster a love of reading, listening and viewing
It works to provide access to information and assist students in evaluating that information so that it can be used effectively.
The program assists students in becoming lifelong learners by teaching them to appreciate varying perspectives, act responsibly with regard to information, build critical thinking skills, analyze information and create products based upon the information learned.
The school library media specialist collaborates with students and staff to provide authentic learning experiences that integrate information skills into the curriculum. Collaboration is one of the most crucial components to the success of a school library media program.
The school library media specialist works as a leader within the school, bringing resources into the school and training others to use those resources.
The school library media specialist creates partnerships within the community, further enhancing educational opportunities for students.
The school library media specialist provides physical access to resources that meets the needs of all populations.

Skill 1.2 Recognizing the mission of the library media program in providing equitable physical and intellectual access to information, ideas, and learning and teaching tools

The mission of any organization, business or educational institution should evolve from the needs and expectations of its customers. In the case of the school library media center, its mission must parallel the school’s mission and attend to the users’ needs for resources and services.

The school library media program should examine the following school and student characteristics.

School:

The mission of the school library media center should reflect and harmonize with the stated school mission.
The program’s mission should reflect the academic, vocational and compensatory directions of the school curriculum.
The mission should reflect the willingness of the administration and faculty to support the program.

Student:

The mission is influenced by pupil demographics: age, achievement, ability levels, reading levels and learning styles.
The mission may indicate student interest in self-directed learning and exploratory reading.
The mission reflects support from parents and community groups.

Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (1988) and Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (1998) state that the mission of a library media program should focus upon these items.

Ensuring all patrons have intellectual access to information. The collection should contain a variety of resources on a wide range of topics. Patrons should be taught how to locate and utilize the information effectively.
All patrons should have physical access to information. The collection should be well organized and should include resources that can be accessed both in and outside of the school.
The media specialist should provide authentic learning experiences that enhance student levels of information literacy.
The media specialist should work closely with teachers to provide activities that focus on lifelong learning.

Skill 1.3 Recognizing the importance of creating an environment that supports multiple uses of the library media center and promotes lifelong learning

A student-centered media center begins with providing access to resources in an environment that is both interesting and inviting. The space should be well-organized and clearly labeled so that resources can be located. It should have a welcoming atmosphere that entices students and staff to come to the media center to learn.

The school library media specialist is crucial to the development of a climate that encourages learning. To provide such as atmosphere the school library media specialist must be willing to:

promote the program as a wonderful place for learning,
arrange materials so that they are easy to locate,
set flexible schedules that allow for just in time learning,
be eager to work with students and staff,
maintain an attractive and inviting space,
and collaborate with school staff and students.

Skill 1.4 Demonstrating knowledge of management functions of the media specialist

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications Technology (AECT) recommend that a school library media center is maintained by a licensed school library media specialist with a Master’s degree from an educational program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) or National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This specialist should also receive qualified support staff.

The school library media specialist must demonstrate strong management skills. They are responsible for developing program goals, developing collections, managing the budget, consulting with teachers about using existing resources or producing new materials, providing student instruction and staff development, and overseeing the paraprofessional and nonprofessional staffs. It takes great effort to coordinate all of pieces to create a great school library media program.

The following summarizes AASL/AECT guidelines.The role of the school library media specialist is three-fold.The information specialist meets program needs by providing the following.

1.Access to the facility and materials that is non-restrictive—whether economically, ethnically or physically.

2.Communication to teachers, students, administrators and parents concerning new materials, services or technologies.

3.Efficient retrieval and information sharing systems.

The teacher specialist is charged with the following responsibilities.

1.Integrating information skills into the content curriculum.

2.Providing access to technology and instruction in its use.

3.Planning jointly with classroom teachers for the use and production of media appropriate to learner needs.

4.Using various instructional methods to provide staff development in policies, procedures, media production and technology use.

The instructional consultant uses expertise for the ensuing roles.

1.Participating in curriculum development and assessment.

2.Assisting teachers in acquiring information skills which they can incorporate into classroom instruction.

3.Designing a scope and sequence of teaching information skills.

4.Providing leadership in the use and assessment of information technologies.

In addition to the AASL/AECT guidelines also endorsed by the NEA, guidelines are available from state departments of education.

Skill 1.5 Recognizing the roles and responsibilities of the media specialist in providing expertise in the use of information resources and technology and in serving as a resource person for members of the learning community

School library media specialists play an essential role in the training for and use of technology resources. Their leadership and expertise is invaluable to a

school’s climate. It is imperative that media specialists stay abreast of emerging technologies and their impact on student achievement.

In this role, the media specialist is responsible for:

assisting teachers with planning activities that integrate technology with the Quality Core Curriculum Standards and Resources (QCC),
assisting with the use of technology as a tool,
collaborating with teachers to select the appropriate technology to support instructional activities,
teaching staff and students to use and evaluate information,
providing a wide array of resources and opportunities for technology both on and offline,
training teachers to use the technology tools available,
providing leadership in the selection and evaluation of technology resources.

Skill 1.6 Applying knowledge of strategies for encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning

The media specialist plays a key role in teaching students to master information literacy skills. When students are information literate, they can begin to take responsibility for their own learning.

Students need to be able to search for information on a wide array of topics for both school and personal reasons. The media specialist must teach students how to locate information through various resources. It is important for students to be taught effective search strategies for both print and electronic resources.

Independent learners need to be able to evaluate the information they locate. By teaching students how to evaluate print and non-print resources for their effectiveness students can best judge the accuracy of content.

Finally, students should be able to compile the information they gather into a product either for school or personal use. Students need to be taught note-taking skills along with the guidelines for copyright and fair use. They should also be taught how to write a research paper and how to use technology to present information.

When students have mastered information literacy skills they are better able determine their own needs and how to compile the information into a product they can use.

Competency 2.0Understand the characteristics of efficient and ethical information-seeking behavior by all members of the learning community

Skill 2.1 Applying knowledge of strategies for locating, critically evaluating and using information in a variety of formats for given purposes

As students begin to form a topic, it is necessary for them to understand

strategies that will make their search more effective and efficient. When searching for information the researcher should begin by writing down words or phrases that directly relate to the topic being covered. Researchers should start with general terms and break them down into more specific areas. These terms become the keywords that will be used in the search. A keyword is an important word or phrase that is used to retrieve information. Once the set of keywords has been determined, use these keywords to search books, articles, or electronic resources.

When searching through print materials the researcher will look for specific subject headings. Subject headings are words or phrases that are used to locate resources by topics. When information can be found under more than one subject heading the information is often cross-referenced. The words “See also” may be used to direct the researcher to a more appropriate heading. When using print references it can be helpful to consult an index to locate the keyword or any cross-referenced topics.

Electronic resources offer a wider array of strategies for locating information. Two of the most common strategies can be explained as follows:

Boolean operators. Popular operators include:
AND – e.g. Lions AND tigers – commands the search engine to find both words in the searched text.
AND – e.g. Lions AND tigers – commands the search engine to find both words in the searched text.
AND NOT – e.g. Lions AND NOT tigers – commands the search engine to find texts that list lions but to ignore texts that list tigers.
OR – e.g. Lions OR tigers – commands the search engine top find texts that contain either word.
Wildcards are aneffective tool if one is unsure of the spelling or date for the topic being searched. An example would include the search for a list of all names in a database beginning with the letters ph. One way to phrase the search is to type “PH*”. The asterisk at the end will cause the search to return anything in the database that begins with the letters “PH”.

As students begin to search for information resources for research or other projects it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected resources.

There are several key factors to consider when looking at resources ranging from books to web pages.

These criteria include:

Audience: Who was this information intended to reach? What is the level of the information?
Scope: How detailed is the information? Is this work focused on an overall outline of the topic or does it provide in depth information on one specific aspect of the topic?
When was the information published? How often is the website updated?
Who is the author? What authority does this person have to be writing this article?
Is the article free from bias? Is it from a single person or an organization trying to argue for a certain position?
Does the author include a resource bibliography?
Does the information come from a scholarly source or from a popular source?

Skill 2.2 Recognizing strategies for developing library media services that include print, non-print and electronic resources that address the learning abilities, styles and needs of all users

Whether developing media services or building a collection of resources there are key factors that must be taken into consideration.

Knowledge of the existing collection or the ability to create a new collection.
Knowledge of the external environment (the school and community).
Assessment of school programs and user needs.
Development of overall policies and procedures.
Guidelines for specific selection decisions.
Evaluation criteria.[JR1]
Establishment of a process for planning and implementing the collection plan.
Establishment of acquisition policies and procedures.
Establishment of maintenance program.
Establishment of procedures for evaluating the collection.

Once you have a plan, there are several procedures for implementing this plan.

Learn the collection. When a library medial specialist is new to a school with an existing collection, he or she should use several approaches to become familiar with the collection.
Browse the shelves. Note your degree of familiarity with titles. Examine items that are unfamiliar to you. Determine the relationship between the materials on similar subjects in different formats. As you browse, include the reference and professional collections. Consider the accessibility of various media and the ease with which they can be located by users.
Locate the center’s procedures manual. Determine explanations for any irregularities that you perceive in the collection.
Determine if any portions of the collection are housed in areas outside the media center.

If the library media specialist is required to create a new collection, he or she should:

Consult with the district director about new school collection policies.
Examine the collections of other comparable schools.
Examine companies, like Baker and Taylor’s, whoestablish new collections based on criteria provided by the school.

Learn about the community.
Examine the relationship of the media center to the total school program and other information agencies.
Become familiar with the school, cultural, economic and political characteristics of the community and their influence on the schools.
Study the school’s curriculum and the needs of all the users, including students and faculty. Examine the proportions of basic skills to enrichment offerings, academic or vocational courses, and requirements and electives. Determine the ability levels and grouping techniques for learners. Determine instructional objectives of teachers in various content areas or grade levels.
Examine existing policies and procedures for correlation to data acquired in researching the school and community.
Examine specific selection procedures to determine if guidelines are best met.
Examine evaluation criteria for effectiveness in maintaining an appropriate collection.
Examine the process to determine that accurate procedures are in place to meet the criteria.
Examine the acquisition plan. Determine the procedure by which materials are ordered, received, paid for and processed.
Examine maintenance procedures for repairing or replacing materials and equipment, replacing consumables and discarding non-repairable items.
Examine the policies and procedures for evaluation, and then examine the collection itself to determine if policies and procedures are contributing to quality and quantity.

Skill 2.3 Demonstrating knowledge of strategies for creating and communicating policies and procedures that reflect the legal guidelines and professional ethics of librarianship (e.g., user confidentiality and privacy, intellectual freedom)

The most efficient method of communicating policies and procedures to the faculty is the library media procedures manual. This manual should first present the library’s mission and long-range objectives and then the specific policies designed to meet these objectives. The manual should include procedures for scheduling the facility, circulating materials and equipment, requesting consultation or instruction, and requestingmedia production.

Communicating policies to students is best facilitated by a structured orientation program and frequent visits to the media center to practice applying the procedures. In schools with closed circuit television, a live or taped program concerning library media use can be very successful.

Specific activities incorporated into the creation of curriculum and research

projects can be effective. Informational posters placed in strategic locations

may be helpful in stressing the importance of following copyright guidelines.

Skill 2.4 Identifying strategies that promote the responsible use of information and information technology (e.g., following intellectual property and copyright laws)

Educators have the benefit of greater leeway in copying than any other group. Many print instructional materials carry statements that allow production of multiple copies for classroom use, provided they adhere to the “Guidelines for Classroom Copying in Nonprofit Educational Institutions.” Teachers may duplicate enough copies to provide one per student per course provided that they meet the tests of brevity, spontaneity and cumulative effect.