Candice McPherson

Information Literacy Paper

FRIT – 7136
Fall 2008

Information Literacy – Helping Students Succeed

Twenty years ago the first information literacy model was introduced in the book

entitled Brainstorms and Blueprints, by Barbara Stripling and Judy Pitts. This book was

followed closely by another model – the Big6 model, created by Michael Eisenberg and

Bob Berkowitz. As a result of these and other widely accepted models, the media

specialist’s role has changed from being a reading guide to becoming the hub for

information literacy (Loertscher, 2008). According to Christine Allen, (2008), the

mission of the media center is to “ensure students and staff become effective users of

ideas and information,” although she believes that students will still look toward the

media specialist as a resource for recreational reading. In fact, information literacy has

become the main focus of many media centers.

Most definitions of information literacy commonly include the skills of accessing,

analyzing, evaluating and communicating information (“Truth, Lies”, 2007). Miriam

Fears, the media specialist at Mt. Zion Elementary School, defines information literacy as

knowing how and when to find, interpret, utilize, and incorporate information into the

areas of reading, writing, and speaking (M. Fears, personal communication, October 4,

2008). However, when several classroom teachers were asked to define information

literacy, the one teacher to give an adequate definition was C. Belton, a teacher currently

working on a media specialist degree. Belton’s definition includes the students’ ability

to “access information efficiently and effectively; evaluate and analyze; locate and use
information accurately and creatively”, thus becoming “independent, life-long learners”

(C. Belton, personal communication, October 3, 2008).

No matter what definition is used, information literacy has become the heart of

the media center, and media specialists must get on board. Allen (2008) says “We can

either hold the broom or be swept away by it.” Thus, the roles and duties of the media

specialist have changed since the inception of information literacy in the media center.

Although they may still provide books for pleasure reading, the media specialist has

become more of a teacher-librarian. According to M. Fears, the media specialist has

become a teacher, a curriculum specialist, an information specialist, a collaborator with

other teachers, an administrator of sorts in terms of programming, and a technology

contact person. (personal communication, October 4, 2008).

As a result, instead of teaching library skills, the media specialist is teaching

information skills. Therefore, it is essential for media specialists to collaborate with

teachers on curriculum in an effort to help students succeed in achieving information

literacy. According to Eisenberg (2003), media specialists “have found that information

skills can be integrated effectively when the skills (1) directly relate to the content area

curriculum and to classroom assignments, and (2) are tied together in a logical and

systematic information process model.” Media specialists can teach students how to use

a model for gathering information, help them find the right resources to disseminate

critically, then guide them through the procedures for “repackaging information” (Truth,

Lies, 2007). Adrian McCollum, a third-grade teacher, feels that consistent

communication with teachers about the topics students are studying would help media

specialists better serve the students when they visit the media center. She thinks that the
media specialist should visit classes once a month to teach students strategies or skills.

She also believes that students need to be updated with the technology available to help

them read, study, research, and advance in education (personal communication, October,

3, 2008). Raquel Stewart, a middle school media specialist, acknowledges the fact that

having teachers and media specialists work together on curriculum helps test scores. She

bemoans the fact that she has so many miscellaneous duties she doesn’t have much time

to collaborate with teachers. She says, currently most of her interactions with teachers

have to do with technology issues. She hopes that as teachers gain more confidence

using new technologies they will have more time to collaborate with her on curriculum

(personal communication, October 1, 2008). According to Loertscher (2008), there are

already a number of media specialists who have made information literacy such an

integral part of their schools’ learning environment that both teachers and administrators

recognize the impact it is having on academic success.

However, Loertscher (2008) says that several issues must be resolved for

information literacy to progress further. One issue to address is whether the mission of

the media specialist is strictly to teach an information literacy model, or to encompass a

broader scope of teaching media and technology literacy in addition to critical thinking,

creativity and reading skills. Other issues to be resolved include determining whether

information literacy skills should be progressively taught on each grade level, and

whether the systemic integration of literacy skills in classroom curriculums should be

employed as opposed to the teacher-media specialist collaborative model.

According to Loertscher(2008), information technology has become an

increasingly important avenue for media specialists to explore. Web 2.0 tools are being
examined as a way to enhance learning and instruction. Could students’ social

networking skills be turned into skills for successful learning? How can we conquer the

“digital divide”? These are questions that need to be contemplated. Allen (2008),

believes that media specialists need to stay technologically ahead of students so they will

be able to enhance learning through information technology.

The future of the media center may depend on whether or not the teacher-librarian

can keep up with all of the demands of the digital era. With access to ever-increasing

volumes of information at students’ fingertips, learning how to find, choose, understand,

assimilate, and compile information logically has never been more important. According

to elementary literacy coach Sharra Cunningham, today’s students need to learn

information literacy skills so they can better compete in a global society. She says “the

Web gives our kids access to global information that they will need in order to be

successful and competitive in the world they live in” (personal communication,

September 30, 2008).

In conclusion, media specialists need to be willing to take on the challenges of being

teacher-librarians. They should become involved in shaping curriculum in collaboration

with teachers to teach information literacy and information technology. One approach

that might yield better results would be to change the current trend of the “once a year”

class research project to a blending of information literacy into all curriculum areas so the

media center becomes an ‘ongoing and integral component of curriculum delivery” (Burk

2007). In the end, our efforts all come down to helping students ready themselves to

become productive members of society. In the words of Allen (2008), “Teach your

students how to learn and they will be able to succeed in their lives.”
 References

Allen, C. (2008, Winter). Do we still Dewey? Young Adult Library Services, 6 (2), p.14

Burk, L. (2007, November). Don’t hesitate, just collaborate! Library Media Connection,
26 (3), 40- 41

Eisenberg, M. B. (2003). Implementing information skills: lessons learned from the Big6
approach to information problem-solving. School Libraries in Canada: 22 (4), 20-23

Loertscher, D. (2008, June). Information literacy: 20 years later. Teacher Librarian, 35

(5), 42-43

No Author. (2007, October). Truth, lies, hype, or fact? Library Media Connection, 26
(2), p.5