AASL Standard 1

School library media candidates encourage reading and lifelong learning by stimulating interests and fostering competencies in the effective use of ideas and information. They apply a variety of strategies to ensure access to resources and information in a variety of formats to all members of the learning community. Candidates promote efficient and ethical information seeking behavior as part of the school library media program and its services.

Project:  I-Search (Action Plan, Reflection)
Summary:  The I-Search is a form of the research paper built around student interest rather than teacher chosen topics.  The student's meaning of the information is the essential key of the process.
Justification:  The I-Search meets this standard because it "promote[s] efficient and ethical information seeking behavior as part of the school library media program and its services."  Students use several different strategies in this process to access, evaluate, and make meaning of information.  The strategy of double-entry notes also allows students to use information and put it in their own words while giving credit to the author, promoting ethical practice in research.

For my I-Search, I chose the topic of buying my first house.  This project excited me and gave me a chance to do some serious research and plannning on something I would use in the future.  With the I-Search, students have a choice and are more likely to be intrinsically motivated.  The interest generated by topic choice will lead to a more positive experience in information seeking and give them a higher chance of success because they want to succeed.

Project:  Order (Objective, List, Older Rationale, Rationale, Process Check)
Summary:  The order is the selection, purchase, and process of books that match the objectives of the school and its library media program.  
Justification:  This assignment meets the standard because it focuses on the materials in the media center.  These materials need to be current to promote reading for pleasure and reading for learning..  The order also provides school patrons with access to current information.

I based my order on a need in my media center at the time.  My media specialist wanted more current biographies to meet the new Georgia Performance Standards, and I had recently completed a mini-lesson on biographies.  We used my project and the Titlewave catalogue and book reviews to select books that would meet that need.  I also used the new Georgia Performance Standards to pull out names of the people highlighted in the curriculum.  In our rationale for buying the books, we matched books with their appropriate grade level, and we discussed why we would choose some of the older books.
Developed in collaboration with: Lummie Harris


Project:  Program Development and Evaluation Plan
Summary:  Media specialists create a program development and evaluation plan to focus their energy, time, and money on what is most important for the media center.  This plan needs to correlate to the school's improvement plan and ALA and AASL standards.  Goals are formed for a five year plan along with strategies to meet these goals.
Justification:  This plan meets the standard of a stimulating learning environment.  All members of the school community should feel that the media center is an essential part of the school to compliment and complete teaching.  This plan should also include how the media specialist works in collaboration with teachers to teach information literacy skills.

The media plan we created was based on Lummie's school numbers for our executive summary and budget.  However, the goals we decided on were ones we could use in all of our future media centers.  We focused on collaborating with teachers, complimenting the curriculum, and promoting the joy of reading.  As I create my future program development and evaulation plan for my media center, I will try to add to the former media specialist's plan with the following strategies as well as take into consideration how much time those strategies will take.
Developed in collaboration with: Lummie Harris and Leigh Martin


Updated April 10, 2006
Laura Miller
Email: chlov531 at uga.edu

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