Part I: Synthesis of Readings

In our class discussion on strategic planning, it was mentioned that before one can develop a plan of action, there has to be a goal. After all, without a vision of where one wants to go, how will one know whether he or she has arrived? This was my main concern as a prospective school library media specialist.

How was I supposed to develop an effective media program without knowing what a quality program looked like? Consequently, Information Power¹ has proven to be an invaluable resource for me by articulating what a quality school library media program should look like. Information Power provides practicing media specialists with numerous examples of best practices and a blueprint for future development of the profession².

Still, before a school library media specialist can implement all of the best practices presented in Information Power, the school environment must support the media program and accept the media specialist as a partner in teaching and curriculum development. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Thankfully, Donham's Enhancing Teaching and Learning³ provides prospective and practicing school library media specialists with suggestions on how to create a school climate conducive to team teaching and collaboration in its "Action Strategies" section at the end of each chapter. For example, in Donham's chapter on "Collaborative Planning," she presented examples of possible opportunities for collaboration, based on the questions teachers posed to the media specialist.

I also found Wolcott's article on Understanding How Teachers Plan⁴ very useful because it addressed the issue of why teachers and library media specialists fail to collaborate. Wolcott hypothesized that perhaps collaboration was not as widespread as it should be because media specialists and teachers did not understand what instructional planning was. Wolcott proceeded to explain how and why teachers plan, and provided strategies for establishing partnerships with teachers. I appreciated Wolcott's honest presentation of teachers' motivations for planning and why they are somewhat reluctant to collaborate with media specialists. Although, some of Wolcott's findings on teacher practices may not represent the best practices for planning, I think it benefits media specialists, like myself (with little practical experience), to understand how to accommodate various types and styles of teacher planning. Other factors that discourage collaboration include: lack of time, lack of training, and lack of administrative support.

While I cannot speculate as to the accuracy of Wolcott's theory, I feel that many of the other factors she described as discouraging collaboration in 1994 still exist today. The most obvious factor would have to be the lack of time for collaborative planning. For example, at my case study site, where the media program is supported by the administration and the faculty, adequate time for collaboration is still considered their biggest challenge. When I asked if teachers and media specialists were allotted time for collaborative work, the media specialist explained that they were not, and that most of the planning for collaborative efforts was done after school (i.e., on their personal time).

Part II: The Interview

Information Literacy Standards

The media specialist at my case study site was very familiar with the information literacy standards published in Information Power. In fact, the standards (and their indicators) are posted around the perimeter of the library's book collection. The information literacy standards are integrated into their instructional programs by collaborating with teachers and students throughout the search process. Handouts are also provided to classes explaining how to evaluate information resources, especially information obtained via the Internet. Additionally, collaboration provides the media specialist with opportunities to evaluate how well students are meeting information standards and helps her to determine which areas of instruction may need to be improved.

The Department of Education's (DOE) Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS) are addressed through the library's promotion of literature appreciation and the use of a variety of sources to fulfill students' information needs. Two of the programs used to promote literacy at WIS are the Accelerated Reader (AR) program and the Read Aloud Program (RAP). When I asked how different types of media were selected and used to teach information literacy skills, I was told that it depended on the skill being taught and the learning objective(s).

The WIS media center operates on a flexible schedule that allows teachers to reserve library time in advance and as needed. The only drawback to this schedule is that some teachers may not be able to secure library time if another teacher has already reserved that block of time. The library media specialist estimated that she spends approximately sixty to seventy percent of her time teaching information literacy skills.

Collaboration

Both media specialists at WIS have been able to collaborate with teachers, although the amount of collaborative planning varied depending on what the individual teachers were comfortable with. As I mentioned previously, collaborative planning was usually conducted after school, on the teacher and media specialist's own time. Two examples of collaboratively planned lessons included a science project on the weather and a unit on myths that compared mythology of the past with myths of the present. Adequate time for planning was described as being the biggest challenge facing collaborative efforts at WIS.

It was suggested that all media specialists should request departmental meeting time to advocate for incorporation of information literacy skills into classroom lessons. In this way, the library media specialist can encourage increased collaboration by sharing examples of successful collaborative efforts to the various departments.

Students

Because I have a background in Special Education, I wanted to know how the media specialists at WIS met the information needs of students with special needs. The only response I received was that they (the media specialists) tried to provide equal access to the library's collection and that they often provided information literacy instruction in smaller groups or on an individual basis (depending on the extent of the student's disability). In addition to what the media specialists at WIS were doing, I would consider looking to outside resources, like the local public library, to provide special needs students with a range of materials to ensure that their specific information needs are being met. For example, the public library contains numerous resources and services for the blind and visually impaired (i.e., large print texts, books written in braille, books on tape, etc). Also, the public library's collection is filled with books written at different reading levels, which is something to consider when working with special needs students since many are probably reading below their grade level. Striking up a relationship with the public library would also benefit "English as a Second Language" (ESL) students as well since they would also require materials written at different reading levels. This is especially relevant for WIS since their student population consists of predominantly Filipino (53.4%) and Samoan (12.5%) students, with approximately 15% of students enrolled in ESL classes.⁵

Plagiarism, citation of sources, and evaluating information sources were the major problems WIS students displayed when using information. The technology coordinator and the media specialists attempt to help students with these problems by providing in-service trainings for students and teachers on copyright issues (i.e., intellectual property and ethical/responsible use of information). They also distribute worksheets and handouts explaining how to evaluate information sources and how to properly cite reference sources. In-service trainings are also provided to help teachers become more effective and efficient users of information. From what I understand, teachers are presented with a needs survey before an in-service is planned to address specific teacher needs and requests.

Part III: Analysis of On-Site Investigation

I feel that the strength of WIS's media program lies in the support it gets from its principal and the faculty. Because the media program is supported by the school's teaching community, the media specialists are included in much of the school's decision making. Further, both school library media specialists at WIS emphasize the importance of advocacy and exposure to maintain the current level of support they receive.

The principal's support for the media program is evidenced in his promotion of technology in the media center and the number of support staff the library has. Further, the media specialists report being able to attend trainings, seminars and conferences to expand their expertise and knowledge of new educational technologies because the principal and faculty recognize the media center's contribution to student achievement.

Still, despite being supported by the school majority, collaboration with every teacher still has not been achieved. In this situation, I wondered how the media specialist(s) could be sure that all students were receiving appropriate information literacy instruction? I realize that teachers could easily incorporate search exercises into their lessons and ask the librarian to go over locating resources and information; however, if the media specialist is not involved in the planning of the lesson, how will he/she evaluate student success or progress toward information literacy standards?

Eleanor Howe⁶ proposed providing a short course on information literacy to all incoming freshmen as a way of ensuring that all students received adequate background instruction before they actually began the search process. I found her proposal intriguing and I wondered how others would receive it. I posted my analysis on the WebCT bulletin board and was not surprised to find that Howe's proposal drew sharp criticism because of the taboo of teaching information skills in isolation. Similarly, when I suggested Howe's proposal to the WIS media specialists, they echoed the position that information literacy instruction should not be taught in isolation.

What I did not understand was, why they automatically assumed that a separate course on information literacy implied that it would be taught in isolation? After all, if other content areas can have an interdisciplinary approach to instruction, why can't information literacy instruction? I can imagine so many positive outcomes from Howe's proposal that I feel it at least warranted further discussion and investigation before school library media specialists dismissed her proposal entirely.

For example, in Jade Takanishi's⁷ WebCT response to Leslie Fukushima, Jade commented: "I find that as a librarian, I have a harder time convincing our teachers that I need to cover more 'pre-instruction' before we even touch a computer. But because we are on a fixed schedule and our library time is limited, they feel a need to just throw their students on and hope for the best." Wouldn't a short course on information literacy demonstrate a media specialist's value and skill as an educator and ensure that media specialists have enough time for information literacy instruction, without taking time away from other teachers? A short course on information literacy would also allow media specialists to provide information literacy instruction to students in school's that do not promote team teaching or collaboration with the school librarian. Furthermore, treating information literacy instruction as a content area would require librarians to be included in curriculum planning and educational decision-making.

An information literacy course could also represent a temporary alternative to integrative instruction when there is no support or time for collaborative efforts. The information literacy course could act as a starting point for demonstrating to teachers and administrators the value of information literacy instruction. As students progress through the program and are able to improve the quality of their work, and are able to present their ideas in new and creative ways, the difference in student work products could then be used as a way of changing the outdated stereotypes many principals and teachers have of school library services.

Information Power states that library media programs need to be dynamic, enthusiastic, and student-centered in order to help students become skillful consumers and producers of information. To this, I would add that media specialists must also be creative and innovative risk-takers who consider possibilities instead of simply focusing on problems. I realize that it is a cliché to say people need to think outside of the box. But, sometimes I feel educators can become so entrenched in their approaches to teaching that it is difficult for them to consider information that conflicts with their long-standing beliefs about how things should be.

1. American Association of School Librarians, Information Power: Building Partnerships For Learning, (Chicago: American Library Association, 1998).
2. Nancy P. Thomas, Information Literacy and Information Skills Instruction, (Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1999).
3. Jean Donham, Enhancing Teaching and Learning: A Leadership Guide For School Library Media Specialists, (New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1998).
4. Linda L. Wolcott, "Understanding How Teachers Plan: Strategies For Successful Instructional Partnerships," School Library Media Quarterly 22(3) (Spring 1994): 161-165.
5. Waipahu Intermediate School, 2000-2001 Focus On Learning: Self-Study Accreditation Report (Honolulu: State of Hawaii, Department of Education, Leeward Oahu District Office, 2000), 4, RS 01-0577.
6. Eleanor B. Howe, "Integrating Information Technology Into and Across the Curriculum: A Short Course for Secondary Students," Knowledge Quest 26(2 ) (1998): 32-40.
7. Jade Takanishi, "LIS 684-Administration of School Library Media Centers," WebCT Online [home page on-line]; available from http://webct.hawaii.edu:8900/SCRIPT/uhmvharada2/scripts/serve_home; Internet; accessed 22 November 2002.