To support school librarians as they strive to develop learners who critically curate their own resources and include multiple perspectives, American Association of School Librarians (AASL) tasked a 2022 American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leaders team with developing a guide for school librarians based on the Curate Shared Foundation in…

First developed to support courses in humanities research methods, bibliographical teaching collections are now experiencing renewed purpose as part of information literacy pedagogy. The items comprising these assembled collections provide a wealth of historical features, which make them ideal for innovative hands-on instruction. However, since…

To address the growing problem of misinformation, librarians often focus on approaches tied to the frame "Authority Is Constructed and Contextual" from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The Framework, however, encompasses a much wider range of skills,…

The inaugural publication in "Discover and Learn with the Library," an educational series published by the Library of Congress in association with the American Library Association, "The Civil Rights Movement" explores this important topic through classroom-ready materials for teachers, librarians, and home educators working…

School librarians must teach media literacy and be on the forefront of defining what media literacy is and why it is important for students and communities. The competencies involved in information and media literacy are interwoven throughout the frameworks in the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "National School Library…

To guide school librarians in their work of inspiring future generations of explorers, AASL tasked a 2020 ALA Emerging Leaders team with developing a guide of activities, resources, and professional development based on the Explore Shared Foundation in the "National School Library Standards." As learners prepare for college, career, and…

As classroom teachers face continued pressure due to prescriptive standards and high-stakes testing, school librarians continue to look for ways to make learning more dynamic and authentic for the diverse students in our schools. However, adolescent literacy research as a field operates largely apart from the research about school libraries and…

Creative writing encourages imaginations to take flight, and when adults use the right approach, building literacy skills becomes a form of play that gets kids excited to create their own stories. Packed with ready-to-use lesson plans designed for kindergarten- and early elementary-aged children, this book will help librarians add creative writing…

Innovative, well-designed school library programs can be critical resources for helping students meet high standards of college and career readiness. In "School Libraries and Student Learning", Rebecca J. Morris shows how school leaders can make the most of their school libraries to support ambitious student learning. She offers…

Since teachers lack a certified reading specialist to guide their high school literacy efforts, they have never had a well-reasoned, research-based plan for addressing the growing needs of adolescent readers. According to a June 2009 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, most U. S. secondary schools do have personnel who are…

It is important for educators to find the appropriate tool to unlock learning possibilities for students. A first step toward using the appropriate tool is for school librarians to review the course of study. They need to look at the units and projects taught in the past. They then need to think about how to integrate Web 2.0 applications to…

In the information-rich, rapidly changing 21st-century, educators are faced with unprecedented challenges. While new technologies have brought the people of the planet closer together, they have also brought them into contact with an overwhelming array of information sources. The Library of Congress is positioned to help educators respond to these…

Businesses and higher education leaders are looking for students with the ability to evaluate and analyze information and to use this information to solve real-world problems. These are the information literacy skills students need for the 21st century. However, several recent studies on the ability of college freshmen to handle the rigor of…

The release of AASL's "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" and "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs" has provided school library media specialists with the opportunity to "develop new visions for learning" (AASL 2009), and to rethink what their roles are, and what skills and characteristics are required of them to…

Presents a critical thinking unit designed to teach students in grades 4-6 to identify propaganda techniques in advertising and to create and evaluate original advertisements. Objectives, directions, and a series of five activities are outlined. Various propaganda techniques are defined. (MES)