Metronet Information Literacy Project Conference:
Information Literacy: Leading the Way to Life-Long Learning

On Friday, June 15, nearly 100 people gathered to learn more about Information Literacy - what it is, why it is important, and how to begin implementing Information Literacy instruction in our own schools. The crowd included representatives from school, public, academic and special libraries, as well as school administrators, State Library staff, a legislator, and more.

Tom Shaughnessy, Executive Director of Metronet, kicked off the event with a welcome and brief summary of Metronet's Information Literacy Project with the Saint Paul Public Schools. (Read more here.) Rounding out the morning were Alice Seagren, Commissioner of Education, and Barbara Theirl, Central Media Services - Anoka-Hennepin Schools, who discussed the definition of information literacy and the importance of these skills in the 21st century. After a small group discussion session, Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic and author of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, shared why an information literate workforce is vital to our economy in this changing world. Doug Johnson, Director of Media & Technology for the Mankato Area School District, kept the audience entertained and informed after lunch by talking about how to overcome some of the obstacles involved in implementing information literacy in our classrooms. Doug was followed by Leslie Yoder, Technology Integration and Information Literacy Specialist for the Saint Paul Public Schools, who spoke about how the Metronet Information Literacy Project worked in their district and introduced a short film of SPPS students and staff talking about what they learned in the first year of the project. After another small group discussion session, Dr. Scott McLeod, a professor from the College of Education & Human Development - University of Minnesota and founding director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), energized the group with the video "Did You Know" and ideas about how to get started integrating information literacy with the curriculum in our schools.

In the 2007-2008 school year, Metronet will again partner with the Saint Paul Public Schools, this time with all seven high schools and a new group of teachers. We will also be working with some other districts in the metro area, so if you'd like to discuss with us how your school or district might adopt the Metronet Information Literacy model, please let us know by emailing info@metronet.lib.mn.us



Tom Shaughnessy and two happy attendees


All attendees received a copy of Bill George's new book,
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership


Bill George and Tom Shaughnessy


Lars Steltzner and Gina Light help moderate a small group session


Three of the school library media specialists who participated in Year One
of the Metronet Information Literacy Project


Small group discussion


Doug Johnson, afternoon presenter