Information Literacy for Urban and Suburban Youth:
A Metronet Collaborative Project

INTRODUCTION

In 2002, the Minnesota Educational Media Organization, in collaboration with the Minnesota Library Association, issued a document entitled “Recommended Standards for Information and Technology Literacy.”  The nine standards proposed in the document range from reading and media literacy to using technology and the research process.  They describe the processes that a learner must understand and practice in order to meet a minimum level of information literacy.  Information literacy encompasses the set of skills needed to deal with the realities of the Information Age, skills that are the basis of lifelong learning.  They include the ability to recognize when information is needed; to be able to locate, evaluate and use information effectively; and to be able to use computers and other communications media to present and organize the information retrieved.  While students at almost every level need these skills, increasingly the workplace also requires them.  In fact, many executives and researchers have stated that these skills are critical to our nation’s ability to compete internationally.  It is for this reason, among others, that the NCLB legislation states that all students should be technologically literate by the end of the 8th grade.

Libraries across the U.S. have attempted to respond to the challenge of helping our society become more information literate.  Many college and university libraries offer classes in this area, as do most school libraries and media centers.  Public libraries have also joined the effort by providing computer labs and special programs for specific population groups such as senior citizens.  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped so many libraries acquire computers and software and thereby helped bridge the so-called digital divide.

Information literacy has been of considerable interest to Metronet because of its importance and because it cuts across virtually all types of libraries.  Established by state legislation in 1979, Metronet is one of seven multicounty, multitype library networks in Minnesota .  Metronet’s service area includes libraries of all types located within the seven-county metropolitan area.  Although all libraries in the metro area offer some assistance to their users in becoming more information literate, most of these efforts have not involved collaboration with other libraries, nor has much been done in terms of evaluating the success of these efforts.

PROJECT GOALS

The Metronet Information Literacy Project (MILP) goals are:

  1. Improve the ability of 10th graders enrolled in a specific group of courses to conduct research by formulating a question; gathering, evaluating and organization information attained from print and electronic information sources; drawing conclusions; and presenting results.
  2. Increase students’ understanding of the legal and ethical issues related to information use including plagiarism, copyright, and the responsible use of technology.
  3. Foster greater library media specialist – teacher collaboration and teamwork and promote the implementation of the MEMO/MLA “Recommended Standards for Information and Technology Literacy.”
  4. Demonstrate and stimulate increased levels of interlibrary cooperation among the types of libraries participating in this project: school library media centers, public libraries, and academic libraries.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In view of the landscape of information literacy in the metro area – individual library programs, little coordination of effort, limited sharing of expertise across jurisdictions and across types of libraries, and little effort towards program evaluation – Metronet has developed an inter-library collaborative project designed to improve information literacy levels of a group of urban and suburban teenagers.  The urban group will be comprised of 10th grade students attending four public high schools in St. Paul who are enrolled in certain classes.  The suburban group will also consist of 10th grade students attending the Farmington High School who are enrolled in classes similar to those offered in St. Paul .

Although the MEMO/MLA “Recommended Standards for Information and Technology Literacy” propose nine standards, only two will be employed in this project: the Research Process and Responsible Use of Information Sources.  Two to three courses offered at the five schools will be developed to include a significant information literacy component.  The subject areas from which the courses will be selected include social studies, language and literature, and possibly, health.  In order to effectively research questions raised in these courses, students will need to understand not just where and how to find information, but how to evaluate the accuracy of the information retrieved.

Metronet staff will work with a group of teachers and library media specialists in each of the participating high schools to develop course-related assignments requiring students to consult both print and electronic information sources.  As students work on these assignments they will be instructed on how to conduct research and how to use information resources ethically and responsibly.

Although most of this instruction will be provided by the high school teachers, librarians and media specialists, they will be assisted by other librarians in the area.  In St. Paul , librarians at the St. Paul Public Library and its branches will be informed about the students’ information literacy assignments and will offer assistance as needed.  Most of the St. Paul Public Library’s branches have computers available for public use along with useful print collections.  The MILP students will also be assisted by librarians from Metropolitan State University Library.  This library offers a strong information literacy program for both new and continuing students.  Both the program content and staff expertise will be made available to the high school students and library media specialists.

In Farmington , the 10th grade students will become knowledgeable in conducting research and using appropriate information resources through the efforts of their teachers and school library media specialists.  However, just as in St. Paul , librarians at the Dakota County Library’s Farmington Branch will be informed of the students’ research assignments and will be prepared to assist them in using both print and computer-based information sources.  This effort will be joined by librarians from Dakota County Technical College .  DCTC librarians offer information literacy instruction to their students and this expertise will be shared with the high school library media specialists and the MILP teachers.

During the year-long project, Metronet will arrange class visits to Metropolitan State University ’s Library for the St. Paul high school students, teachers and library media specialists, and to the Dakota County Technical College Library for the Farmington High School students, teachers and school library media specialists.  These visits will enrich student learning and provide an opportunity for librarians at the two academic libraries to offer additional instruction in the use of information sources.

PROJECT EVALUATION

All students participating in the MILP will be tested concerning their ability in conducting research and in using appropriate information sources at the beginning of the project.  Their progress in these areas will also be monitored throughout the school year.  Upon conclusion of the year-long program, they will again be tested and a sample of students will be identified for in-depth interviews.  Interviews will also be conducted with some of the teachers and the school library media specialists concerning the project’s strengths and weaknesses and their perceptions of its impact on student learning.  Metronet will contract with an educational assessment consultant to develop measures of student success.

To ascertain whether teamwork among library media specialists and teachers improved during the project, questionnaires will be administered to both groups upon conclusion of the project.  A survey of librarians at participating library partners will be conducted at the end of the project to obtain their perceptions of the success of the project and whether their appreciation of the value of interlibrary cooperation has increased or decreased.

TECHNOLOGY EMPHASIS

Although the concept, “information literacy,” encompasses skills ranging from reading ability and knowledge of literary conventions to using computer databases and multimedia for presentations, the MILP will give primary focus to the research process.  However, one goal of the project is for the student participants to use available technologies intensively.  For example, as they undertake course-related research, they will be encouraged to capitalize on the Electronic Library of Minnesota databases for citations and full-text articles.  They will also be introduced to blogs and wikis and online tools such as the University of Minnesota ’s assignment calculator.  Teachers and school media specialists will offer training sessions to help them use what Minnesota’s Digital Learning Plan refers to as 21st century multiple literacy skills (visual, media, information, technology, graphics, etc.) throughout the project as they provide their students with access to worldwide information services.  Students, teachers and school media specialists will also be encouraged to use eFolio Minnesota to showcase their MILP work.  To facilitate the use of technology to the degree possible throughout the project, Metronet will engage the services of a learning technology consultant.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

Much of the MILP’s success will depend upon teamwork; that is, the extent to which teachers and school media specialists work together, along with the active engagement of other library partners (public and college librarians).  To create the prerequisite commitment to teamwork and the project’s success, all participants will be invited to attend training and staff development sessions during the summer and fall.  Meetings will also be held with participating teachers and school media specialists to review and critique the course-related information literacy assignments, set expectations for student achievement, and address other questions and issues.

PROJECT ADMINISTRATION

The Metronet Information Literacy Project will be administered by Dr. Thomas Shaughnessy, Executive Director of Metronet, and will be coordinated by Ms. Ann Walker Smalley.  They will be assisted by two advisory committees, one for St. Paul and the other for Farmington .  The distance between the two cities suggests the need for separate committees.  Each committee will be comprised of representatives from the school district office, school media center, and a few teachers.  Representatives from the MILP library partners will also be invited to attend depending on the meeting agendas.

Outside consultants may be called upon to assist in achieving the project’s goals.

Metronet will also cover most of the costs associated with release time for teachers and library media specialists to attend meetings and training sessions, transportation of students, teachers and library media specialists to academic library partners, assessment tools and forms, and related project expenses.  Metronet will not cover the costs of teaching materials, library resources, supplies, classroom equipment or related classroom expenses.

PROJECT TIMELINE (2006)

Most of the actions listed will continue beyond the month in which they start.

January
Metronet contracts with project consultant
Metronet submits LSTA grant letter of intent

February
Begin discussions with high school administrators and curriculum specialists
Begin discussions with librarians and media specialists in the high schools
Identify curricular areas most appropriate for the project
Define roles of library partners
Explore possible involvement of additional library partners

March
Prepare a detailed description of the project for review and approval by the project partners
Begin work on the information and technology literacy component for each of the identified curricular areas
Submit LSTA grant application
Appoint MILP Advisory Committee

April
Continue work on information and technology literacy components in the courses selected
Work with teachers and school media librarians to assure integration with course content
Contract with a testing and measurement consultant for pre- and post-test evaluation instruments
Identify inservice training and professional development needs of participants
Identify special equipment needs

May
Strategies for meeting inservice training and development needs proposed to project participants

June
Contract with learning technologies consultant
Training and staff development programs begin

July-Aug
Student transportation issues identified
Possible incentives for participation identified
MILP curriculum approved

September
MILP begins