HIT: Advice on creating a district library curriculum activity guide

[Carol Valdez <cvaldez@UNITED.ISD.TENET.EDU>]

Hello, colleagues:

the librarians in our district have been directed to examine a library
skills scope and sequence and to come up with written lessons for each skill
to place in a library curriculum binder.  The scope-and-sequence we are
examining looks good - the library skills have been integrated with the TEKS
(for those out of Texas, our state curriculum).

One concern I have, though, is that we need to update the library supervisor
who is requesting this (she doesn't have a library background) on what the
"best practices" are for teaching library and information skills.  I think
the concept of integrating information skills with the curriculum is new to
some of the librarians, also, because somebody volunteered the information
that she covers different skills every week (as opposed to integrating them
into the curriculum with immediate application).

Our supervisor requested "daily lessons" - my concern with this is that what
we teach depends on which given content area teacher happens to be doing
research at the moment.  I wouldn't want to create daily lessons when the
skills I cover are going to vary depending on the grade level and content
area.  I also do not want to do something that is "below standard"
(according to TSL Standards for School Libraries) - that is, locking
ourselves into daily lessons that are not integrated into the curriculum
(i.e. teaching encyclopedias on Week 1, dictionaries on Week 2, etc).

Any suggestions out there for this task we have before us?  The last thing I
want to do is seem like a "know-it-all", especially with my colleagues who
have been in the profession for a long time.  I'm only in my second year as
a librarian and I just finished my school library certification courses.
Have any of you done this for your schools and/or districts?

The first thing that comes to my mind is that it would be most beneficial to
refer to our state and national library standards (i.e. the Texas State
Library Standards for School Libraries and Information Power).  However, is
this going more broadly beyond what is being asked of us, which is writing
lessons for library skills?  Can we still write lesson plans for general
skills yet not lock ourselves into the "It's Week 1 so we must be on the
encyclopedias"-syndrome?

I'm just still turning this information over in my mind and I apologize for
the length.  I would really appreciate any advice.

Thank you in advance...


Carol Valdez, Librarian
Laredo, TX 78046
956.724.4113
fax: 956.724.6566
cvaldez@uisd.net

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