Accomplishments of the State Library of Iowa and Information Literacy

October 2005

 
1.  The State Library spends more than $300,000 each year on a statewide contract for EbscoHost databases, and provides subsidized EbscoHost databases for Iowa public and academic libraries.  Since EbscoHost databases are provided for all school libraries through the AEAs, this continuum of EbscoHost searching availability facilitates the development of information literacy skills in Iowa students.  Information about the EbscoHost databases, including frequently asked questions and promotional materials, is available on the State Library’s web page. 

2.  The State Library offered hands-on information-literacy themed training sessions for library staff at 8 locations around Iowa in fall 2004 and spring 2005.  15 sessions on “Teaching Computers to the Public” were offered, with 178 attending.  12 sessions of “Librarians’ Internet Toolkit for Kids” were offered, with 125 attending.  8 sessions of “Using the Internet for Reference” were offered, with 81 attending.  These workshops were offered to librarians at no charge, thanks to a grant to the State Library from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

3.  The State Library collaborates with the library at Des Moines Area Community College, which offered statewide Information Literacy “summits” in June 2004 and June 2005.  DMACC brought in a national speaker for each summit; State Library staff assisted in program planning and the State Librarian spoke on the importance of information literacy to Iowans at each summit.  DMACC intends to continue to sponsor this event.

4. On September 8, 2004, the State Library sponsored a 2-hour workshop which was broadcast statewide over the ICN:  “A Public Librarian’s Role in the Age of Information.”  The presenter was Jean Donham, Director, Cole Library, Cornell College.  Information literacy is the ability to locate, evaluate and effectively use needed information.  This workshop focused on the role of public librarians in helping people find the most accurate, trustworthy information available.  Teaching others how to find and critically evaluate information is a unique skill that librarians bring to our information-overloaded society.  Information literacy skill development is an important role for all librarians, and this class was an opportunity for the State Library to convey that message to public librarians.  Through a grant to the State Library from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this workshop was broadcast, at no charge to those attending, to more than 160 attendees at 30 ICN sites around the state.   

5.  Barbara Corson and Judy Jones, State Library staff members, presented two two-hour training sessions on EbscoHost database searching on June 9, 2004.  The sessions, offered to librarians, covered basic searching techniques and basic information on setting up an EbscoHost account.  The sessions were offered over the ICN at numerous sites, with nearly 300 Iowa library staff members attending.  Four more sessions (basic EbscoHost searching, advanced EbscoHost searching, EbscoHost for kids, and FirstSearch searching) are scheduled for late 2005. 

6. North Central and Southwest Library Services Areas used Gates funding to contract with a consultant to create Computer Help Sheets so librarians would have tools to use with the public.  These help sheets have been added to WebJunction Iowa and are also located at http://www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/helpsheets/helpsheets.html

Two of the help sheets provide assistance in searching EbscoHost. 

7.  Mary Cameron and Mary Wegner developed a workshop on the information literacy role for public libraries, based on their presentations at a North Iowa Library Cooperative workshop in summer 2003.  Topics included the teaching role of public library staff, the concept of "pathfinders," successful Internet search techniques, and improving reference interviews.  Sessions were presented in Marion (March 2004), Cherokee (May 2004), Fayette (August 04) and Ottumwa (November 04) to about 135 librarians.

8.  A Library Services and Technology Act sub-grant was awarded to three Library Service Areas (Southwest, Northwest and Central), Dordt College, Southwestern Community College, and AEA 13.  In December 2003, representatives of multitype libraries formed a team to develop tools to assist librarians in their information literacy role.  A model for “the ultimate pathfinder” (a guide to resources for finding information on specific topics) and a template for pathfinder creation was developed.  A series of “train the trainer” workshops showed librarians how to use the template to create their own pathfinders and then how to translate those pathfinders into short “classes” for library customers, to model and practice information literacy skills.  The Pathfinder Project web site (www.thepathfinderproject.org) was developed to share the pathfinders created from the template, provide a web-based template for creating new pathfinders, and a toolkit to assist in the creation of pathfinders.  The web site includes this comment:  “People of all ages need to develop their own systems for navigating and managing the information-rich environment of today's world. Those who have the ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively achieve greater success. They enjoy increased access to basic services, job opportunities, academic achievement, and a richer quality of life. Like good reading skills, information literacy is a natural fit--and a vital service--for libraries of all types.”  This web site now includes more than 75 pathfinders and has received nearly 12,000 hits in its first 13 months of existence. 

9.  State Library staff presented a half-day program on the public library’s information literacy role during State Library Town Meetings in September 2003.  These sessions were attended by approximately 345 public library staff members.  The content included evaluating web sites, conducting reference interviews, and discussion of how information literacy needs affect the public library.

10.   The North Iowa Library Cooperative workshop on Information Literacy held in August 2003 included a presentation by State Librarian Mary Wegner.  Approximately 75 librarians attended the overall workshop, and about 25 attended a three-hour session presented by State Library Youth Services consultant Mary Cameron and Wegner on information literacy and the public library.

11.  A 60-minute session on information literacy was co-presented by Southwest Library Services Area administrator Karen Burns and State Librarian Mary Wegner at three southwest Iowa locations in March/Apr 2002.  55 public library staff members attended.  Wegner also presented a 60-minute session on information literacy at a SWILSA conference in March 2003; 15 attended.

12.  The State Library allocated LSTA funds for two grants focusing on collaborative information literacy projects: 

Mahaska Is Computer Educated (MICE) (2000) Partners were Oskaloosa Public Library, Wilcox Library at William Penn College, Indian Hills Community College.  Developed a curriculum to teach all aspects of information literacy to citizens of Mahaska County.  Hired Information Literacy instructors. Installed public access computers and developed user guides.

Reaching the Unconnected (2002) Partners were Indianola Public Library, CITA (Community Information Technology Access), Indianola Parks and Recreation/Indianola Activity Center.  Met computer training needs of the community with computer classes; special emphasis on senior citizens.

13.  State Library Development staff members Sandy Dixon and Mary Cameron participated in discussions among academic and school librarians in east central Iowa about learning needs of college-bound students and how school librarians can better prepare them, as well as identify collaborative opportunities among these librarians.  These informal discussions have continued in the Iowa City area.

14.  The State Library’s Library Services and Technology Act Five Year Plan, developed in August 2002, includes the following goal statement:

Iowans need to be able to recognize when information is needed and have the skills to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively.

“Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn.  They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them.  They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any decision or task at hand.”  (American Library Association, Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, Final Report, 1989)

Technology is changing the way that Iowans live, learn, work, and govern.  Information literacy is key for students if they are to prosper in today’s information society; information literacy is also critical to success in today’s job market.  Librarians – working in libraries of all types – have an important role to play in helping their communities become information literate.  Teaching others how to find and critically evaluate information is a unique skill that librarians bring to our information-overloaded society.  Librarians provide more than facts.  They provide expertise and services to ad meaning to the facts.  As Lucia Herndon, former Iowan and now Philadelphia Inquirer columnist explained in a May 29 column, “A library is like a kitchen.  You can have the most modern facility with all the appliances, cookware, food, and condiments.  But you need a cook to make it mean anything.”

Iowa libraries have always played a critical role in lifelong learning, but not all Iowans are aware of the services and resources that libraries provide.  Iowa librarians need to aggressively promote themselves as information literacy experts, and must see this developing role of the librarian as teacher and information navigator as a key role for the success of libraries of all types.  Iowa librarians are already beginning to recognize the opportunities for partnerships among libraries of all types in promoting and teaching information literacy concepts.

Graduation requirements of public schools and institutions of higher education increasingly include information seeking, analysis, and presentation skills designed to prepare young people for careers in the 21^st century.  Without training, staffing, and collections designed to support these requirements, students will find themselves “information poor” and unprepared to thrive in the 21^st century.  In 1994, the Iowa legislature removed a requirement that school districts employ certified school library media professionals.  The result has been the reduction or elimination of school library media positions, followed by reductions in collection budgets and deterioration of programs designed to teach information fluency.  According to the Iowa Department of Education, reading test scores in Iowa had declined for the past eight years, but showed a slight improvement of less than one percent last year.

“Make the Connection,” a study of Iowa school districts, found that reading test scores are higher with increases in weekly school library media staff hours per 100 students, total weekly library media staff hours per 100 students, print volumes per student, and periodical subscriptions per 100 students. To date, efforts to adopt new legislation requiring certified professionals in school libraries have failed.

Goal 3: Position librarians to be recognized as the experts in helping Iowans become competent information consumers.

LSTA goals addressed:

·          Expanding services for learning and access to information and educational resources in a variety of formats, in all types of libraries, for individuals of all ages.  (Goal 1)

·          Targeting library services to individuals…with limited functional literacy or information skills (goal 5)

Targeted Outputs:

1.      Provide all library staff members with an opportunity for training in information literacy by FY06.

2.      Ensure that public relations strategies developed by FY05 include the role of the librarian in helping Iowans become competent information consumers.

3.      Staff from 50% of public libraries will have participated in information literacy training by FY06.

4.      Increase the number of persons using electronic resources in a typical week in public libraries by 10% from FY03 to FY07.

5.      At least 10% of public libraries will report that they are offering after-school homework/information literacy programs from FY03 to FY07.

6.      Increase the number of classes in information literacy skill training offered by libraries of all types by 20% between FY03 and FY07.

7.      Increase the number of school library media specialists taking part in the school library media impact study from 50% in FY01 to 80% by FY06.

Targeted Outcomes:

1.      Between FY03 and FY06, 80% of library staff taking training on databases and we-based resources will indicate on course evaluations that they have improved their familiarity and proficiency with using and demonstrating electronic resources.

2.      In FY06, the school library survey will show a higher percentage of certified school library media specialists in school districts than reported in 2002. 

Selected Activities:

1.      Train Iowa library staff in information literacy strategies.

2.      Encourage collaboration among Iowa libraries of all types in the development of information literacy training programs for library customers.

3.      Support Iowa librarians as they improve and expand information literacy training and programs to enable Iowans to effectively find, evaluate, and use information.

4.      Track information literacy training activities of Iowa libraries.

5.      Develop and implement a marketing plan to increase awareness of the expertise and role of the librarian in teaching information literacy skills to library customers.

6.      Encourage and advocate for strong school library media programs that include certified school librarians so that all Iowa students are information literate.

a.      Track school library staff certification.

b.      Study the correlation between reading scores and the presence of school library media specialists.

c.       Disseminate study results to libraries, policy makers and the general public.

7.      Promote after-school information literacy/homework programs in public libraries.

8.      Appoint an Information Literacy Advisory Committee.