Through planned learning activities, the fourth grade student:

• Is aware of layout of library.
• Knows location of all sections of library and begins to recognize the different areas of the non-fiction area.
• Is aware that non-fiction sources are shelved according to classification order.
• Is aware of the Internet as a source of information and education.
• Practices finding books by author’s last name and the call number in the different locations of the library.
• Understands and uses the terminology: publisher, series, contents, index.
• Locates fiction and non-fiction using the spine label.
• Accesses contents and index pages by using keywords.
• Students will begin to identify and use keywords to guide their research.
• Selects materials by scanning contents and readability, presentation, and quality of illustrations.
• Prejudges the worth of resources in terms of purpose.
• Begins to identify primary and secondary sources.
• Uses reference tools: atlas, encyclopedia, thesaurus, dictionary to locate information.
• Uses non-fiction text to determine usefulness and extract needed information: maps, graphs, books.
• Selects books appropriate to interest using browsing techniques.
• Uses the online catalog regularly as a search tool to find materials of interest.
• Records bibliographic sources of information using author, title, publisher, and date.
• Will begin to understand the need to use information ethically and legally by understanding plagiarism, copyright, and bibliography.
• Will begin to understand the concept of "authority" and its importance in research.
• Begins to converse about the preponderance and influence of media in their lives
• Will evaluate resources for usefulness and be able to establish authority of a site.

(From: American Library Association Information Literacy Toolkit)

I also keep in mind the following ALA Standards when considering my work with students:
• ALA Standard 1
The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
• ALA Standard 2
The student who is information literate: evaluates information critically and competently.
• ALA Standard 3
The student who is information literate: uses information accurately and creatively.
• ALA Standard 4
The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
• ALA Standard 5
The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
• ALA Standard 6
The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.
• ALA Standard 7
The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.
• ALA Standard 8
The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.
• ALA Standard 9
The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

(From American Library Association Information Power)

Joyce Roby
Revisited 8/08