Information-Powered School

At the heart of the groundbreaking publication of Information Power was the idea that school library media specialists and teachers could work together to make certain that their students were truly becoming information literate and so equipped to bring those skills to bear as they advanced to higher levels of education. The Library Power initiative, a national project funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, put this idea to the test in 700 schools serving more than one million students in impoverished communities around the country. This book is the result of all that was learned and is the guide for implementing the theories laid out in Information Power.

The Information-Powered School is packed with more than 40 templates and model forms, all tested in actual Library Power sites. It outlines a specific plan for school library media specialists and teachers to share the responsibilities of planning, teaching, and assessing student learning and offering a truly coherent curriculum. Included are tips from experienced practitioners on gathering the support of teachers and principals, on managing new roles and responsibilities, and on leading the charge to integrate information literacy and technology into curricula. Using this hands-on guide, you will start to see information-literate students engaged in inquiry-based learning and using library media resources and services in new and productive ways.

For every school librarian, media center specialist, educator, and principal who wants to activate Information Power in their schools, here are proven and flexible strategies for creating dramatic and collaborative change.

The Public Education Network (PEN) is a nonprofit organization that creates systems of public education that result in high achievement for every child. PEN works with local education funds to educate the nation about the relationship between school quality and the quality of community and public life. PEN administered the Library Power program in 19 communities nationwide. The American Association of School Libraries (AASL), a division of the American Library Association, is the leading professional organization for school library media specialists with the mission to advocate excellence, facilitate change, and develop leaders in the school library media field. AASL is the co-author of Information Power and co-developer of the Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning. Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Ph.D., is assistant professor in the College of Information Science and Technology at Drexel University. Before joining Drexel's faculty in 1998, she served as director of the Philadelphia Library Power Project. Anne Wheelock is an independent writer, researcher, and policy analyst based in Boston, Massachusetts. As a case study writer for the University of Wisconsin's National Program Evaluation of Library Power, she documented the implementation of Library Power practices at the school and district level.