The nine standards are broken into three categories, nine standards, and twenty-nine indicators. The three categories are information literacy, independent learning, and social responsibility. The specific standards that fall within each category are explicated in the chart below that is replicated from Information Power. Within the list of standards and indicators the work wisely and beneficially includes examples of the standards in action and correlative content area standards. Students’ mastery of the information literacy standards is foundational for students’ success at meeting the standards for independent learning and social responsibility (i.e., standards reflect the importance of the development of information literacy to the development of independent learners and social responsibility).
As well as elucidating the standards, Information Power also includes discourse regarding three themes (collaboration, leadership, and technology) and teacher-librarians’ roles such as instructional partner (learning and teaching), information specialist (information access and delivery), and program administrator (manage program operations and development). The book includes goals for teacher-librarians to aim for with the ultimate goal to “help students and others become full and productive members of the learning community” (xiv).
Information Power also deserves credit for engendering much of the recent research into school libraries and student achievement. One example is the School Library Action Research Project. The aim of this project is to aid schools across the nation in collecting and communicating information about the impact of the school library on academic achievement (examples of tools provided as part of the project include a power reader student survey, a power learner student evaluation, and a power learner teacher, library media specialist and administrator evaluation). Instructions for becoming a part of the ongoing Action Research Project may be accessed via the online manual.
Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning |
Information Literacy Standards |
| Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively |
| Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently |
| Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively |
Independent Learning |
| Standard 4: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests. |
| Standard 5: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information |
| Standard 6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation |
Social Responsibility |
| Standard 7: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognize the importance of information to a democratic society |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998: pp. 8-9. |
These standards are invaluable guidelines for educators in order to comprehend the nature of information literacy, to promote collaboration and professional development, to design information literacy inducing curriculum, to guide evaluation and assessment, and to become part of the vision of enabling students to become lifelong members of the world’s learning community. Information Power is an information literacy tool wise educators will absorb and utilize in considering the appropriate information literacy model to implement in their own educational contexts.
Books
American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998.
American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs. Chicago: American Library Association, 1988.
