Librarian Interview: AASL Standard- Engage

Introduction

    For this interview, I chose to have a discussion with Chrystal Smith at Blythewood High School, focusing on the Engage shared foundation with a special emphasis on the Create domain. This standard focuses on ethically using information and acknowledging authorship. I was curious about Chrystal's insight concerning the standard in relation to her current work in a high school, as well as in reference to her previous role as a school librarian at an intermediate school that worked with grades four through six. We had a very rich discussion, mostly pertaining to citations and how important it is for us to establish these information skills as early on as possible. We also heavily emphasized how important it is to make sure that the other educators in the building understand copyright and fair use laws so that they can hold their students accountable for crediting sources appropriately. 

Questions

1. What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program? 

2. What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies? 

3. Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples. 

4. What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies? 

5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today? 

Interview Recap

    Through our discussion, we found that this competency is most often implemented through collaboration with classroom teachers when their classes are participating in research-based projects. The librarians often work with these classes to help introduce them to various research and citation tools, model the process for building proper citations, and how to access all of the needed information. The librarians try to emphasize how important it is to give credit where it's due so that students can avoid plagiarism. Special emphasis is placed on the fact that students who will be entering college will have to continue to do research projects of this caliber and need to go ahead and begin developing these citation skills, as it is something that they will carry with them to the next step of their educational career.   

    The main issue that they face in elementary and middle-grade schools related to this particular competency is ensuring that the teachers and other educators in the building understand why this aspect of research is important. Often, teachers of younger students don't see using proper citations as something important or developmentally appropriate for the students they are working with. At times, simply getting the students to complete a research project is enough of a challenge without having to take the extra step to cite sources, so it is often skipped. Unfortunately, this develops bad research habits in these young scholars and does not set them up with a strong foundation for success once they start doing higher-caliber research. There are other times when teachers ask students to simply include the URL for their source or a basic author and title listing, as opposed to a full citation. This, too, could potentially lead to the development of poor citation habits as the students are not following the proper format to give credit to their sources. 

                                                        Implementation

    As a school librarian, it is essential that we make sure all the educators in our building are aware of copyright and fair use laws, the proper way to use and share resources with other teachers and students, and know how to access the many tools available to them to make this aspect of research easier for students to digest. One of the best ways to ensure that this is done, aside from hosting school-level professional development sessions, is to take advantage of every possible opportunity to collaborate with classroom teachers, especially during times when students are working on assignments that address information literacy skills. Having curated resources in an easily  accessible and navigatable location can contribute to success when implementing these competencies. For example, having a one-stop shop for research resources on the school library website page is a great way to make sure that everyone in the school, including the students and teachers, can access the tools and databases needed to support their research. 

    Before this interview, I was unsure how to implement this competency at the elementary level. Now, I can see that by having curated tools and resources, modeling their use for students and teachers, emphasizing the importance of considering reliable resources accessible through databases as opposed to general web searches, and scaffolding students through the citation process, this competency is achievable no matter which school level you work with. Of course, you still have to consider developmental appropriateness, but I want to ensure I am helping to instill good information-seeking and citation-building skills in all of my students and can use the tools that I learned about through this interview and the scaffolding techniques that were modeled for me to help younger students be successful with early research. 

Resources

• Noodle Tools- A student platform for citation building that can be monitored by educators. 
• Discuss- Already has citations that have been created for students to use. 
• EasyBib- Formatting tool for citations. 
• TRAILS Archive (Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills)- A product of Kent State University. This website is no longer active, but you can access previous assessments and activities from the archive to address information literacy skills. 

References 

American Association of School Librarians. (2018). National school library standards for learners, school librarians, and School Libraries. ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.