Libraries have changed dramatically. They are portals to a world of learning that includes traditional books, digital resources, and online environments. As the importance of information and communication technologies grows, teachers and librarians offer the key to creating powerful learning opportunities that will help students function more effectively in our modern world.
This Literacy, Libraries, and Learning session argues that using diverse learning resources can improve literacy achievement. In a workshop format, we explore the literacy needs of students and the changing responsibilities of teachers and librarians in helping students become better readers, writers, and researchers. We offer suggestions for charting a new course for libraries built around a collaboration between teachers and librarians. We also suggest solutions to the challenges that the information age presents for teachers and librarians:
• promoting reading for learning and pleasure
• improving critical literacy skills when using information from many sources
• encouraging research methods that respect copyright and lead to original work
• designing information tasks to help students work effectively with data
• developing better informational text structures that increase comprehension
