How to Teach Library Skills

Instructors teach library skills to bolster student achievement on several levels. Cultivating regular use of library materials can enhance reading ability and expand vocabulary. As more schools add project-based learning to the curriculum, students need library skills to conduct the research necessary to complete the projects. Most importantly, students must master library skills in order to navigate problems they might encounter in a real-life setting. But each district implements library literacy standards differently. Some students, especially those in higher grades, do not receive direct instruction in regards to library skills, but learn them through activities that support the content areas instead. Read more about how to teach library skills in the following steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Access to library
• Paperwork
• State standards
• Computer
• Handouts

1. Plan an information session. Consult the library staff about arranging an orientation for students. Fill out and file all the necessary paper work in advance to avoid any miscommunication with the staff about the library skills you want students to learn.

2. Copy and teach the standards. Visit your Department of Education website. Look for library or information literacy standards, any scope and sequence guides or indicators that are available there. Print off and refer to copies when you write and teach lesson plans. Keep the printed copies on file for purposes of documentation.

3. Teach students how library information is organized. Show students where the print, non-print and electronic resources can be accessed. Take a tour of the stacks, the film section and computer lab. Explain the classification system and how the resources are stored. Teach search skills, such as how to look up items by author, title, subject or keyword.

4. Teach students to seek resources beyond the library. Understand that students may be quick to end a search for resources if they cannot find what they are looking for within the confines of the library. Talk to students about how materials can be obtained through the interlibrary loan system.

5. Teach the skills necessary to select library resources. Give a mini-lesson about how to choose a book that is appropriate for the student's reading level or how to evaluate resources in terms accuracy and currency. Create handouts or bookmarks with bulleted points and distribute them to students to serve as reminder of these skills.

6. Teach students the ethical obligations of using library materials. Pass out copies of the library and technology user agreements if your district has put them in place. Go over the main points and summarize the material to make sure students understand their responsibilities as borrowers. Plan activities that help students develop citation and bibliography skills.

7. Teach students to ask questions as part of the library skill set. Demonstrate to students where to go for help. Model how and who to ask for information.

Tips & Warnings

• Write the objective on the board to remind students of the skills they are to learn.
• Never assume students have mastered library skills. If you teach a unit that involves research, introduce or reteach the skills listed in the steps above.
• You can avoid repetition when you teach these skills to the whole class rather than go over the information with students individually.

Resources

• Resources for School Librarians
• Lesson Plans for Library Skills at Education World

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