• The library media program is essential to learning and teaching and must be fully integrated into the curriculum to promote students’ achievement of learning goals.

  • The information literacy standards for student learning are integral to content and objectives of the school’s curriculum.

  • The library media program models and promotes collaborative planning and curriculum development.

  • The library media program models and promotes creative, effective, and collaborative teaching.

  • Access to the full range of information resources and services through the library media program is fundamental to learning.

  • The library media program encourages and engages students in reading, viewing, and listening for understanding and enjoyment.

  • The library media program supports the learning of all students and other member of the learning community who have diverse learning abilities, styles and needs.

  • The library media program fosters individual and collaborative inquiry.

  • The library media program integrates the uses of technology for learning and teaching.

  • The library media program is an essential link to the larger learning community.


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  • The size of a library media center’s staff and collection is the best school predictor of academic achievement.

  • The instructional role of the library media specialist shapes the collection and, in turn, academic achievement.

  • The degree of collaboration between library media specialist and teachers is affected by the ratio of teachers to pupils.

  • Library media expenditures affect Library Media Center (LMC) staff and collection size and, in turn, academic achievement.

  • Library media expenditures and staffing vary with total school expenditures and staffing.

  • Among school and community predictors of academic achievement, the size of the LMC staff and collection is second only to the absence of at-risk conditions, particularly poverty and low educational attainment among adults.


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The goal of a curriculum-based program is to enhance and extend classroom learning through use of varied resources and to prepare students for lifetime use of libraries and information sources. The following five principles underlie this programming approach:

  • Variety among learners is real and important,

  • Schools must recognize and meet individual needs,

  • The library media specialist is an instructional consultant,

  • Two heads are usually better than one,

  • It is appropriate for library media services to address classroom content.


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The Fully Integrated Library Program Rationale

  • With information doubling every 900 days in this Information Age, we must teach children to access, process, and use information,

  • A child cannot move to higher levels of thinking until he is able to apply what he has learned,

  • The emphasis is on process-oriented learning rather than product-oriented learning,

  • Current research supports the effectiveness of a strong library program and teacher/librarian collaboration.

  • Teaching information skills is the joint responsibility of the building library media specialist and the classroom teacher. Information and technology skills are most meaningful when taught within a subject area, within an inter-disciplinary unit, or within a unit which addresses an authentic, real-life need or problem. Careful planning and cooperation among all teachers and media specialists is essential.

Adapted from Prepared by Patricia Padala, Washtenaw Intermediate School District, October, 1999.