Curriculum

Ridgewood Public Schools

Library Media Centers

K12 Library Program Description

The Library Media Program incorporates the goals, objectives, and principles of learning as stated in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, the National Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning, and the Information Power Vision of the American Association of School Librarians. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Providing intellectual and physical access to information

  • Providing learning experiences that encourage students and others to become discriminating users of information

  • Providing resources and activities that contribute to lifelong learning and that represent a diversity of experiences, opinions, and perspectives

  • Providing leadership, collaboration and assistance to teachers and others

Information literacy skills and a commitment to lifelong reading are cornerstones of the RPS Library Media Program. The landmark publication, Information Power, by the American Association of School Librarians, recommends that schools maintain well-stocked libraries managed by professional librarians who encourage reading and help match books to students. The Library Media Program plays a vital role in motivating young people to select and read materials for pleasure, to gradually select more complex levels of expression, and to evaluate these experiences critically. A variety of literature-based activities are incorporated into the program to foster a love of reading and support the district’s literacy initiatives.

Information literacy skills are paramount in an information age. In the schools’ Library Media Centers, students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills as they use a variety of resources to meet the demands of today’s curriculum. The course of study encourages students to go beyond textbooks and aims to familiarize them with the research process. Specific skills are taught to help students access, evaluate, select, and apply appropriate information to meet their current and long-term educational, personal, and recreational needs.

Ridgewood Library Media Specialists embrace roles in four realms of school: instructional, curriculum leadership, administrative, and professional. The School Library Media Specialists work in partnership with teachers and administrators to develop an optimal information literacy program for students.

SEE OUR CURRICULUM GUIDES BELOW.

Citations

American Association of School Librarians and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Library Association and Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1998.

New Jersey Association of School Librarians. “School Library Media Program – Catalyst for Efficient Implementation of Core Curriculum Content Standards K–12.” NJASL New Jersey Association of School Librarians. 2005 http://www.emanj.org/documents/SLMP_000.pdf 30 November 2005.

Updated April 2007