2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award winners announced
Contact:Â Cheryl Malden
Program Officer
312-280-3247
NEWS
For Immediate Release
March 31, 2009
CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the winners of the 2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award, which is offered for the first time this year. They are:
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Brockport Central School District in Brockport, N.Y. for the
Brockport Central School District’s Information Literacy Continuum -
Troy Public Library in Troy, Mich. for its programÂ
Information Literacy For The Job Seeker
This annual award, donated by World Book, Inc., seeks to promote exemplary information literacy programs in both public and school libraries. The award is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries by providing start-up funding of $5,000 to a promising public library information literacy program and $5,000 to a promising school library information literacy program.
The
Brockport Central School District’s Information Literacy Continuum, initiated in 2002, approaches the teaching of information literacy as a comprehensive K-12 program. Elementary, middle and high school teachers from the district meet monthly to discuss the successes and challenges of this program, which has developed school district information literacy standards, benchmark and targets. The program has been extremely successful and is now used as a model for other districts. Â
The librarians responsible for the project, Kathy Jaccarino, Cathy Mangan, Marcia McCarthy, Suzanne Shearman and Ellen Zinni, share the goal that all Brockport students will be taught core literacy skills necessary for future success. This year, they plan to investigate the new American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learner, examining how these standards will impact the Brockport school district. They also plan to align district standards to reflect the new AASL standards.Â
This award will assist them in their efforts to ensure that the students at Brockport have the skills to learn, and ultimately become, successful citizens of the 21st century.
Information Literacy for the Job Seeker, the new, innovative program proposed by the Troy Public Library, will focus on individuals who have little computer literacy and are are seeking jobs. Participants will be trained on how information is organized electronically, how communication is handled electronically and how information is retrieved from the Internet and stored. Participants will also be trained on how to use job sites, how to create an electronic resume and how to set up an e-mail account in order to communicate with prospective employers.
The program will be managed by Philip Kwik, head of technology services at the Troy Public Library and will include hands-on classes; a comprehensive workbook entitled “How To Job Search Electronically”; and individualized instruction. The program would be widely publicized in the area. An outcomes-based evaluation method would be used, and there would be regular follow-up on the participant’s progress toward employment, as well as opportunities for refresher sessions.
According to Kathleen Russ, Troy Public Library director, the “current economic downturn combined with its impact on the automobile industry, has led to an unprecedented number of job seekers using the library’s computer lab.” The World Book Award will enable the outstanding program proposal
Information Literacy for the Job Seeker, to become a reality and be implemented at the Troy Public Library.Â
“Both of these outstanding programs were selected for the World Book Award for their innovative approaches to creating model programs designed to assist individuals to become more effective users of information,” according to Jury Chair Tim Grimes, Ann Arbor District Library.Â
Other members of the 2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award jury were Marcia L. Boosinger, Auburn University Libraries; Mary B. Heinzman, Saint Ambrose University Library; Michele M. Reid, North Dakota State University Library; and Emily Smith, Belmont Public Library.
The 2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award will be presented at the ALA Award Ceremony and Reception Tuesday, July 14, during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.
The deadline for submission of applications for the 2010 World Book Information Literacy Goal Award is Dec. 1. Guidelines and application forms are available on the ALA Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/worldbookaward
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