Objective Six

Create an information literacy lesson

I've actually created several of these for other classes, but I was looking for one that related directly to the public library youth program. More specifically, I'd like one that integrated public library with school library, a sort of collaboration project.

The public library currently has the W.O.W (WebOnWheels) bus that travels to various places around Missoula that might not have access to computers or the internet. The bus houses 6 computers, and folks can take turns checking their accounts, downloading audiobooks and music, or using the computers for general personal use.
If I were librarian at one of the local schools, whether or not we had access to the computers or internet, I would like to work out a time for the W.O.W. bus to visit our school, and talk with my students through the concept of not having access to these things. It would be a community awareness project in that respect. Also, I would like to show them how they could download books with Montana Library 2 Go. Finally, and most importantly, I would like them to visit with the librarians about getting their own library accounts, and what that responsibility entails.
A follow-up or culminating activity would be to take a field trip to the library, become familiar with the different departments, and then go through a "search the catalog" activity. The information literacy goal in all this is for students to become aware of how they receive their information, that others may not always have such free access to information, and an understanding of how to access and use the resources they have around them, namely, the public library.