The WMIS IMC is connected to the entire curriculum. Resources and services relate to every discipline across all grade levels in a number of ways. In library resources, unlike textbooks, information is found in a naturally multidisciplinary form. This helps students to see the information in its real world context, not restricted to one grade level.
The flexible atmosphere of a library media center (LMC) can accommodate cooperative projects for large or small groups as well as individual students. The openness of the LMC supports student-selected reading, listening, and viewing. At WMIS the library guides the Gifted and Talented programing as well as groups of students for Quest and Compass Learning. The LMC is open during the student lunch periods and after school for leisure browsing, reading and checkout as well.
An information skills instructional unit or component can easily relate to any subject or combine two or more subject areas. (Examples: Statistics in Math and Country Studies, Science and Research on the Grand Canyon, History and Wikipages to demonstrate learning, the Internet and Copyright Law and individual responsibility.)
The library media program's links to a virtually unlimited range of information sources, especially via electronic technology, allowing teachers to explore multiple ways to expand instructional units and engage students in realistic learning activities using emerging interactive online tools to create products that demonstrate student learning.
To realize its potential, all aspects of the library media program (resources, staff, facility, instruction, and technology) need to be integrated with the entire teaching and learning program. Teaching information searching strategies in isolation has little impact or permanence, however integrating information skills naturally into classroom units can develop comprehensive information literacy. A team made up of the library media specialist and the classroom teacher can open the LMC's window on the world for all students. As with traditional resources, electronic resources ranging from instructional software to Internet access will affect learning most positively when they are incorporated into daily teaching and learning activities. Teachers need to plan consciously to use the LMC for group research, whole class projects, guided exploration, and collaboratively planned projects.
West Milwaukee Intermediate School Instructional Media Center
