Charles W.

Lewis Library
Future Ready Framework
Gloucester Township Middle School Libraries

Vision
The Gloucester Township Middle School Libraries are a safe and engaging environment
that empowers our 21st century learners to become college and career- ready. This will be
accomplished with independent learning as well as a collaborative and creative
partnership supporting classroom instruction to achieve success today and tomorrow.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Gloucester Township Middle School Library program is to guide
life-long learners to be independent, critical thinkers and users of knowledge through
literacy, research, and technological resources in order to become ethical and responsible
citizens of our global society.

To support this mission, our library program is guided by the American Association of
School Librarians (AASL) Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

The AASL Standards are:

Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new
knowledge.
Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

*GT Middle School Library Curriculum http://gloucestertownshipschools.entest.org/MiddleSchoolCurriculum-Final.pdf

In order to meet the goals stated in the Vision and Mission along with the AASL and

ISTE standards for students, I propose to establish a Future Ready Library program based

on the Future Ready Librarians framework. Future Ready Schools recognizes school

librarians as likely leaders in the digital transformation of learning and is developing

resources and strategies to help librarians fulfill this vital role (Gerakios, 2016).

Cheryl Vassallo (2017) 1

 I developed an Action Research Plan last year to determine what perceptions the

teachers have of the school library program, the school librarian, and how information

literacy can be implemented into the curriculum. The question posed to the teachers was:

How can the C.W.L Library Media Program improve 21st Century information literacy skills?

Based on the findings from this Action Research Plan, the teachers find me, as the school

librarian, to be a valuable resource, but they do not always come to me or use the

resources I provide in their classrooms. There is a need for more integration of

information literacy skills in the curriculum and most teachers do want to become more

knowledgeable about technology.

According to the American Library Association (2013):

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all

disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables

learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-

directed, and assume greater control over their own learning.

These information literacy skills are part of the 21st Century Skills of

communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Rethinking the role of the

library and the school librarian as well as the library design is the topic of Andrew

Marcineks (2010) Edutopia blog post. As many schools acquire and integrate more

technology, the case for rethinking the library and the librarian emerges. Similarly, the

case for integrating lessons in information literacy is becoming a necessary skill all

students must learn and develop.

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 Therefore, as a result of my action research, I developed a more structured library

schedule, where I have set aside time to teach information literacy lessons and integrate

technology to the language arts classes. I propose this change in the hope that if the

teachers are scheduled for library time, they will utilize it to its fullest potential and

thereby preparing more future ready students. As I continue my course work towards

my MS in Instructional Technology, I have developed a stronger background with

integrating technology into the curriculum. The ongoing conversion to digital resources

has given most school librarians a strong background in education technology (Berdik,

2017).

As the school library is the hub of any school, having a strong school library

program is essential. School librarians do not just check books in and out anymore. The

role of the school librarian is evolving at a fast pace with technology taking the lead. They

teach; they show; they share. They are involved. As Stephen Lent is quoted in the Slate

article Come for the Books, Stay for the Computers, Getting kids reading is still a huge

part of what we do here. But the library has to be more than a place where they come in

and get their books and leave,(Berdik, 2017).

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Data from Action Research Survey (June 2016)

Library Standards & Information Literacy Topics

AASL ISTE Library Technology Research

Standards Standards Resources Skills
for the for Students
21st 2016
Century

Inquire, think Empowered Orientation Digital Literacy Evaluating

Learner -Library Websites
critically, and gain
-Chromebooks Digital Footprint
knowledge. Digital Citizen Fake News
- Genre Google Apps for
Knowledge - Destiny Education (G- Note-Taking
Draw conclusions,
Constructor Suite) paraphrasing
make informed - Lexile search
Summarizing
Innovative - E-books Google Explore
decisions, apply
Designer - Self-Select Bibliography
knowledge to new Web 2.0 Keywords/
techniques
Computational Resources Boolean Search

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situations, and Thinker - Book Talks Fakebook
- Book Review Twister Ethical Uses
create new
Creative VoiceThread Copyright
Blog
knowledge. Communicator Powtoons Plagiarism
StoryBird
Global Storyboard That Online
Share knowledge
Collaborator Canva Encyclopedias
and participate Prezi and Databases
ethically and FlipGrid Primary
etc. Resources
productively as Print resources
members of our
Inquiry-based
democratic society.
research

Pursue personal
and aesthetic

growth.

Potential Future Maker Space Funds and

Project Library Space?

2017-18 Library Timeline

6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

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 Orientation - Library and Orientation - Library and Orientation - Library and
September Chromebook Chromebook Chromebook

Genre Genre Genre

October Destiny/Lexile Destiny/Lexile Destiny/Lexile

Evaluating Websites Evaluating Websites Evaluating Websites

November Fake News Fake News Fake News

Book Fair Book Fair Book Fair

December Dec.4th - Dec. 8th Dec.4th - Dec. 8th Dec.4th - Dec. 8th
Copyright Copyright Copyright
Plagiarism Plagiarism Plagiarism

Keywords/ Keywords/ Keywords/

January Boolean Search & Google Boolean Search & Google Boolean Search & Google
Explore Explore Explore

Blind Date with a Book Speed Dating a Book Speed Dating a Book
February (self-selecting books) (self-selecting books) (self-selecting books)
Note-Taking- Note-Taking- Note-Taking-
paraphrasing paraphrasing paraphrasing
Summarizing Summarizing Summarizing

Online Encyclopedias and Online Encyclopedias and Online Encyclopedias and

March Databases Databases Databases
Primary Resources Primary Resources Primary Resources
Print resources Print resources Print resources

Project-based learning Project-based learning Project-based learning

April

Book Fair (TBD- PARCC?) Book Fair (TBD-PARCC?) Book Fair (TBD-PARCC?)
May

Library Book Collection Library Book Collection Library Book Collection

June Chromebook Collection Chromebook Collection Chromebook Collection
Summer Reading Summer Reading Summer Reading

Six Day Cycle Schedule

Based on 80 minute Block Scheduling - 2 classes per Block for 40 minutes each. Six
classes per lesson day will cover 2 of each grade level teachers in one cycle.

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Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

Book Check- 6th grade Book Check- 7th grade Book Check- 8th grade
Out/ Lessons Out/ Lessons Out/ Lessons
Book Talks Book Talks Book Talks

6th grade 6th grade 7th grade 7th grade 8th grade 8th grade
lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch

7th grade 7th grade 8th grade 8th grade 6th grade 6th grade
Library Library Library Library Library Library
Assistants Assistants Assistants Assistants Assistants Assistants

Special Ed Language Arts Day 6

Classes will PLC Meetings
meet for
lessons during
off blocks

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References:

American Library Association. (2013). Introduction to information literacy. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/acrl/issues/infolit/intro

Berdik, Chris. "Come for the books, stay for the computers: Libraries are rebooting to become tech

hubs for schools." Slate Magazine. N.p., 21 June 2017. Web. 23 June 2017.

Gerakios, Joanna. "Are You a Future Ready Librarian?" Knowledge Quest. N.p., 25 July 2016. Web. 1 July

2017. <http://knowledgequest.aasl.org/future-ready-librarian/>.

ISTE (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved from

Marcinek, A. (2010, December 8). Rethinking the library to improve information literacy. Edutopia.

Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/rethinking-library-information-literacy

Vassallo, C. (2016, June 21). Improving the middle school library program to

reflect 21st century information literacy skills. Action Research Plan prepared for ITS 625.

St. Josephs University.

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