Welcome to the BAA/Fenway Library I am Kathy Lowe, the library director. Your teacher preparation or experience in other schools may not have given you much information about or experience with working with me or using our library’s resources effectively. There is also a pretty good chance that the school library you used during your own school days was different from our program here.

A partnership for learning To help get things off to a positive start, here are a few things I’d like you to know about the library, our program, and me that can help us form a great partnership…

The librarian doesn't own the library You and your students do. This is your library. Our collection, policies, procedures, and program are a result of collaboration between faculty, student, and the library staff.

The library is a learning laboratory It’s not a student lounge, study hall or baby-sitting service. The students in the library, including the ones you send, should have a reason for being here. Students should be in the library because they need the library’s resources, not just because they need to be somewhere. We have a clear set of behavioral expectations for students when they are using the library.

The best resource in the library is the library staff We can help you plan a project, solve a technology problem, find professional research, give insight into an ethical problem, or answer a reference question. If we can't do it, we will help you find someone who can. Helping others gives us a huge sense of satisfaction, so please never hesitate to ask any of us for help.

The library is my classroom The subject I teach is information literacy. It’s not a “core” subject but it is core to student success at school and in life. I need your cooperation to teach my subject since it’s when you bring classes to the library that they have the opportunity to learn and practice information literacy skills.

My curriculum: Information Literacy The ability to access information efficiently and effectively, evaluate it critically and competently, and use it accurately and effectively. To pursue information about personal interests, appreciate literature and other creative expressions of information, and strive for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation. To recognize the importance of information to a democratic society, be ethical in using information and information technology, and participate effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

Planning is a good thing Advanced planning with me will greatly increase your students’ chances for success with projects that require information resources. A well-planned research unit or technology project will greatly decrease frustration for everyone involved.

The library provides access to both print and electronic information. I can help determine which one best suits your students’ needs. Students do not always realize that print resources are the best for many purposes. It is sad to watch a student spend a frustrating hour trying to find the answer to a question on the Internet that could have been answered with a print resource in minutes.

The library’s web page is the“front door” to all its resources. Take the time to find all the various resources on the site. If there’s something you think should be there but isn’t, please let me know. Through our web pages, you can access the library’s online catalog and databases from anyplace in the world. We have cataloged many curriculum-related web sites as well as books, videos, and music CDs.

Evaluating the information found on the Internet. One of the greatest challenges of using the Internet is determining whether the facts and opinions found there are credible. I have the training and tools to do just that. It is my mission to teach students to critically evaluate information.

We subscribe to several quality online research databases These can only be accessed with a user name and password. Be sure you have the handout with the login information for all of these resources.

We can help improve your students’ reading scores Research has proven that children become more adept at reading by extensively practicing reading. The library contains a wide range of material that students can use to improve reading skills. I can help match just the right book with just the right reader. If you need a book talk for your class or help with a student struggling to find something of interest, just say so.

The library can be your technology support center We can help you and your students with technology applications. Looking for effective ways to search the web? Ask us. Need to make a color transparency? We can show you how. Need to create a PowerPoint presentation or a web page? Let us give you a quick lesson.

Here’s to a great year! I look forward to getting to know you and working with you throughout our time together. Please let me know how I can help you with any of your information needs.