by Kim Carter, Librarian, Souhegan High School, Amherst, NH Computers search information databases by looking for the exact string of characters entered by the user. In other words, if the user asks the computer to look for “coaching soccer,” the computer scans for entries where those two words appear exactly as typed. Therefore, searching for “rainforest” would yield different results
Brainstorms and Blueprints: Teaching Library Research as a Thinking Process, by Barbara K. Stripling and Judy M. Pitts. $22.50 from Libraries Unlimited /Teacher Ideas Press; 800-237-6124 800-237-6124 . From Library Skills to Information Literacy: A Handbook for the 21st Century, by the California Media and Library Educator Association (1994). $20 from Libraries Unlimited/ Teacher Ideas Press; 800-237-6124 800-237-6124 . CD-ROM
by George Merrill, librarian, Montgomery High School, Santa Rosa, California 1. Teacher overemphasizes form, especially when making the assignment. Matters of length, number of sources, width of margins, or placement of footnotes take precedence over developing a thoughtful approach to meaningful research. 2. Evaluation is based solely on the final product rather than on the process, a demonstration of the
by Mark Gordon, Librarian, Oceana High School, Pacifica, California For his Senior Exhibition, Oleg wanted to explore the ethical and practical issues surrounding the privacy issue on the Internet. He realized after a talk with me that this was a fast-breaking, currently evolving issue. It was likely that there would be few books on it, because of the typical long
The work of Barbara K. Stripling and the late Judy M. Pitts lends both theoretical and practical weight to library media specialists and teachers who regard thoughtful research skills as a crucial part of a curriculum. They urge schools to include librarians in school planning from top to bottom, as described in this chart reprinted with permission from their useful
1. Define the need for information. What are you going to use the information for: work, play, or academics? Provide a frame of reference: whom do you need information about, what, when, where, how, why? What do you already know? Frame and focus your question. 2. Initiate the search strategy. Determine what information you will search for, often by dividing
Active learning requires students to ask the right questions-then to find, evaluate, and use information from a flood of newly accessible resources. Coaching in those skills lies at the heart of a thoughtful and rigorous curriculum, and gives the school library an important new role. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH for one New Hampshire student came with “moose hunting,” when he