Library Literacy Badges

A few things to know about our library:

• We have TechXperts, students who provide tech support for staff and students.
• We are working on a program for "Maker Majors" in our makerspace.
• We also have changed to NoodleTools this year.

Many of our conversations during the day are dominated by these three initiatives. How to grow the programs and how to wean 1300 students and 130 teachers off EasyBib and teach them to use (and appreciate?) a new system. As we, Michelle and I, continue to curate tutorial resources and load them to the help section of our library website, Michelle suggested badges. And that got me thinking... There are so many domains of information literacy: we can set up a hierarchy of badges for each domain and align them with our curriculum. Off the top of my head I came up with:

• Google Power Users
• Citation Czars
• Database Doyens
• Reading Prodigies
• Maker Majors
• TechXperts

Each one can have strands for inquiry, communication, collaboration, innovation, critical thinking, creativity, literature appreciation, computational thinking, and digital citizenship. Needless to say, these elements of information literacy are key components in our schools 21st Century Learning Expectations:

• Analytical and Creative Problem Solving
• Reflective learning
• Effective Communication
• Healthy Life Choices
• Responsible, Productive Work and Collaboration
• Respect
• Community Contribution

Certainly as we continue to co-teach with teachers in the various disciplines the foundational skills for each badge category are being established. As students move through four years of high school they will have the experiences and practice necessary to demonstrate mastery in all of these areas before they graduate. That, after all, is the point of our curriculum and our outreach into as many classes as possible. But the badging system would be a new way to honor the growth, the grit, and the necessity of developing information literacy skills.