As part of a class assignment during the Winter 2018 term at the iSchool@UBC, I created a topic briefing addressing the enhancement of information literacy education at Southview Public School (Kingston, Ontario) and the re-establishment of the teacher-librarian. The teacher-librarian position was eliminated from not only Southview P.S. and across Kingston’s Limestone District School Board, but also from a vast number of school libraries across Canada. Research finds that teacher-librarians are more than just keepers of books: they play an important role in information literacy education. This topic briefing addresses this misconception and presents options and recommendations to decision-makers at Southview Public School.
Advocacy of this issue if of utmost importance to me. As a former library volunteer at Southview and a former student of the Limestone District School Board, this topic briefing felt like a natural starting point for this national issue.
Please note, this topic briefing was not formally presented to the decision-makers addressed.
In constructing this topic briefing I:
- Conducted thorough research of the topic and the institution addressed, which allowed me to construct a targeted and supportive argument to decision-makers
- Formulated suggestions on how the presence of a teacher-librarian may enhance information literacy education and how this would in turn influence the Southview community; and,
- Made decisions regarding formatting (the use of bullets, white space, etc.) and content with the reader in mind, which lends to the "flow" and easy navigation of the document
Below are images of the final topic briefing and references.
