Endicott College

A survey conducted to complete master's degree

This research project focuses on the collaborative effort of the school librarian
(library media specialist) and the classroom teacher in developing information literacy skills in students. It is no longer enough to just teach content in isolation within the confines of a single space like the classroom. Students need to be able to access, evaluate, and use information from many sources. To achieve this goal, teachers and librarians need to work together to integrate these skills across the curriculum.
The author of this research project will provide evidence through secondary and primary sources that supports the forming of partnerships between teachers and library media specialists in teaching students the research skills they need in an information rich society.
The author of this project will try and determine how successful this teacher/ librarian collaboration is at several middle schools in Essex County. Although the research shows that this initiative has been in effect for more than a decade, there is evidence that such barriers as the lack of time and resistance to change have inhibited the progress of this partnership.
The growth of this collaborative initiative may depend on teachers changing their perception of the school librarian from a helper to that of a partner and recognizing that it is an insurmountable task for a classroom teacher to advance the research skills of students without assistance. With the advent of the Massachusetts Frameworks and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), teachers need more than ever to engage the expertise of the library media specialist in sharing strategies that teach students the research skills that they will need not only in school but in the future.