The Civic Mission of School Libraries

In this new century, school librarians have expanded their roles and now serve as chief information officers, knowledge navigators, and teacher-librarians, partnering in the learning process. Adopting many of the practices recommended in AASL’s Information Power, school librarians are now well positioned to foster good citizenship by collaborating “with students and other members of the learning community to analyze learning and information needs, and use resources that will meet those needs, and to understand and communicate the information the resources provide." Moreover, they are redesigning facilities so they are more conducive to inquiry and group study that both reflect and create community, and that bring people together through multicultural arts programming, issue forums, training opportunities, intellectual dialogue and exchange. Beyond designing facilities, collaborating with teachers, and developing resources, school librarians enhance civic participation by teaching students to employ the critical thinking skills needed to find, evaluate and use information effectively, efficiently, and responsibly. Students need sophisticated information literacy skills to live, learn, and work in the digital age as well as to carry out the day-to-day activities of citizens in a developed, democratic society. Ever since the days of John Dewey, educators have recognized the vital role of education in teaching civic understanding and active citizenshi