We are pleased to announce the recipients of funding for the current cycle of the ACRL-Oregon School/Academic Librarian Collaboration Scholarship: Sally Mielke of Eastern Oregon University, and Sherry Loennig of North Powder Charter School. This scholarship was created to foster collaboration between academic librarians and school librarians.

Their project goals are to increase student access to online resources and assistance in the North Powder Charter School library, and also to increase students’ information literacy skills. Prior to Ms. Loennig’s recent hire, North Powder had no dedicated librarian. Students have not been receiving information literacy instruction, and there is no computer workstation for searching library resources available to students in their library. The North Powder School District superintendent has asked Ms. Loennig to meet with North Powder teachers to address school library standards and information literacy instruction.

Funding provided by this award will allow for the purchase of a computer for students to access in their library, with a librarian present to provide assistance and instruction in finding and evaluating information resources. Ms. Mielke will provide a workshop on teaching information literacy for Ms. Loennig and three of North Powder’s teachers in late Spring or early Summer 2019. During the summer of 2019 Mss. Mielke and Loennig will work with these three teachers to prepare research guides on specific subject areas, to be ready in time for the opening of the 2019/20 school year. These teachers, with the assistance of Ms. Loennig, will then be able to integrate information literacy instruction into their classes. The research guides will be posted to the School Site Academic Page so that students and families can find and access the resources easily when at home or other locations.

Their project supports these Oregon School Library Standards:

LIB 1.1.C Develop, select, clarify, and use questions and strategies to search for information

LIB 1.1.D Find, evaluate and select appropriate sources to answer questions

LIB 3.2.A Consider a variety of balanced and authoritative sources

LIB 4.1.A Find, evaluate and select appropriate digital resources to answer questions

LIB 4.1.C Evaluate digital information sources for accuracy, validity, importance and bias

Our congratulations to Sally Mielke and Sherry Loennig. We look forward to your successful collaboration and to seeing the outcomes of this work!