Using Pop Culture to Teach Information Literacy Methods to Engage a New Generation

Subjects:

• Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult School Services -- Information Literacy
• Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult School Services -- Curriculum & Instruction

Reviews:

• Throughout this discussion of the research process and the sample study course designed to integrate information literacy into the high school curriculum, Behen offers ideas on how to incorporate popular movies, music, sports, games, and reality TV into library lesson plans.
  —Curriculum Connections Spring 2008
• Behen represents a new age of librarians who believe in the strength of student-centered libraries and library-media programs and who embrace pop culture as a teaching tool for information-literacy development. She encourages media specialists to help teens evolve past basic hunting and gathering to think critically about their learning and information assimilation. The author suggests enlisting reality TV, movies, music, sports, games, literature, and teen hangouts as a framework for building library lessons. She offers ideas for turning the library into a cool destination, for seeking support and approval from administration and staff, and for getting started in a new forum. This manual is more of a brainstorming book than a resource full of applicable lesson plans; its strength is the research and advocacy it offers library media specialists who wish to embrace those topics that excite teens.
  —School Library Journal June 2007
• The book is written from a high school perspective, but middle school library media specialists could easily adapt ideas for their student populations. This short, hands-on guide to information literacy instruction and programming is particularly well suited for those new to the field or experienced librarians looking to infuse some contemporary ideas into their programs.
  —VOYA June 2007
• It can be very difficult for high school librarians to find a connection with students of a very different generation. In Using Pop Culture to Teach Information Literacy, Behen demonstrates how to incorporate today's teen trends into our teaching style and make learning fun for students. Themes are designed around current pop culture television shows, and Behen gives examples of how to use these themes successfully with different grade levels and in different subjects....Helpful suggestions are included on how to encourage teachers and administrators to incorporate information literacy skills into lessons across the curriculum....Also included are helpful ideas for promoting the library program to both students and parents, including contests, workshops on creating Zines, and bringing in parents to show them how their children can make use of the the library and its resources. This book will help bring new life and interest into any secondary school library program.
  —Reference & User Services Quarterly Spring 2007
• Using Pop Culture to Teach Information Literacy: Methods to Engage a New Generation is a concrete, hands on manual that gets to the nitty gritty of teaching teens information literacy. It offers numerous examples of power point presentations, lesson plans and even library publicity. This book would be especially useful for those librarians new to this field. It has short, easy to read chapters and discusses the various aspects of teaching information literacy.
  —Academia March 2007
• This book for high-school librarians presents a variety of ways pop culture can be used to teach information literacy skills. Arguing that library instruction should be fun as well as informative, author Behen suggests ways to incorporate reality TV, movies, sports, and more into a schoolwide information literacy and research program. She offers tips on creating cool facilities, services, and collections and building schoolwide support. A number of technology tips are worked into lesson plans. The distinctive nature of this book lies in Behen's emphasis on the information needs and learning preferences of students. Excellent ideas combined with readability and a light-handed approach should make it appealing to the target audience.
  —Booklist/Professional Reading October 15, 2006
• Clever....If your program is a curriculum, then this book provides some lively ideas for conducting a library school for teens.
  —Teacher Librarian October 2006

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
  Today's Teens, Technology, and Pop Culture
  Why Does Library Instruction Have to Be Fun?
  Finding and Using Pop Culture in Our Library Instruction
  Putting the Cool into Your Library: Inspiring This Generation
  The Big Buy-in from Administration and Teachers
  Life in the Real World
  What They Need To Know
  Build Your Information Literacy Instruction With Pop Culture
  Publicizing the Ultimate Library Program

PDF Catalogs:
LU Textbook Catalog Fall 2007.pdf	LU School Library Spring 2008.pdf

PDF Brochures:

Information Literacy.pdf