The Leading Edge Librarians Academy is a group of empowered educator-librarians who are trained to design, pilot, and package high-impact library programs that incorporate information literacy skills for patrons.

Their programs have been formatted for use by librarians and media specialists everywhere. Please preview and download to meet your needs. The Information Literacy Program Kits are PDF files. To view PDF files you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download and install the free Acrobat Reader.


Are We There Yet? Vacation Ideas for Parents from Students
Cindy Eakle, Harshman Middle School and Nick Neuteiter, Harshman Middle School
This is a 15 class period experience for the 8th Grade Students that begins with a provocative assignment of planning for a family vacation. The experience includes mapping a driving route; calculating distance, gas used, and time to travel; selecting hotels, restaurants, and activities; and creating a sample itinerary and spreadsheet of expenses. The experience concludes with students creating a Web page or brochure to suggest vacation destinations to their parents, during which the 8th grade students demonstrate proficiency with the real world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to understand the amount of planning that needs to occur in order to take a vacation trip with their family, understand the vast amount of information available on the Internet and realize the importance of choosing suitable keywords and evaluating websites based on relevant and accurate information, and understand the importance of communicating effectively to a target audience through an appealing brochure or Web Page.


Creating Leading Edge Kids: Library Learning Kits for Preschool
Orvella Fields, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
This 75-minute program offers pre-school children a new and exciting way of learning by introducing them and their teacher to a library learning kit that teaches the concept shapes. This kit contains books, songs and action activities and benefits the pre-school teacher because he/she discovers deeper ways use library materials that are appropriate for 3 & 4 year olds to ensure that they learn. By using the kit, teachers also realize that the library is an additional resource to help support their curriculum with more than stories.


Encountering the Passion of History: A National History Day Project
Jane Kokotkiewicz, Park Tudor School
This is a 9-month experience for eighth grade students and their mentors that begins by setting a learning context through research activities at their school, local university and State Historical Society. The experience includes field trips that show students how archivists work, and to illustrate the qualities of effective museum displays. They learn to identify experts on their topic and develop interview skills. They become adept at locating primary and secondary sources and constructing an annotated bibliography. The experience concludes with the presentation of their projects to the school and to National History Day judges, during which the eighth grade students and their mentors demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to prepare entries for the National History Day competition while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The high school mentors acquire coaching techniques and reinforce their own research skills while performing community service.


Excelling with the Big6™ Research Model
Ann Sheehan, MSD Perry Township
This project is an ongoing experience for Perry Township media specialists and teachers that began with the need for a clear and consistent process of finding, using, and making meaning of information. A broad based committee examined several excellent research models and then selected the Big6™ (Eisenburg and Berkowitz) as the one they felt would be most useful for teachers and students in the district. This program has helped to increase teacher understanding of the importance of collaborating with the media specialist to address information literacy in students. It has also helped to clarify what collaboration actually means and the benefits to them and their students.


Exploring Cultures: A Gateway to Information Literacy in High Schools
Deana Beecher, MSD Decatur Township
The study of Cultural Anthropology is rare in a high school setting, but can be a rewarding and valuable experience for both the guides and the learners. This adventure begins by setting a learning context through a foot binding and ear stretching activity. This attention grabbing exercise will act as a springboard for the students rites of passage of other cultures as well as their own, using the library's multiple resources. Students learn to use the library as a center for making multimedia presentations of their own.


Get Your Passport to Indiana: Free Resources for Immigrants
Ann R. Schwab, Indianapolis Marion County Public Library and Maureen E. Keller, MSD Washington Township
In this project non-native English speakers will have the opportunity to enrich their lives by learning about the free educational and recreational resources available to them through the public library. They will use their English skills for authentic communication by writing an article about their new experiences in and knowledge of the public library. They will become more involved in their community by compiling their articles into a published newsletter that is geared to other immigrants. It will be distributed to organizations in the community with significant immigrant populations.
This nine-session/18-hour experience for adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students begins by setting a learning context through an explanation of its benefits to them. They will improve and gain confidence in their English skills, enrich their lives and that of their families, and help others in their community. Guided by a librarian, the experience includes discussions about the concept, procedures, programs and services of the public library. It incorporates an examination of a variety of library materials and hands-on instruction in the use of on-line resources. The project also contains a lesson in the basics of writing a newsletter article to help participants improve their English skills. They then analyze and synthesize what they have learned as they write an article about the library's resources and how those resources can benefit other immigrants. Working with the teacher and librarian, they edit their articles for accuracy, style, and correct English. The program concludes by combining the students' articles into a printed newsletter for distribution throughout the community, during which the adult ESL students demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge product, that is, their newsletter.
This program enables learners to discover the wide variety of free resources and services offered by public libraries, to improve their written English skills and to become more involved in their community.


Go to the Library in Your Pajamas! Learning to Use Library Resources from Home
Rod Burkett, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and Beverly Lewis and Julie Moline, Kitley Intermediate School
This is a two-hour information literacy experience for parents and their sixth grade children that begins by setting a learning context through a pre-test, and by presenting the need to find authoritative information for upcoming school assignments. It addresses the potential problems parents may experience with finding a convenient time to bring their children to the library, or when their child has waited until the last minute to seek materials. The experience includes a PowerPoint presentation that explains how to find the library Web site and the databases that are available there, demonstrations of selected databases during which learners consider their potential use on Database Notes, and using the Database Hunt exercise to search databases to find specific information. A post-test is used to measure the newly acquired search skills. The program ends by linking searching databases with future assignments. For further follow-up, the bibliographies of school reports may be checked to see if resources from databases have been cited, or a questionnaire may be sent to the parents and children several weeks after the program to see if they have used the databases.
The program is intergenerational which provides an opportunity for parents and pre-teens to do an activity together, and it enables parents to provide reinforcement when students are searching for reliable information for assignments. The program develops life skills for all learners.


Grassroots Marketing: Getting Your Music Noticed
Lynn Hobbs, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and Todd Robinson, Luna Music
This is a four-hour workshop experience for musicians creating in the popular genres. It begins by setting a learning context through listening and interacting with independent music business professionals who share their expertise. Learners are introduced to these presenters, who provide insider tips for grassroots marketing and explain how interaction with independent retail and radio are the keys to successful music promotion. The experience includes each participant drafting an idea list of the ten best ways to promote his or her music. The experience concludes with using library resources and working with librarians to flesh out details (such as contact information) for the three best ideas on their idea lists. Participants leave the workshop with a viable real-world marketing strategy in-hand that they will use to promote their individual styles of music.
This program enables learners to set and execute realistic goals for their musical careers.


Growing Your Child Up: Learning Toys from Your Kitchen Cabinet
Doriene Smither, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and Joy Evans, Crooked Creek Head Start
This is a two-hour experience for the young and/or inexperienced parent that begins by setting a learning context creating a toy or activity for their preschooler out of materials provided. The experience includes a short discussion of developmental stages of preschoolers, a demonstration of computer searching strategies, and time for some hands-on practice at a computer. It concludes with a group discussion, during which the parents share information they found useful and "invent" toys and activities with the items provided, thus demonstrating proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to be effective "first teachers" of their preschool children by using easy but creative means of leading the children successfully through various developmental stages. It also illustrates easy computer searching techniques that can be easily transferred to other topics.


High School Art-Public Realtions/Advertising
Karen Starks, Broad Ripple High School
The High School Art Public/Relations Advertising project replicates the development of a real life public relations campaign. The participation of an outside client who represents the P.R. topic to be promoted sets this project apart from other projects. This is a two to three week experience for the upper level high school art class that brings art students to the library to research their clients P.R. topic and to search for metaphors and images that will bring it to life.
This program enables learners to see how the library is used by adults in real world career activities.


Homework Help: Introducing Information Resources to Parents of 4th Graders
Nancy Mobley, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
This is a month-long experience for the parents of 4thgrade students with their child that begins by setting a learning context through hands-on workshop at the school or at the public library.
This program enables the parents to develop proficiency of their new information literacy skills while helping their child with homework.


How Leonardo Met Mona Lisa: Exploring Careers in the Arts
Alba Fernandez-Keys, Indianapolis Museum of Art and Larry Hurt, Ben Davis High School
This is a two-session experience for the high school senior with an interest in art that begins by setting a learning context through art career exploration. The experience includes a brainstorming activity, a research and writing component and a panel discussion with art experts from the community. The experience concludes with publication of student's written articles in a class newsletter, during which the high school seniors demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to explore the possibilities of a career in art and helps them to make informed decisions about their future, while learning valuable research and writing skills.


Image-ing our Foremothers: Art as a Means to Connecting with Women's History
Kristi Palmer, IUPUI University Library and Robin Henry, IUPUI and Tosca Webb, Artist
This is an 8 week experience for the college student that begins by setting a learning context through using library resources, especially online databases, for locating images and art that reflect a chosen research topic and creating a mural that demonstrates the students' comprehension of the chosen topic. The experience includes conducting research on 3 significant events or people in women's US history. The written research will be accompanied by images or art that the student has chosen (described) as reflective of or related to the researched event or person. In order to determine the students' level of information literacy, the research will include a detailed description of how the students located the images. The students will also draw or describe a personalized sketch of one of the researched events or people. The experience concludes with the sketch being incorporated into a mural designed and painted by the students in collaboration with an artist during which the college students demonstrate proficiency with the creative application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to first, believe that art and images are useful and interesting research resources, secondly, how to locate and properly incorporate images into traditional research, and finally to create their own personal connection to a research topic through the creation of meaningful artwork.
Past participants have valued the program because it helped them to find greater, more personal meaning in history.


Learning History Comes Alive Through Puppets: Linking Local Schools with Public Libraries
Karen Perry, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, infoZone at The Children's Museum
This eight week experience for fifth grade students sets a learning context using puppets to make American History come alive. Following a phase of library research into the cultural tappings as well as the events of a specified period in history, students create a puppet show of their own.
This program enables students to use puppets to synthesize what they learn about American history (i.e.: the American Revolution) and share it with others in a new and exciting way.


Linking 4th Graders to Resources in Indiana Geography: National GIS Program
Robin Crumrin, IUPUI University Library
This is a 4-week learning experience on habitats for fourth grade students which incorporates geo-technologies and online resources. The projects include the applications of library research skills, in-class discussions, a hands-on project, and culminates with a field trip to University Library to introduce students to technologies and resources specific to Indiana geography.
This program teaches learners to use geography resources available in their library and geo-technologies available on the Internet.


People vs. Pigeons
Melissa Pawley, Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary School and Melissa May, Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary School
This is a multi-session experience for the elementary student (3rd-5th grade) that begins by setting a learning context through reading or watching local news stories about conflicts between humans and wildlife (pigeons, geese, moles, etc.). The experience includes the students selecting their animal and researching its conflicts with humans. Then students develop possible solutions to the conflicts that will (preferably) be positive for both the animals and the humans. The experience concludes with students presenting their information regarding the problems and solutions to interested "community" members, during which the students demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to develop collaborative research, processing, and presentation skills using a topic that interests them.


Stand-Out Skills: Resumes That Get Noticed
Melissa Pappert, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
This is a 6- to 8-hour experience for the Young Adult entering the workforce that begins by setting a learning context through resume-writing and interviewing practice. The experience includes writing, typing, printing and saving a resume and practicing interviewing skills, with expert instruction in all areas.
This program enables learners to gain skills that will enable them to interview with prospective employers and receive job offers. It will encourage them to become contributing members of their community, and to consider further education.


STOMP: STudents Organized to Motivate for Phitness
Kathleen A. Hanna, IUPUI University Library and Elizabeth A. Jones, IUPUI Department of Physical Education and Beth Jeglum, IUPUI Center for Young Children
This is a semester-long experience for undergraduate Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) majors that begins by setting a learning context through the creation of lesson plans for preschool fitness instruction, applying the lessons in a real-life context, and the development of informational newsletters for the preschoolers' parents and teachers. The experience includes information literacy instruction, research into a variety of resources to generate appropriate movement activities for preschoolers, and synthesizing information to share with others. This experience includes visits to the IUPUI Center for Young Children, during which the PETE majors demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to practice information literacy skills while gaining practical teaching experience.


Surfing the Oral Health Information Ocean
Jan Cox, Indiana University School of Dentistry Library
This is a 3½ month experience for 3rd grade students that begins by setting a learning context through actively participating in an instructional stssion in proper brushing, flossing and nutrition session conducted by dental hygienists. The experience includes an interactive Q&A session, viewing disclosed palque, dry brushing and flossing. The experience concludes with the development of daily oral health and nutrition tips delivered to the entire school population via the schools TV system and the development of Media Fair Projects.
This program enables learners to perform oral health library research, identify and demonstrate good oral health habits, identify foods which contribute to good oral health, and share their knowledge with others.


The Mother/Daughter Book Club
For Mothers Whose Daughters Are in the 6th, 7th, or 8th Grades
Susan Barhan, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
The purpose of the Mother/Daughter Book Club is to provide an opportunity for mothers and their daughters to communicate on sensitive subject matters that are important to them using a story's metaphor to create a safety zone. As part of the program, participants are introduced to the library fact-based resources that explore the same issues that fictional characters may struggle with.
In addition to enhanced library skills, the benefits of the program are improved communications between Mothers and Daughters.


Travel Back in Time: Creating Sightseeing Brochures for Indiana Historical Sites
Lara Moore, MSD Perry Township and Dana DeHart, MSD Perry Township
There is a lack of materials and lesson plans for fourth graders who study Indiana all year. This collaborative experience with a teacher and media specialist addresses this curriculum need. The two-week experience, consisting of ten school days with one 45-minute period each day, begins with students selecting an Indiana historical site and researching it using primary and secondary resources. Then they make a professional brochure to share about an actual Indiana historical event. The brochure highlights the importance of the site and beckons visitors. Finally, the experience concludes with a brochure display celebration where students will share their work with other fourth graders, during which the fourth graders will demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application.
This program enables learners to immerse themselves in quality research to create a real-world project about an Indiana history event.


Trilingual Literacy Backpacks for Parents and Children
Laura Kesterke, Indiana School for the Deaf
This ongoing experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families begins by setting a learning context through the interaction of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families. The experience includes the deaf / hard-of-hearing child reading picture books with family members, and together viewing videotapes of the picture book story being told in American Sign Language. The books, videotapes (with signed stories), a list of suggested activities, and materials/props/games corresponding with the story are included in each literacy backpack. Backpacks for Spanish-speaking families are also available, which have the storybooks printed in Spanish and Spanish voiceovers with the signed videotapes. The experience concludes with family members and the deaf child interacting and communicating with each other by using sign language while they enjoy participating in some of the possible activities on the list that correlate with and support the story. During this time the family members and the deaf child demonstrate proficiency with the real-world application of their knowledge products.
This program enables learners to increase their sign language communication skills along with improving their language and reading skills.

Get Published! Write Now!
Michelle Unrue, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and Nancy Niblack Baxter, local author
This is a two hour experience for the writer ready to find a publisher. It begins by setting a learning context through listening and interacting with a published author. The experience includes learning marketing research methods, working with librarians and library resources to identify and investigate potential publishers. The experience concludes with the participant using his research skills to create a list of three potential publishers. This list will include who to contact, why this publisher was selected and submission guidelines.
The writers demonstrate proficiency with the real world application of their knowledge product by making contact with targeted publishers.
This program enables learners to find and evaluate publishers. Targeting a particular publisher will increase the chance of having work published. The program also allows writers to learn about and connect to the local writing community.

Man Up: Read Up!
Kim Brown-Harden, Indiana State Library, Family Development Services and Dad’s Inc.
This is a two-session experience for young African-American fathers and their children. By setting a learning context through using library resources and modeling, young fathers connect with their children by making/sharing books and creating their own stories to share with each other and their peers. Fathers and children are encouraged to bond and share experiences with each other by eating a meal together and a storytime. The majority of the time, fathers engage with a guest speaker, who offers anecdotal advice and experiences about fatherhood and reading.
The experience includes the Leading Edge Librarian offering support by modeling and sharing tips to enhance story times with their children; fathers are also encouraged to become comfortable with the Library and its resources by introducing them to Library materials and resources. Fathers were encouraged to participate in storytimes at the library. This encourages fathers to become familiar with the library in a safe, non-threatening environment. This program enables learners to make an emotional connection with their children through the act of reading.

Graphic Novel Encounter
Karen Hankala, Johnson County Public Library, White River Branch and Durwin Talon, IUPUI
This program consists of two one-hour experiences for tweens that begins by setting a learning context through the different creative aspects of graphic novels. The experience includes having the students listen to a graphic novel expert discuss effective and poor elements in graphic novel storytelling, using interactive activities to reinforce the elements, and reading a graphic novel while thinking about these elements. The experience concludes with the students analyzing the content of the graphic novels they read and formulating their own opinions on its validity as a good or poor example of the format. The program participants demonstrate proficiency with the real world application of their knowledge products by producing a critical analysis based on graphic novel standards created by the industry professional and librarian. The participants read their chosen graphic novel and conduct their analysis on that particular title. This is the beginning of their reader’s advisory list.

Create Your Comic Story
Jenelle Erickson, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
Developing comic storyboards within a small group of creative minded individuals is a valuable learning experience for teens. This is a 5 session experience for the middle or high school students that begins by setting a learning context through the development of a comic strip. The experience includes brainstorming comic strip ideas within a group setting, consolidating those ideas, and applying them to the development of the comic strip with the use of pencil, paper, and the computer. The experience concludes with a large group critique session, during which small groups of teens demonstrate proficiency with the real world application of their knowledge products.

StoryTime Theater…Starring You!
Amy Friedman, Indianapolis Marion County Public Library
This is a 45-60 minute experience for pre school or early elementary age children with their and parents or other caregivers. The learning context is set by displaying costumes and props, and the activity begins with an explanation to the children that they are going to be read a story and then they will get to be in the story as they re-tell the story by acting it out for the audience of parents and caregivers. The experience includes a lively reading aloud of a brief, familiar story from a picture book, such as The Three Little Pigs, followed by assigning roles and handing out the props and costumes to the participants. The experience concludes with the children performing the story which gives them the opportunity to practice early literacy skills and develop proficiency in these areas. They all receive a “playbill” that includes a picture of themselves in costume and literacy tips for parents so that the fun can continue at home.

Hangin’ On the Web . . . Safely!
Raylene Jordan, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and Joyce KarnsGlendale Branch Library, IMCPL
This is a 4-hour experience for 3rd graders and it is ideally designed to match the “Safety Sense” Brownie Try-it. Minor adjustments can be made to accommodate the younger Brownies in the troop. It begins by setting a learning context through an introductory game of hangman which introduces pertinent vocabulary. The experience includes answering questions about their families’ online activities in an informal discussion, an internet safety quiz; time spent researching important safety facts, and opportunities for creative expression. The experience concludes with the group setting up a display in the host library during which the Brownies demonstrate proficiency with the real world application of their knowledge products. This program enables learners to participate in a group project and share their group learning experience with others in the community.

Saving the Blog
Saving Staci Terrell, Anderson Public Library, Anderson, Indiana.
This is a seven-day experience for senior English students that begins by setting a learning context through a pretest survey of computer use and skills. Also, the survey asks some personal questions about e-mails, screen names, MySpace accounts and passwords. This is a way to grab their attention and start a discussion on Internet safety.
The experience includes teaching the students how to effectively and efficiently search online databases and use search engines through hands on experience in a computer lab with the aid of handouts and instruction from the librarian for their senior research papers. Students will gain knowledge of how to set up a blog, and use blogging safely as a tool to communicate with others. The experience concludes with the students updating and maintaining their blog throughout the research paper process and beyond. They will share with each other by viewing and leaving comments on their classmates' blogs, resulting in the students demonstrating proficiency with the real world application of their knowledge products.

All Stars Book Review Club
Jean Beck, Indianapolis Marion County Public Library
This eight-week program is designed for 5th grade students who are ready to take their reading and writing skills to the next level.  It is intended as an enrichment program to compliment the 5th grade language arts curriculum.  It serves to connect schools and students with their public library.  Students learn the basics of writing a book review, then write their own reviews that are posted on the school's website.  Students see how libraries can be a resource for everyday life.  The process of reading and writing a book review will help students develop their critical thinking skills, while building their confidence at expressing their views about their reading.  







The Leading Edge Librarians Academy (SM) is a program designed and facilitated by EXCELLERATION, INC.
For more information, email LeadingEdgeAcademies@excellerationinc.com.
© 2002-2005


The Leading Edge Librarians Academy (SM) was developed and implemented with grant support from the Library Fund of the Indianapolis Foundation.



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Updated 101505.