1. Forging ties, fostering
collaborations: a case study of
sustainable IL education by the
NLB with Singapore schools
Faridah Ibrahim
15 Aug 2013

2. Introduction to Paper
To highlight the current sustainable
collaborations between the National
2
Introduction to Paper collaborations between the National
Library and schools in Singapore

3. Introduction to Paper
Established history of collaboration between the
Ministry of Education (MOE) and National Library
Board (NLB) to equip students with Information
Literacy (IL) knowledge and skills
3
Introduction to Paper
Literacy (IL) knowledge and skills
NLB’s Information Literacy and Outreach (ILO)
team was given the opportunity to develop IL
coursewares to supplement the IL skills featured
in the new syllabi

4. BACKGROUND
History of collaboration between
NLB and Schools:
Class visits
Assembly talks
4
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
Assembly talks
Reading initiatives
Focus on promoting NLB
resources and services

5. NEW APPROACHES
Starting in 2005
Public Libraries
Proactive approach to IL through these
programmes
5
Mind Explorer (ME)
Learn@Libraries
Prove IT!

6. NEW APPROACHES
Starting in 2005
National Library
Focus on library visits.
students introduced to the rich
collection on Singapore and
Southeast Asia.
6
This approach is extremely labour-
intensive.
Learning retention and transfer of
knowledge is debatable.

7. NEW APPROACHES
In 2012
Information Literacy and Outreach Department
(ILO)
To equip students with the skills to be independent,
discerning users of information who can navigate
the complex information environment more
effectively and responsibly.
7
Broad-based National Information Literacy
Programme, it was planned that IL was to be taught
to Primary 3, Primary 5 and Secondary 1 students.
This classroom-led method of imparting IL to
students was highly manpower-intensive. Questions
were raised especially on the sustainability on the
programme.

8. Convincing first-meeting
between librarians and
curriculum planners A sharing of knowledge
Inspiring confidence:
8
Inspiring confidence:
Librarians displayed familiarity of the
education landscape
communicated using terminologies
familiar to the educators

9. Follow-up Actions
Resources shared were to construct IL
courseware specially customised to the
syllabi.
Pilot sessions were conducted for two
9
Follow-up Actions Pilot sessions were conducted for two
schools
The coursewares were amended
according to feedback from the
students, teachers, and curriculum
planners.

10. Criteria of Sustainability:
Effectiveness
10
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Long-term application of IL

11. 1. Courseware Development
In developing the courseware, we
asked these questions:
What is the role of IL in project work?
Is IL a desired outcome or a tool to
11
1. Courseware Development Is IL a desired outcome or a tool to
lifelong learning?
We wanted the outcome of the IL
programme to be both a tool and a
lifelong skill.

12. 1. Courseware Development:
Activity Book
The courseware developed was
simple, and information packaged in
bite-sizes.
IL component organised into 4
modules:
12
Activity Book modules:
1. Analysing topic and keywords
2. Searching for Information
3. Reviewing Resources
4. Using Information Ethically

13. 2. Bloom’s Taxonomy &
Pitching of materials
Module 1 and 2:
Designed using lower level thinking
skills and subsequent activities
progresses towards higher level
thinking orders where students learn
and apply
13
Pitching of materials
and apply
Module 3 and 4:
Students were required to use higher
order thinking skills to evaluate and
make informed decision of the quality of
research by analysing the types of
resources

14. 1. Implementation:
Train-the-trainer
Roll-out process:
Labour intensive to conduct
classroom-led session by librarians
A handful of librarians would have to
conduct concurrent IL sessions at
158 schools
Implementation:
14
Train-the-trainer Implementation:
Train-the-trainers
Familiarise 730 History and Geography
teachers with the IL concepts our
courseware.
In addition, they were given teaching
support in the form of slides, videos
and suggested teaching guidelines.

15. 1. Implementation:
Train-the-trainer
Multiplier Effect: Over 4 years
192, 000 students
48, 000 students
15
Train-the-trainer 48, 000 students
730 teachers

16. Long Term application of
Information Literacy
16
Information Literacy

17. 1. Additional Support Teaching students to access NLB e-
Resources
Thematic and resource LibGuides
were developed to support the students.
17
were developed to support the students.
Both resources are accessible online
and the library resources are made
available directly to the students home
Increases the library’s relevance and
visibility.

18. 1. Additional Support
Can we teach the students how to fish
through LibGuides & eResources?
Through LibGuides, the students are
empowered to make the decision to use the
recommended eResources compiled for
them
18
1. Additional Support
They are also encouraged to refer to
other sources other than those listed in
LibGuides
LibGuides act as a stepping stone and for
the more motivated and self-driven
students to explore other sources of
information

19. 2. Reference Services
Reference Services
The integration of IL into the curriculum
allows us to encourage students to use
NLB’s Reference Services.
NLB librarians will use electronic
19
NLB librarians will use electronic
databases and printed reference materials
as sources of their answers.
When we answer the teens’ questions, we
are pointing to them the authoritative
sources like reference books, newspaper
articles, journals and electronic databases
in the NLB collection.

20. 1. Competencies and skills
2. Librarians as trainers
Familiarity with both pedagogy and
andragogy
ACTA
The Advanced Certificate in Training
and Assessment is the national
20
1. Competencies and skills
of librarians
and Assessment is the national
certification programme under purview
of the Workforce Development
Authority
Providing solid foundation on content
development and training delivery

21. In a new model, Joan K. Lippicott describes
‘library instruction,’ as a learning community.‘library instruction,’ as a learning community.
‘In such an environment, stakeholders
seek opportunities and lasting for
duration of the course and focused on
the information environment’
2. Learning Community

22. 2. Learning Community
Shift in perception
Librarians are now seen as Learning
Partners, not Guest Lecturers
22
2. Learning Community
The National Library experience shared in
this paper is testimony that the learning
community is also achievable in the
context of a national library

23. 2. Learning Community
The impact created out of this collaboration
is the formation of community
At the institutional level:
Between library and director of
education
23
2. Learning Community education
At the individual level:
1. between librarian and curriculum
planners,
2. between librarian and teachers
3. between reference librarian and
students.

24. Reflections & Conclusion
24
Reflections & Conclusion

25. Future of Information
Continue to gain insights into the performance of
the students in terms of information seeking
process
25
Literacy Programme This collaboration grew out of observation and
direction from the management.
Both parties recognised the need for synergy
which led lead to longer dialogues with more
people that grew in scope over the months.

26. THANK YOU