"A man will turn over half a library to make one book."
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).

Motivate your Environment

Ensure that all your signs are legible and written in positive language. Signs should point the user in the direction of the information they are seeking and should encourage self-directed searching.

Displays are a terrific way to entice students to think of things in new ways, or to highlight different areas of the collection. They should be bold and interactive when possible.

Make the most of your light sources by placing reading areas near windows that allow sunlight to shine through.

Some students will want to work on their own in quiet areas. Make some obvious space for this by using single desk and chair arrangements away from your classroom space.

Multimedia is attractive, but distracting. Check out headphones to individual users of computers and audiovisual equipment.

Post your guidelines and procedures clearly so all users know the boundaries of behavior. Encourage students to act in

Motivate your Program

Use every opportunity and communiqu� to promote your mission statement. Let people know that you are committed to encouraging lifelong learning and student achievement.

Collaboration with teachers on lessons is the best way to teach information literacy in context. Work often with teachers to co-plan, co-teach and co-evaluate media center-based lessons. Using a flexible schedule is the best way to allow students free and equitable access to fulfill their personal research, study and reading needs.

Get the word out about your motivated program through publicity. Send newsletters home with students and teachers. Send updates to your principal, supervisor, and superintendent on how your program is achieving its goals.

Motivate your Collection

Find out what your students are really reading by keeping up to date with what goes on outside school. Go to games, matches, and movies. Read some teen magazines. Watch MTV or BET, listen to the radio. Read current YA novels.

Keep a consideration file to which students and teachers can contribute. Display it in a prominent place and encourage their additions.

Invite yourself onto the Curriculum committee and grade level meetings. Ask your teachers to give you copies of curriculum maps or schemes of work so you will know ahead of time what they are studying.

Notice how your students want to search your collection. If most of them keep asking "Where are your scary books?" then maybe it's time you gave Mr. Dewey the heave-ho in place of a newer revved-up way of shelving books.

Motivate your Lessons

Use technology. Use it in new and interesting ways. Students are motivated by technology. If you are integrating new learning with familiar machines, this will encourage new learning. This will make it easier for a student to expect success the next time.

Tune into flow. Flow is the state of being when a student is so engaged in a task that they hardly notice the passage of time. If you observe this, remember it for next visit. Flow is a marker of an intrinsic motivation.

Use real world applications. The library is the place to find out the latest and greatest. Add these into your lessons. Build on the practical nature of the library. You can teach students math, science, language, history and social skills through the real life work of the library.

Evaluate your lessons. Take feedback from students to find out what to do better next time. Become a reflective practitioner.

Use the best of your expertise as an information professional to help students identify and achieve their goals for presentation of information. After pointing information seekers in the direction of resources, help them overcome frustration by listening to their ideas on presentation. Add bibliography creation tools to your collection. Collect excellent and poor examples of presentations like brochures, annual reports, Web sites, and book reviews.