Background

The Superintendent believes that all students attending the Northern Lights School Division No. 69 (NLSD) should develop a broad range of research and inquiry skills and competencies during their educational journey. Literacy requires students to be able to read and comprehend research, assess, organize and present information for sharing and discourse. The Superintendent recognizes that school libraries must be much more than repositories of information. To support the development of these critical skills, principals are required to support the ongoing development of a library learning commons where information can be accessed by anyone, at any time, in any place and where information can be encountered and discussed through collaborative inquiry. In a learning commons there should be seamless, equitable access to a wide variety of quality digital and print resources for student and staff research and enjoyment.

Procedures

1. Principals will plan, with their school staff and School Council, for a learning commons area that, in so far as is possible, represents an environment that is inclusive, flexible, learner-centered and provides a physical and/or virtual space conducive to collaboration, inquiry, and innovative teaching and learning.
2. Principals will identify a budget line and funding to support the development of on-going growth of the library learning commons.
3. Principals will ensure that staff designated to work with students in the library learning commons are familiar with the philosophy of a library learning commons and have the applicable skills and aptitude to support learner outcomes in this type of environment.
4. Opportunities for community partnerships with local or regional library services are encouraged.
5. The learning commons should:
   1. support the development of competencies in many areas, including the gathering, analysis and evaluation of information
   2. provide support, space and resources for inquiry, play and imagination
   3. provide support, resources and opportunities for transferability of learning to support broad exploration and inquiry that leads to deeper learning
   4. provide and support technology for learning to enable creation, collaboration and communication
   5. provide student access to and guidance on the use of:
      
      1. online public access catalogues (OPAC)
      2. online licensed and open access resources
      3. quality print and digital learning resources in multiple formats that are reviewed to ensure they address a diverse range of student learning and developmental needs
   6. focus on quality learning resources in multiple formats and provide exposure to a wide variety of Canadian and international resources (fiction and non-fiction) which reflect multiple perspectives, promote
      literacy and numeracy and develop students’ interests and competencies beyond the school setting. These resources should include those that recognize and respect Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing of the
      First Nations, Métis and Inuit people
   7. provide high quality learning resources in English, French and other languages, as applicable, in order to support instruction and self-directed reading
   8. continue to promote intellectual freedom