Library science is the study of databases, libraries, printed literature, online information and technologies that support online and offline books, magazines, papers and articles. You can teach library science in a general manner to elementary-age students, or in a more focused manner to college-age students. You can also teach library science to those college, master's and doctoral students pursuing degrees in library science. World Wide Learn states that library science is a subject that each and every person should have a vested interest in.
General Library Science at Grade Levels
Teach general library science to students beginning in preschool and continuing through high school graduation. Teach library science in the early grades by taking students to the library, showing them the available books, demonstrating check out books, allowing them to check out books, and reading books with them in the library. Begin to teach them card catalogs, online catalogs and technology they can use to find books within a library in the first or second grade.
Teach students in middle grades more about the card catalog by having challenges to see who can find books faster in the library. Introduce them to online sources like Eric, where they can find articles and full text documents. Continue having students use libraries each week for research.
Have students use libraries through high school graduation. Assign research papers that require them to delve deeper into the library and use a reference librarian to find information. Explore online libraries and interlibrary loan sites with students to further teach library science in a general manner.
Focused Library Science
Teach college-age students and adult students a more focused branch of library science. Assign a paper at the start of each year that is meant to explain how a library works to find information. Students must explore the library and the reference desk to answer questions posed in the paper and to provide you with a full account. Help students explore all online data facilities, like Eric, and offline methods, like CD Roms, encyclopedias and archived material.
Teach the technologies like Internet search engines, online databases and interlibrary loan methods. Require students to research a paper using these methods. After that paper is complete, assign a second paper. For this paper, students can use anything available in the library, but not the Internet. This forces them to rely on card catalogs and archived information to write their paper.
Library Science Degrees
Instruct students who are getting library science degrees in all of the areas of library science. Begin with a basic review of card catalogs, archived information, newspapers and databases. Teach students about all online databases as means for gathering information. Create an understanding of all methods of research and fact finding.
Advance students' knowledge by teaching them use the information they know about library science to help others, as most people who get library science degrees end up becoming librarians or teachers of library science themselves. Instruct students on use their own knowledge to help others do research.
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