Beth Bartlett

My main finding was that none of the 30 sites I examined had evidence of media literacy activities.

One interpretation of this finding is that the library media specialists in these programs do not teach or promote media literacy. Given the time I spent in a library media center this semester for my internship (and an improved understanding of its day-to-day business), I can imagine this is fairly likely. Library media specialists have so many responsibilities that, even though media literacy is part of information literacy, these activities might not be a high priority. With the emphasis on standards-based education and reading incentive programs, as well as close scrutiny by the public, I now wonder whether library media specialists might feel that using media as a "text" would be viewed as trivial.

However, other findings in this study suggest another possible interpretation. Although it was not my intent to measure the amount of content on school library media program Web sites, nearly half the sites I examined had fewer than 3 second-level pages. I believe this percentage and the actual content I observed indicate that Georgia school library media program Web sites in general contain little information about those programs' activities. Of the 75 sites I initially viewed, more than one-third did not even have a school library media program Web page accessible from the school's Web site. Both these findings were consistent across school levels. (See Results for more details.) These results leave open the possibility that media literacy activities are taking place without being evident on those Web sites. Regardless of the extent of media literacy, though, it is somewhat troubling that library media specialists are not taking advantage of their Web sites as a way to reach internal and external audiences.

Research Question To what extent do library media specialists in Georgia teach and promote media literacy activities, as evidenced by their programs' Web sites?

Answer Looking at school library media program Web sites, I found no strong evidence of Georgia library media specialists teaching or promoting media literacy activities.

• I did not find any evidence from their Web sites of library media specialists teaching media literacy.
• However, I did confirm numerous "opportunities" for media literacy through the availability of materials and equipment listed on school library media program Web sites.
• Nearly one-half of the Web sites were made up of relatively few pages (fewer than 3 second-level pages with content.)
• 27 of the 75 randomly-chosen Georgia schools (36%) did not have school library media program Web sites that could be located from their schools' Web sites.

As a result of this project, I expect to make the following changes in my own practice.

Media Literacy
When possible, I do intend to add media literacy activities to my school's library media program.

• I recognize that it may not be the first on my list of important duties, but I am convinced that it is an essential part of teaching students to be lifelong learners.
• I also believe that media literacy can be a way to engage otherwise uninterested students; YALSA's Teen Tech Week seems to have some areas of overlap and could be an effective way to promote media literacy.

School Library Media Program Reporting

• I am also motivated to make my Web site an effective way to publicize the activities and impact of my school library media program. Although I am not always enthusiastic about self-promotion and reporting, it is always important to prove the program's worth so convincingly that it never comes into question.
• I think a number of media specialists (Joyce Valenza, Francis Jacobson Harris, Kris Woods, and Buffy Hamilton) have demonstrated that blogs can be a timely and engaging way to report on their programs.
• I am impressed by Buffy Hamilton's concise, but powerful, monthly usage reports on her Web site.
• In times of extreme busy-ness, Judy Serritella's customizable newsletters seem like an easy way to refresh the Web site's content and remind audiences that the media program is still there!

In my project, I was unable to determine to what extent library media specialists in Georgia teach and promote media literacy activities. That finding may be important because it raises the question of what other evidence might shed light on this research problem. I still believe that school library media programs are a natural place for media literacy because it is a subset of information literacy and the programs are a point of access to various media. Preparing students to be media literate is an important part of fostering information literacy and lifelong learning.

My study was about looking for evidence of media literacy activities by Georgia library media specialists. I examined 30 randomly selected Web sites but did not find any evidence of media literacy activities. There are two possible interpretations of this lack of evidence -- (1) that Georgia library media specialists are not promoting media literacy or (2) that their Web sites do not show this aspect of their programs (especially given relatively little content on school library media program Web sites overall.) However, determining which explanation is more likely would require further study. I do intend to change my practice as a result of these findings by including media literacy activities as part of my school library media program and by using the Web as a way to promote and report on the activities of my school library media program.