The days of data information accumulation is over. Students today must learn how to decipher and apply the vasts amount of information that is at their fingertips. Through developments in the way we teach library skills I believe we are on the right path to to providing essential and equitable resources to help our students become life long information literate learners. Incorporating learner characteristics, inquiry based learning, and AASL's 21st century Learning Standards will result in an increase of these skills.

     Including activities to meet the needs of different learning styles will provide students with opportunities to develop the necessary information literacy skills they need to keep up in today's society. Pencil and paper only days are gone. "The expansion of information demands that all individuals acquire the thinking skills that will enable them to learn on their own". (Janets Info. 2009) Library media specialists today provide a more student centered environment than in years past. This student centered program accommodates more learning styles at one time. By planning lessons that overlap and work well with different learner characteristics, curriculum models and inquiry learning, students will be actively involved in their learning. For example, by overlapping the Big 6 by Eisenburg and Berkowitz, the AASL Standards and different learning styles to create a lesson plan for research you can demonstrate how this can be used in a collaborative unit. This will help provide our students with the skills and the ability to continue learning throughout their school career and lives.

     Combining learner characteristics and inquiry learning is necessary. Schools have to change their focus from a "what we know" to an emphasis on "how we come to know". (Concept to Classroom, 2009) Inquiry is such a natural process of our learning it only stands to reason to incorporate it into our classrooms and library media centers. This will help students gain the skills they need to be independent learners and to be able to fuction in our complex world. The ability to assess, use and select information to meet their needs is a must in this day and age. Collaboration with the classroom teacher will enhance the opportunities to provide instruction that is more individualized to meet learner needs.

     The AASL's Standards For the 21st - Century Learner is the tie that binds all of this together. It provides the framework and guidelines to see our students as accomplished information users. The Standards combine skills, dispostions in action, responsibilities, and self-assessment strategies with learner characteristics and inquiry learning to accomplish this. As I said previously the library media specialist can overlap these standards, learner characteristics, curriculum models and inquiry learning to develop lesson plans that will help meet the demands for increased learning skills for students. Library media specialists provide through the before mentioned resources, the means for helping students acquire the skills they need to become productive information literate citizens in the 21st century.