The NJ State Library (NJSL), in partnership with the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, LibraryLinkNJ: the New Jersey Library Cooperative, and the New Jersey Department of Education, is:
- Supporting the development of information literacy educational standards;
- Developing an instructional framework and activities for K-12 grade bands that teach to the emerging information literacy standards;
- Providing professional development to library media specialists, public librarians, academic librarians, and teachers;
- Supporting local implementation and assessment of the information literacy skills and instructional activities;
- Developing online training modules to support widespread distribution of information literacy knowledge; and
- Holding a National Forum to examine the role of information literacy in formal and informal educational settings.
Contact
Jen Nelson, State Librarian, statelibrarian@njstatelib.org
Sharon Rawlins, Project Manager, youthservices@njstatelib.org
The Four Pillars of Information Literacy in New Jersey
The New Jersey State Library has opened registration for our second series of workshops on information Literacy. Join Jen Nelson, Linda Braun and Ang Coxen for a series of workshops designed to familiarize you with the core principles driving New Jersey’s emerging K12 information literacy student learning standards.
While all librarians, especially school library media specialists, know something about information literacy, this series will introduce you to the skills-based foundation for information literacy standards being established by the state of New Jersey.
In the sessions, the four pillars developed by the NJ Department of Education– information use, identification and evaluation, need, and creation and distribution – will be explored. Sessions will give you the chance to engage with colleagues and practice skills you can bring back to the classroom/library. A fifth session will be an informal introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Information Literacy.
Upcoming Training Opportunities
October Training Sessions
Hosted on Teams, sign up for one or all sessions using the links provided. Please contact Jen Nelson statelibrarian@njstatelib.org with any questions. Each session will offer 1.5 professional development hours.
All sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 4:00 pm –5:30 pm EST.
*Session 5 will be held on a Tuesday from 3:00 pm -4:30 pm EST.
UPDATED
Session 1 – October 8, 2025 – Information Need Webinar Recording
Session 2 – October 15, 2025 – Information Identification and Evaluation Recording
Session 3 – October 22, 2025 – Information Use Recording
Session 4 – October 29, 2025 – Information Creation and Distribution
Session 5 – December 2, 2025- AI
*We anticipate repeating the series, with some modifications, in Spring and Summer 2026
Join the Community of Practice (CoP) to Discuss Teaching Information Literacy in New Jersey
The New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) now require that information literacy be taught to K-12 students across all grade levels. Public and academic libraries will also be instrumental in helping to ensure that young people have access to resources and knowledge to help support the learning of information literacy.
Anyone who works with youth in school, public or academic libraries is invited to register to join the NJ State Library sponsored monthly virtual Community of Practice (CoP) meet ups. You will have the opportunity to engage with colleagues by sharing information and gaining knowledge of information literacy that you can use with youth in your libraries. The CoP meet ups will be held on the second Tuesday of each month beginning December 9, 2025, from 4:00 – 5:00 pm via Microsoft Teams.
You will earn one hour of professional development for each CoP meet up you attend.
Meeting dates and registration links:
• December 9, 2025. Register for meet up here
• January 13, 2026. Register for meet up here
• February 10, 2026. Register for meet up here
• March 10, 2026. Register for meet up here
• April 7, 2026. Register for meet up here
• May 12, 2026. Register for meet up here
• June 9, 2026. Register for meet up here
Please contact Sharon Rawlins, Youth Services Specialist, NJ State Library, youthservices@njstatelib.org with any questions.
Helpful Resources
- NJ State Library Awarded Grant to Help Prepare NJ Schools and Libraries for Upcoming Information Literacy Learning Standards – Press Release
- Grant Narrative Link (PDF)
- Teaching Information Literacy – Theory of Change (Accessible PDF)
- Teaching Information Literacy – Theory of Change (PDF)
STAMP
The Standards Transparency and Mastery Platform (STAMP) by the NJ Department of Education is designed to support local educational agencies’ (LEAs) utilization of New Jersey Student Learning Standards to update curricula.
Grant Information
This project is made possible, in whole or in part, by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant for Libraries: Teaching Information Literacy, LG-255048-OLS-23.
