FA C U LT Y FOCUS
Understanding and Leveraging Information Ecologies Serving Youth with Disabilities An emerging area of study in the field of information seeking and behaviors is understanding how educators access, evaluate, and use information to support teaching and learning. Educators are involved with information seeking whenever they plan lessons, examine new pedagogical practices, or build resource
what we need to know about potential leverages to use in building and extending existing collaborations among and within existing systems to provide better support to students with disabilities. The exploration, definition, and furthering of information ecologies forms the essential core of my scholarly activities.
collaborate with school and public librarians, as well as teachers, to help them refine their information literacy skills in order to serve as models and mentors for their students. In June 2010, I was awarded a research grant by the American Association of School Librarians to study the informationseeking practices of school librarians and special education teachers in their work with students with disabilities. This study ANNE PERRAULT will provide a better understanding of this emerging area of research and hopefully culminate in effective interventions that Assistant Professor directly improve the lives of young people Department of Library and Information Studies with disabilities. (716) 645-1482 In August 2010, I was invited to edit amp33@buffalo.edu a special issue of Knowledge Quest, one of the most influential journals in school collections. Educators also serve as My work centers on empowering individuals, librarianship. My goal as editor of this information literacy models and mentors especially those not always considered by issue, which will reach 8,000 readers, is to for their students; however, the information mainstream practices, to access, evaluate, directly impact the practice of school practices of educators who work to meet and use information for their own librarians by focusing on best practices the learning and literacy needs of preK-12 personal and professional growth and, in information and strategies to support students with disabilities are relatively turn, to use these skills to be of service to students with disabilities. unexplored. Disparities among educators’ others. Through an overarching research In December 2010, I began levels of information-seeking skills a community-based participatory potentially impact their abilities to research project involving the Parent take advantage of the strengths of of Western New York and “I believe that educators can Network digital resources, and in turn, affect the Buffalo and Erie County Public influence the self-advocacy skills of Library. Together, we are investigating their teaching, professional enactments, and personal learning and growth— youth with disabilities by modeling the information behaviors of public all factors that ultimately influence related to their work efficient and effective information librarians the learning environments in which with youth and best practices in the practices.” they are members. transition services area. The pivotal, connecting role of I believe that educators can information in learning environinfluence the self-advocacy skills ments is to create information ecologies framework of examining the information of youth with disabilities by modeling in which children must not only function, behaviors of educators, I specifically efficient and effective information but thrive and evolve. Information ecolo- study: (1) the information-seeking practices. It is through these research gies are comprised of local systems of behaviors of educators who work with activities that I seek to affect the people, practices, values, and technolo- youth with disabilities; and (2) information lives of youth with disabilities and gies. The study of information ecologies, ecologies related to supporting and expand the opportunities open to them such as schools, public libraries, and com- educating youth with disabilities. as they transition into higher education munity service agencies, reveals aspects of A primary goal of my research is to or the workplace.
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GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION