Waukee Library Department
Waukee students will become ethical, information literate, life-long learners who appreciate literature and reading. Waukee teacher librarians are instructional partners who collaborate to supplement and enhance instruction by integrating literacy and technology skills across the curriculum. As reading advocates, they provide a current and diverse collection of resources to support the district’s curriculum, inspire a love of reading and empower students to become information literate. They foster a positive, welcoming environment to allow learners to reflect and imaginations to expand.
Library Course Standards, Benchmarks, Objectives (SBO) and Curriculum Review Process
In the spring of 2021, teacher-appointed representatives of the elementary and secondary library teams adopted elements of the American Association for School Librarians (AASL) standards as part of Waukee’s library curriculum. While continuing to center the AASL national standards, the team also indicated the desire to anchor to the adage that books should provide students with “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” (a concept attributed to the work of multicultural children’s literature scholar Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop). To support the work, the library team heavily anchored their standard creation to Iowa’s Social Emotional Learning Competencies. The resulting standards reflect the library team’s desire to help students of all ages effectively, accurately, and critically access, evaluate, and use information; appreciate various expressions of thought; and acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to successfully navigate positive relationships and responsible decision-making.
The Board approved the new curriculum in 2021.
