Week 2- Research Models

I believe that there are two requisites to becoming a successful TL- the first is connecting students with books (or reading, in its various forms) and the second is connecting kids with information and teaching them to become information literate.
I think that a TL does need to have a love of reading and books in order to pass their enthusiasm onto students. They need to know recent publications, award-winning literature, and they need to know what students are reading and want to read.  They need to help students discern what is considered "good" literature and how to select books that are "just right" for them.  I think that most TLs do this, and are good at it.
The second part of a TL's responsibility is much harder.  The role of school librarians is changing, and we need to acknowledge these changes and evolve with it if we want to remain an effective and relevant part of student learning.  This is where TLs teach students to become information literate through the reference process. As Riedling states "the day of seeking answers has not ended; only the proces has changed" (p.5). We are still teaching students to become problem-solvers, and with all the use of tchnologies, we need to help students make sense of it.
I don't think it matters which research model a school uses, a school needs to pick one that suits its needs best. But I do think that is essential that one model is adopted by the school and all students learn the same model, terminology, and scaffold their learning from year to year.  In doing this, everyone is involved in teaching students to become information literate. This is a skill absolutely necessary if we want to prepare our students to make sense of all the information in the world.  TLs and teachers need to collaborate and decide how to break down the steps in the information literacy process, as Riedling shows on page 7 in the text.  The Research Process model emphasizes this, and the Points of Inquiry model includes this and also shows that by making the research student-centered, students are actively involved in their learning. 
My school does not use a specific research model, and so there is no definite plan for how to teach students how to become information literate.  My goal, upon completing this course, will be to show administration the need to adapt a model and incorporate the research process into curriculum.  I realize that it will mean extra work in setting this up, and that some teachers may not be too happy about that, but I do believe that if we want to prepare our students to become information literate, we need to teach them the skills to do so.