October named National Information Literacy Awareness Month

By order of President Barack Obama, October has been named National Information Literacy Awareness Month. Noting that in addition to just learning to read, "it is equally important that our students are given the tools required to take advantage of the information available to them," President Obama praised libraries as places "that can help separate truth from fiction and signal from noise."

This proclamation clearly defines the need for strong library programs in our schools. "Rather than merely possessing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation. This new type of literacy also requires competency with communicationtechnologies, including computers and mobile devices that can help in our day-to-day decisionmaking. National Information Literacy Awareness Month highlights the need for all Americans to be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age." This is the mission of the school libraries of the Genesee Valley.

Happy Information Literacy Awareness Month!