IASL Research Abstracts: 101

Findings: School librarians play an important role in helping European students to explore African history through literature.

Abstract: The main purpose of this project was to study African history and how it can be traced in literature. It focused on early African kingdoms and both the colonial and post-colonial periods in West Africa and South Africa. The project was carried out in a group of thirty 17-year-old students, four of whom were from Africa and many others from the Middle East. The four main goals of the project were to 1) allow the students to experience other countries and cultures through literature, 2) build understanding between students with different backgrounds, 3) train the students in information literacy, and 4) develop cooperation between teachers and librarians. See:

Ageberg, M. and Radstrom, L. (2003). Building bridges through literature: A practical example and ideas about resource-based learning as teamwork between a teacher, a librarian, and students in a project about African History and Literature. In S. Zinn, G. Hart and E. Howe (Eds.) School libraries: Breaking down barriers (pp.157-164). Seattle: International Association of School Librarianship.

Subject Categories: 3, 10, 15, 20