Los Angeles
Catherine Haras
Ambassador for information literacy, advocate for library services to second-language learners and at-risk youth

Catherine Haras, Information Literacy Coordinator at CSU Los Angeles, has made significant strides in furthering the information literacy program there. She co-authored two case studies investigating the relationship between Latino/a students and their use of the library. Partnering with Dr. Edward Lopez (CSU Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Studies) and librarian Kristine Ferry, Catherine conducted a one-year pilot in 2005 in preparation for a larger investigation assessing the impact of mathematics, science, and information literacy development on the academic performance and retention levels of 105 freshman Latino students attending CSU Los Angeles. In 2007, Catherine and Dr. Lopez received a prestigious Spencer Foundation grant to replicate the study with Latino/a students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles.

Catherine's interest in the role of the library in the lives of at-risk and second language learners resulted in her delivering two presentations on instructional design at the TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) International conferences in 2006 and 2007, and in her publishing an article in Research Strategies (Vol. 20, Issue 4, 2007) on designing a mentor training workshop for at-risk learners entitled "Making the bridge: Testing a library workshop for a summer bridge learning community." Catherine's grant activities are making a difference!