Moving a library media center takes time, energy, and organization. As the sole media specialist/librarian for a new facility, this author has experienced moving material from another school. She learned a great deal and had help from people who volunteered their time and energy to make it happen. Although she does not claim to be a moving expert,…

Today media centers provide students the opportunity to learn and explore subjects of their interest in depth. The media center is the largest classroom in the school providing service to every student and every teacher in all curricular areas. The library should be a place to encourage students' interests and a place to broaden their horizons by…

This year's "School Library Journal's" spending survey showed that, despite the recession, the vast majority of media centers around the country have retained their credentialed media specialists. For example, almost 85% of elementary schools and more than 95% of middle and high schools have a full-time certified librarian. In addition, salaries…

This article is a discussion of authors and controversial novels that should be on the top of library media specialists' reading list if they work with high-school-age teens. "Controversial" is not a dirty word, it is an enticement! The goal of library media specialists is to get teens who may be burned out with reading due to incentive programs…

A library media specialist describes the way in which she and her assistant re-evaluated the library media center program so that they could help students in finding books of their choice, easily. Library media center orientation includes remainders for students that there are often variations in library arrangements and formal and informal…

This article presents an interview with Cassandra Barnett, a school library media specialist at Fayetteville (Arkansas) High School. She is also a member of the AASL Learning Standards Rewrite Task Force, which has been working on developing AASL's new National Learning Standards. Fayetteville schools experienced multiple challenges during…

Circulation increased and student attitudes toward paperback books in a junior high school library media center collection improved when chain bookstore marketing techniques were used, i.e., topical arrangement; high visibility; clear, colorful labels; books shelved face out; and moveable display racks. These techniques are recommended with some…

Discussion of school library media specialist's involvement in reconsideration of materials from library media collection focuses on what media specialist should bring to complaint situation (school board-approved materials selection policy, training and experience, knowledge of available resources in intellectual freedom) and reconsideration…

Eight articles suggest innovative and creative ways to arrange information on bulletin board displays, provide examples of both classroom and library bulletin boards in elementary and secondary schools, and list sources for display materials and library supplies. A ninth article provides guidelines for the production of instructional films and…

This document presents a list of general skills for a school library skills curriculum. It is recommended that the skills be adapted for individual schools, age groups, and skill levels as are deemed appropriate by teachers and media personnel when planning and instituting a library skills curriculum. Skills and activities/objectives are reported…

Arguing that utilization of the school library media center program and its accompanying resources is an essential part of the total curriculum planning process, this article discusses a set of "generic" educational principles used by the teacher and the media specialist to form the basis for their cooperative communication and planning…

In this article, the author presents anecdotal scenarios which reflect some important moments in the teaching and learning of reading. In the first scenario, a student recognized fluent reading and named it, illustrating the power of a common vocabulary. The second scenario addressed the importance of common visual supports in the school…

This guide, a supplement to the 1982 "Guide to School Library Media Programs," is intended to help library media specialists, teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators improve instruction and school effectiveness by providing an organized approach to teaching information skills in particular content areas. It is divided into…

Summarizes expenditures for public and private school libraries throughout the United States during 1985-86, looking at such factors as funding sources; collection size and materials; expenditures per student; school level and region; media center staff and salaries; electronic technology; and level of media coordination (individual schools versus…

This book brings together relevant doctoral research related to the instructional effectiveness of the elementary and secondary school librarian and school library. The research is distilled from supervised research studies conducted at North American universities. In the opening section, the book describes what works, based on findings about…