Building a personal learning network (PLN) for intellectual freedom has long been an important role of a school librarian; however, in the steadily increasing onslaught of digital information that librarians face today, and in the future, the task has become mission-critical. Personal learning, it stands to reason, requires an appropriate dialogue…

To assume the role of technology leaders and information literacy specialists in their schools, librarians need access to the most current information. And, they do this by helping each other. There are many definitions, but professional learning networks (PLNs) involve sharing work-related ideas with a network of colleagues via various digital…

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" were released just as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) was refreshing its National Educational Technology Standards for Students in late 2007. These standards outline what students will know and be able to do with educational…

The World Wide Web has come a long way in a very short time. A little more than a decade ago, with the invention of Mosaic, the first browser to display images inline with text instead of displaying images in a separate window, and Netscape, the first graphical user interface (browser), people began to experience a rapid expansion of information.…

This document provides a guide for writing a library technology plan. Three elements to consider are summarized: vision, mission, goals and objectives; establishing a committee; and services drive technology acquisition. Required components of an approved technology plan are listed, and a technology plan outline is presented that describes the…

This article explores the future trajectory of librarianship and its status as a profession in the context of the contested terrain of the information professions and particularly the development of a differentiated information technology workforce. Andrew Abbott's theory of the system of professions informs the historical comparison and future…

As librarians work to prepare themselves and their colleagues to function in the rapidly growing world of information they often find themselves feeling alone and overwhelmed. One group of Ohio school librarians took on the daunting challenge of keeping up with the continually changing world of information technology and together developed an…

Aimed at secondary school library media specialists who are undertaking the transition to block scheduling, this book examines the essential components of the library media program in a block-scheduled school and provides useful handouts, lesson plans, and the experiences of four practitioners through their case studies. The following chapters are…

Examines the possible role of the chief information officer in universities and corporations, and the ways in which librarians need to restructure their professional role to qualify for the chief information officer function. (CLB)

This book will improve the quality of instruction that college students need. It makes numerous suggestions that must be tended to when teachers instruct students. For example, the authors speculate about ways teachers can present what may at times seem to be a mountain of information without burying students under it; why teachers must…

This paper urges teachers and librarians to join hands and make their voices heard prior to the convening of the White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS) in July 1991. Issues librarians should consider include how libraries can more effectively support formal literacy education; assist greater numbers of learners and…

This comprehensive handbook offers detailed instructions for accessing the current performance of--and setting objectives for--school library media programs. Useful for both practicing school library media teachers and those in training, this manual shows how to identify problems and potentials, set goals and objectives, structure evaluation…

University and public librarians faced with an increasing demand for reading materials in alternate formats need to develop the skills required in providing adequate library service to people with visual or physical impairments. This work, written by library professionals, is intended as a basic reference source which librarians in training can…

Several online vendors discuss the educational and training requirements needed by professional librarians to manage the automation process effectively, including communication and management skills, a commitment to ongoing education, and the ability to evaluate capacities of future systems rather than expert knowledge of current systems.…

This book is a compilation of 14 articles that present a wide range of perspectives on providing access to vast networks of information resources and enabling students to learn in an information-rich environment. The articles, arranged in four parts--overview of important technologies comprising the virtual library, learning in the electronic…