Recent publications and articles that have received national attention focus on the problems that face higher education as well as allegations that American colleges and universities were "failing to give students an adequate general education." The critics are correct and considerable energy is being directed to returning higher…

An elementary school librarian initiated a survey of school librarians in Arizona to discover how they dealt with problems in scheduling classes in their media centers and developing curriculum to teach library skills. Results were used to support proposed changes to provide more flexible scheduling and increase teacher/librarian cooperation. (EM)

Catholic University educators stress the need for quality education and accountability. "Compassionate excellence" can be achieved by the library's self-evaluation, meeting needs of users in a constantly changing environment, promotion of a service rather than a place, and becoming involved in the academic planning of an institution.…

Suggests activities for use by school library media specialists who wish to foster the development of thinking skills by elementary students. Areas covered include analysis and evaluation in choosing books, differentiation between fact and fiction, understanding story structure, contests, categories, analogies, self-generated questions,…

This discussion of the political implications of implementing programs that develop students' critical thinking skills uses the proposals developed by Mancall, Aaron, and Walker as a model. Highlights include marketing the model, extending it to include library instruction in literature, implementing it in teaching reference and research skills,…

The adoption of the competency-based training (CBT) style of curriculum delivery in the TAFE (Technical and Further Education) program in Queensland, Australia is presenting libraries with the challenge of providing reader education services appropriate to this mode of education. Information competencies should be included in the recast…

Noting that reading instruction for young adolescents in Indiana's middle grades schools has been virtually eliminated, this booklet describes how important reading is in the middle grades and why it continues to deserve attention beyond the elementary years. The booklet proposes a series of actions that educators--teachers, administrators, school…

Offers ten suggestions for developing the role of library media centers and media specialists within schools that center around improved communication with teachers, administrators and the public, involvement with curriculum decisions, familiarity with library materials, increased promotion of the media center, and professional development. (CLB)

This article highlights the importance of librarians joining the secondary school instructional planning process at the curriculum development stage and demonstrates how librarians and teachers can jointly plan instructional programs. Discussion covers implementation of guidelines, curriculum involvement, and six challenges. Fifty-eight references…

This 11-item annotated bibliography deals with two issues that are inextricably bound: idea that school librarians/media specialists are curriculum consultants and that the school library/media center is the support center for the curriculum. Peripheral issues include the professional preparation of school librarians and library skills that…

The traditional role of the school librarian encompassed collection development, reading guidance and literature promotion, and reference. Over time these functions have expanded and participation in carrying out functions has become more active. For instance, the teaching role of the library media specialist is a dramatic and far-reaching…

This book is designed to help school library media specialists fulfill their role as curriculum partner with teachers and administrators in the collaborative development, implementation, and assessment of the instructional program. Current theory and research, practical experiences of over 40 library media specialists, and step-by-step…

Discussion of professional ethics for school library media specialists highlights issues involving copyright. Ethics and the school curriculum is discussed, the librarian's code of ethics is reviewed, educating teachers as well as students about copyright law is suggested, and resources dealing with copyright issues are listed. (18 references)…

Discusses the role of the library media specialist in promoting information literacy, focusing on aligning national information-literacy guidelines to state and content-area standards. The integration of information-literacy guidelines into a Minnesota middle school curriculum is described. A sidebar presents an outline that aligns national…

This questionnaire is designed to assess teachers' needs for school library media center services. General areas covered are: (1) services provided by the library media center which might be useful; (2) curriculum development and long-term planning; and (3) media center collection and selection. (MES)