In this study, researchers used basic qualitative research to understand the spaces, resources, and services available to K12 students in their school libraries. Using observation and semi-structured interviews with K12 teacher librarians, this research allowed for a comparison of the K12 and post-secondary environments through which the authors…

Several instruments previously validated for use in school library research were tested for their appropriateness in the context of public libraries' summer reading programs for youth. The researchers were also interested in whether the connection between perceived competence in one's own information skills and perceived competence in one's own…

This article describes a collaborative project designed to use action research to assess and advocate for innovative design changes in a school library. The high school library was in its fifth year of service, and yet the layout of the library was not meeting the learning and technological needs of 21st-century high school students. The purpose…

This article describes digital badging, which turns the traditional cloth badges into digital data with badges earned and stored online. It notes how digital badging systems help people issue and achieve learning challenges in a sequence such as this: (1) A badge issuer creates a challenge using an online badging tool such as P2PU.org,…

Games and other forms of play are used in today's libraries to attract underserved patrons, to introduce patrons to other library resources and services, and to facilitate engagement between library patrons. While many perceive gaming as a new library service, gaming services have been part of librarianship since the nineteenth century through…

With the change in Ohio's Operating Standards in July of 2002, students across Ohio began losing school library learning opportunities. District after district made financially based decisions to minimize, and in a few cases totally eliminate, school library programs. Across the state, many of Ohio's children lost precious learning opportunities.…

The days when marketing was thought to be posters and fliers is over. In today's world, marketing is at the core of every transaction, from checkout and customer interaction to story times and buildings themselves. A brand is a promise one makes to his or her customer, and a promise that is unified, consistent, and believable can help ensure that…

Participating in an evidence-based practice workshop in 2005 was a transforming experience for the author. She realized that the traditional statistics that she had painstakingly gathered and recorded for her annual report did not provide evidence of actual learning. Evidence acquired through assessment, both formative and summative, provides the…

During the 1990's, the Ohio DeRolph Supreme Court case resulted in Ohio's educational funding system being declared unconstitutional. The Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) knew the state could not reinstate a mandate for teacher-librarians without the state funding the positions. Leadership for School Libraries (L4SL) was formed…

In this article, the author profiles Carolyn Brodie, winner of this year's Scholastic Library Publishing Award. One can be completely charmed by Brodie's soft-spoken Arkansas accent, warm demeanor, and genteel manners. While the graciousness is authentic, the woman behind it is fearless, with a clear vision for youth services, remarkable tenacity,…

This article describes how the author changed a gloomy and outdated library into a cheery and welcoming place for teaching and learning. When the author was hired as the new library media specialist at Tri-County Career Center Library in Nelsonville, Ohio, the library was antiquated, uncomfortable, and not geared for the present-day hills of…

This article discusses the importance of designing a library media center that engages students in constructing new knowledge. The author describes the planning stages of a new library facility. In the early planning stages, the author focused on the expectations of the administration. She soon realized that they had included all the…

A directory of Ohio libraries contains information about state, area, public, academic, school, special, and institutional libraries as well as multicounty interlibrary cooperative projects, state library advisory groups, and officers of associations. Directory information includes name and location of library, type of library, telephone number,…

Background information is provided to give an overall picture of the status of Ohio's libraries. The demographic, economic, and governmental characteristics of Ohio are discussed, and the financial and organizational structure of the state's libraries are examined in detail. Interlibrary cooperation and the role of state and federal governments…

This paper examines the belief that no more than half of the public school libraries in the state of Ohio are automated to any degree. The purpose of the research was to determine the degree and nature of automation at the public school libraries in Ohio. A written survey was mailed to 350 libraries that represented a randomized sample of the…