In the past, Southern California's library access services professionals in higher education had to travel across the country for professional development and networking opportunities, but this is no longer the case. Now, through California Library Access Services South (CLASS), Southern California's Access Services professionals can network,…

In Kentucky the school library is regarded as the hub of the school community and integral to teaching and learning. The power of the school library lies in the programming, resources, services, and instruction it provides educators and learners to support learning. Stakeholders come to appreciate Kentucky's school libraries because of their…

Most, if not all, school librarians concur that funding has been their major problem in recent years. State and local budgets have been slashed, grant money is spread thin, yet still the bar remains high for school librarians to remain on the cutting edge of information trends, issues, and technology, and to provide training for teacher colleagues…

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released new guidelines for school library programs in the summer of 2009. Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs (AASL 2009a), hereafter referred to as EL, spells out the five roles that school librarians must practice to empower library users. The purpose of this…

Summer is nearly here, and school librarians will have a little more time to catch up with the current thinking in the world of school libraries. There are many options--both traditional and nontraditional--for learning about some of the latest thinking in the profession. In this article, the authors have chosen several available formats and…

This article reports and analyzes the survey results on the continuing education needs of librarians with current job responsibilities in the science, technology, and engineering subject fields. The intended purpose of the survey results is to assist conference coordinators in the development of a continuing education program at future Special…

Library professionals have always engaged with associations and communities to share experiences and information. Going back through the earliest times of the profession, librarians have interacted through conference meetings, professional publications, and a variety of other venues. These in-person and print-based interactions continue as…

School library media specialists are information and communication specialists who lead and model these roles in schools and at their major professional events making use of the relevant new Web 2.0 tools available to them to network, collaborate, and share. Using these tools effectively helps them become leaders in their buildings and districts.…

In this article, the author reflects on the accomplishments made by American Association of School Librarians (AASL) this year. Some of the AASL's accomplishments include: (1) the launch of its first-ever Digital Institute; (2) the release of the first-year results of the "School Libraries Count!" longitudinal study and the initiation of the…

Summarizes events at the 1988 Special Libraries Association (SLA) annual conference which addressed such issues as the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Library Awareness Program, SLA professional development projects, creativity, and child care at conferences and the workplace. A listing of SLA officers and awards is included. (MES)

Many programs for mentoring of librarians exist within organizations, for specific areas of librarianship, or for particular groups of librarians. These programs generally depend on face-to-face contact and some organizational commonalities or similarity in positions. With the advent of online communication, could a more general program matching…

Results of survey of 113 Special Libraries Association scholarship recipients from 1955-1978 are reported. Tabulations of 48 responses received cover four areas: personal data, scholarship, scholastic activities, professional activities. Recommendations for changes in award and follow-up procedures are offered. Names of scholarship recipients and…

Discusses the value of continuing education for staff members of special libraries as reported by information professionals in a study of excellence in corporate libraries. Background on the Special Libraries Association's Professional Development Program is also provided, and the importance of keeping current with the literature is emphasized.…

Discusses the career choices of library assistants based on personal reflections, including reasons for staying in a support staff position; membership in library professional associations; attitudes of librarians and library directors toward library assistants; and the need for professional development opportunities for library assistants. (LRW)

Discusses the importance of professional development for library media specialists and presents suggestions for staying current in the field, including participation in conferences, taking advantage of continuing-education opportunities, reading professional journals, and using Internet resources. (MES)