Literacy does not happen in a single lesson or course. There are no shortcuts to gaining mastery over a skill set, whether it is reading literacy, information literacy and research skills, online literacy and digital citizenship, or visual literacy. School librarians dream about a perfect integrated curriculum: there is ample time for…

The common belief among school librarians is that a flexibly scheduled school library program as opposed to a fixed schedule program is the best choice. After all, there are distinct advantages to the flexible program: students are served at the point of need, skills are not taught in isolation, and collaborative lessons are developed with…

Special and general educators rely on the school library for many reasons, such as the wealth of resources that are used to motivate students and individualize instruction and the fact that many students with disabilities enjoy spending time there (Smith-Canter, Voytecki, Zambone, and Jones 2009). In the June 2009 issue of "School Library…

What motivates middle school students? Hormones and success! There is not much that teachers can do about the hormones, but they sure can affect the success. "Teaching Information and Communication Technology Skills: The Big6 in Middle Schools," a new book from Linworth Publishing, offers classroom teachers and teacher librarians new strategies…

Discusses the special needs of librarians as microcomputer users, and advocates the development of user groups of librarians to provide basic training and expertise in library applications of microcomputers. The Purdue University Libraries Users Group and its services to librarians are described as a model of such a group. (CLB)

This is a collaborative column by K-12 library media specialists and academic librarians who write about the motivational strategies that have worked for them in teaching IL skills. Students who do not raise their hand to answer a question and are reluctant to learn something new often suffer from something called "fear of failure." They…

Describes an exercise for California high school seniors which reviews basic library skills. Positive impact of exercise use on study-locational skills scores of the California Assessment Program Survey of Basic Skills is illustrated through a review of test scores from 1977 to 1984. (MBR)

School library media specialists at all levels have been investing long hours in preparing and implementing lessons. They try to coordinate these lessons with teachers, and, in the best-case scenario, they collaboratively plan and deliver the instruction. The missing piece is an indication of whether or not students have actually been learning.…

Illustrates how the "Big Six Skills" model of information problem solving (Task Definition, Information Seeking Strategies, Location and Access, Use of Information, Synthesis, and Evaluation) is a perfect match to the influx of technology in student research. Outlines two typical assignments that focus the Big Six perspective on the…

Iowa State University has used Authorware extensively for its mandatory library skills class. This article focuses on Authorware features, skills and methods for learning it, and describes a process for creating a tutorial using this computer application. (Author)

Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC), a pedagogic reform that has been gathering strength since the 1970s, is an effort to shift the full burden of writing instruction away from composition classes and return the charge to the disciplines or content areas. This professional reference book is intended to educate librarians about WAC. Nine chapters…

School library media specialists play a special role in the education of gifted students, particularly in the use of literature across the curriculum. The CUES program, developed for gifted students, actively promotes the reading/curriculum connection, thus providing an invaluable model for all educators. Calling for structured interaction between…

Cites limited meanings derived from a film, "The Shooting Gallery," by both eighth grade and library school students to support argument that students are not using critical analysis skills in responding to works of art. Developmentally-sound literature-based programs are recommended as one way to help students develop critical thinking skills.…