Librarians can--and should--be on the lookout for new and unique ways to improve their instructional skill sets and service. One out-of-the-box opportunity to consider is to study--by reading, watching, or participating in--improvisational theater. Improv games and theater are like life: performers who may or may not know each other are given…

As the world grows closer, as access to resources worldwide increases, as more students move from country to country, the need to connect with other librarians around the globe increases. Over the past few years, the author's participation in international associations and other professional activities has grown, which has expanded her own…

School library professionals often complain that their principal or district-level administrators have a poor understanding of the work that they do. Reasons for this are varied and have been well documented in school library literature. The bottom line is that administrators' lack of education regarding the important contributions that the school…

What is the relative importance of current and emerging technologies in school library media programs? In order to answer this question, in Fall 2007 the authors administered a survey to 1,053 school library media specialists (SLMSs) throughout the state of Pennsylvania. As a part of the MSLS degree with Library Science K-12 certification, Clarion…

Some may think being a school librarian requires the same talents and skills at all grade levels. The author, having a masters in library science, thought she could handle any library-related issue no matter what the patron age. In this article, she describes three distinct moments from her first day as an elementary librarian which made her…

New library media specialists (LMS) are special people, who are eager for the world of library science. Stepping into a job of LMS requires courage and tenacity, and most of the librarians state that the most difficult in the first year are time and relationship.