School librarians need to be proactive in identifying new ways to help students prepare for the world of the future. Students need relevant educational experiences that support emerging demands created by information and service based economies. The economies of Pacific Rim countries such as the USA, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada are…

School librarians currently speak about school libraries as the largest classroom in the building. If so, how can these librarians describe what they teach? This article explains the user-centered instructional role of secondary school librarians in teaching information and technology literacy skills, as well as how they can authoritatively ensure…

Since the very first introduction of a Commodore Pet, TRS 80, and the Apple II microcomputers beginning in 1977, billions of dollars have been spent chasing a dream about the effect of technology on teaching and learning. Now, educators face the second decade of the 21st Century with seemingly unlimited ways technology can influence what people…

The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian. The future of the school library as a relevant and viable institution is largely dependent on librarians and how quickly they respond to change. They worry about their field and their practice. They worry…

With rapid developments in information technology (IT) and the increasingly sophisticated abilities of IT users, schools have the inevitable task of integrating IT in their school curriculum. Owing to the prevalent use of educational technology in schools, it is often questioned whether information literacy (IL) is necessary in the school…

Teacher-librarians around the world face threats to their very existence because of the advance of technology in today's schools. It can be argued that the ubiquitous use of the Internet in schools and homes, the development of school Intranet, and the increase in use of instructional Web sites in schools will make teachers and students retreat…

Describes library media specialists' efforts to implement technology in schools in Alaska, Minnesota and Florida. Discusses obstacles and challenges to implementation in other schools, including budget cuts; time pressures and responsibility overload; and friction between technology coordinators and instructional specialists, and teachers and…

This paper provides a framework for a plan for the utilization of technology in a school district. An example of a set of proficiencies for the use of computers by students at various grade levels is offered as a model for the computer literacy component of a district master plan. Other components discussed are the supervision and management of…

Discusses the value of school library automation, and suggests that an automated school library is the right of every child and teacher. Examines the role of the teacher librarian in the current environment; advantages of Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs); and trends towards greater convergence in information technology applications in the…

Discusses the growing dependence on information technology and considers cost factors for school library media specialists. Highlights include emphasizing learning over technology; administrative, assistive, and academic applications; how schools are using information technology; and Web sites that address issues related to information technology…

This paper examines information technology and learning; the role of the teacher-librarian and resource services in relation to the technologies; and the perceptions primary school teachers have of teacher-librarians in the integration of information technology into classroom programs, with an emphasis on the factors that facilitate the…

The aim of this book is to provide an overview of the management and use of information technology (infotech) in school library media centers, with emphasis on the possible applications of infotech in the school library program (including its use in school library management, in information services, and in curriculum-related applications) and…

This Technology & Innovations in Education (ITE) publication is a description of how a strategic technology planning process unfolded in four small, rural South Dakota school districts -- Britton, Isabel, Langford, and Sioux Valley. Goals 2000 grants were allocated for each district to develop a technology-based school improvement plan,…

Describes the development of a formula to determine the needed quantity of computers for a school library. Four types of information technology activities (administrative, personal productive, class/group productive, online public access catalog) and several variables (age levels served, campus focus, number of staff, size of student body, average…

This paper examines the case study as a research method which can be used by those involved in research relating to school libraries. It highlights the key issues in selecting the case study as a research method as well as the advantages and limitations of the case study method. The paper also provides an example of a case study carried out in a…