This case study explores the strategies used to redistribute materials among available shelves in a curriculum materials center after deaccessioning and relocation projects. The librarian estimated imposed fill ratios based on collection segments which were then mapped onto a floor plan to efficiently shift materials. The estimated imposed fill…

This time has been particularly tough on school librarians, who have worked to develop connections with students and teachers and leverage physical collections. With new variants of the virus emerging, the coming months and years may be more of a game of whack-a-mole as the country tries to conquer some versions of the virus and others pop up.…

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…

Storytime is an important fixture in many school libraries that helps foster students' reading abilities. With a history of success, why would librarians want to alter storytime by incorporating technology? This article discusses how Laura Fleming, a long-time school librarian, addressed decreased student engagement in traditional reading…

This article asks the question: How well versed are school librarians on issues related to labeling and rating systems? As school librarians continue to design and implement resource location schemes to assist patrons, they must recognize the difference between using labels to create interest in books or implementing labeling and rating systems…

What do school librarians fear most? Hands down, their biggest fear is a formal challenge to a resource in the school library. There are no accurate statistics about the number of challenges to school library resources. The staff of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom estimates that only about 20 percent are reported to ALA annually. For the…

A hallmark of best practice in school libraries is for students and faculty to have maximum access to library resources and services. However, findings from a recent quantitative study indicate that this is not always the case. The researchers surveyed school librarians in North Carolina and Virginia to determine the effects that scheduling,…

The ebook ecosystem has experienced many changes recently--having both positive and negative effects for the school library. On the positive side, many publishers have stopped seeing ebooks as the coming of the Apocalypse; instead, they are seeing that the publishing business survives and, indeed, flourishes. The different actors in this arena are…

Librarians say they view the common core, with its emphasis on explanation, complex text, and cross-disciplinary synthesis, as an unprecedented opportunity for them to really strut their stuff. Adopted by all but four states, the standards have prompted coordinating discussions among the library-association divisions that represent librarians in…

The gap between the reading and writing skills of high school graduates and the demands of freshman college coursework and employers was one of the greatest concerns when the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers were developing the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA). A…

Discussion of school library media specialist's involvement in reconsideration of materials from library media collection focuses on what media specialist should bring to complaint situation (school board-approved materials selection policy, training and experience, knowledge of available resources in intellectual freedom) and reconsideration…

This 2-part handbook for school librarians and media specialists addresses both the library skills curriculum for the school district (K-12) and administrative procedures for school libraries. The first section lists general student goals for library instruction, ideas for skills and activities to be taught at all grade levels, and the thinking…

Reports the results of a survey of librarians in 71 Indiana high schools concerning controversial topics and books that they thought would cause their constituents the greatest concern. Concludes that censorship is taking place and that librarians sometimes acquiesce in indirect censorship, thus denying some students access to important literary…

For many years, there has been pressure on American schools to restrict or deny students access to books or periodicals deemed objectionable by some individual or group on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical grounds. Censorship of library books in school media centers is present today. The library media specialist is…

Designed to assist rural Montana schools in establishing and maintaining library-media centers, this procedures manual presents basic and specific information on all phases of operating a small school library. The first three chapters set forth the major responsibilities of the school librarian, Montana standards for school library personnel, and…