This study examines the diverse roles and professional development needs of K-12 school librarians in the Greater DC area, particularly within the Mid-Atlantic Public Schools System (MAPSS, a pseudonym). The researcher used mixed methods research, to identify their needs and goals. The outcome of this study will inform the development of a…

Describes the Hunter Education Librarians Project (HELP), a project begun at Western Carolina University (North Carolina) to gather information about the changing roles and professional development needs of school media coordinators. Preparations for the information-gathering meeting, setup and structure of the meeting, findings, and conclusions…

School librarians have a vital role in improving the curriculum and assisting students to be happy, contented, and achieving individuals. Continuous progress of each librarian is a must through inservice education. Means of assisting librarians to attain well include: (1) a professional library with time set aside for reading and discussing ideas…

Describes the needs assessment, planning, implementation, and outcomes of a staff development program for the Nassau (New York) School Library System, which included three components: (1) area clusters for support and shared expertise; (2) training of cluster leaders; and (3) four full-day staff development sessions. (12 references) (MES)

Presents research findings that deal with teacher-librarians' leadership role in cooperative program planning and teaching and the personal characteristics that make that leadership more successful. Topics include the role of teachers and administrators, flexible scheduling, teacher-librarians as change agents, and professional development. (LRW)

This study examines the meaning of the concept of "principal support" from the point of view of seven teacher-librarians in two Alberta (Canada) school districts. It also explores the different ways in which these teacher-librarians went about increasing principal support for the school library program and for their role as…

Discusses the need for professional development opportunities for school library media specialists and describes the development of a workshop in Georgia for new media specialists. Includes the roles and responsibilities of media specialists, including collaboration with teachers; and decision-making responsibilities. (LRW)

Discusses the importance of evaluation of school library resource centers for effective schools and the professional development of teacher librarians. Provides a chart profiling the role of the teacher-librarian in the awareness, mechanical, routine, and refined stages of the implementation of critical educational components in a cooperative…

The role of school librarians has changed as the rapid expansion of information technology during the last decade has placed more emphasis on their participation in the instructional process, and propelled the librarian into a new role as school media specialist. Many media specialists have difficulty in grasping their role in schools. They are…

A survey of Arizona principals covered topics related to school media specialists: (1) the importance of specific librarian skills; (2) use of evaluation instruments to judge librarians; (3) communication between librarians and principals; (4) professional development opportunities; (5) how librarians should and do spend their time; and (6)…

Discusses the role of administrators and media specialists in the successful use of technology in schools and explains the TSSA (Technology Standards for School Administrators) project. Topics include hardware needs; applications, including software and Internet connectivity; teachers' technology use; and professional development for staff,…

Discussion of the changing environment and role of the school media specialist focuses on the adaptation of the Library of Congress classification, professional standards, staffing, the possibility of keeping school libraries open in the summer, the librarian as evaluator of material content rather than organizer, and school librarians as…

This document presents the executive summary of an evaluation of Library Power, a program of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund to enhance and elevate the role of libraries in public schools. The report begins with an examination of Library Power's core components (collection development, facilities refurbishing, flexible scheduling,…

The information technology revolution is affecting schools on a broader basis than just libraries. Teachers, administrators, and educational technology specialists are all espousing expanded roles to address the new opportunities, with the result that responsibilities are beginning to overlap and roles are becoming blurred. The use of increasingly…

Describes the role and responsibilities of the school library media specialist as identified in 1994-96 dissertation research. Highlights include media specialists as collaborative workers, the importance of leadership, commitment to a media literacy-skills program and student needs, professional development, the need for principal support,…