AASL's new integrated standards are designed to empower leaders to transform teaching and learning. The new "National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries" reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the…

In this article, the authors describe an undercurrent to the school librarian's public professional narrative, a silent but steady divide between what should happen and what "does" happen. Increasingly, rich collaborative planning is the exception, not the rule. Many library collaborations, when they do occur, happen in minutes over…

Web-based presentation tools are sometimes referred to as "next generation presentation tools" (EDUCAUSE, 2010). At the most basic level, these tools are simply online versions of traditional presentation software, such as Microsoft's PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote, but some services offer features like web-based collaboration, online presentation…

School librarians serving diverse learning communities, such as the Chicago Public Schools, have always been aware of the need to seek out multicultural books as "mirrors [that] let readers see reflections of their own lives; windows [that] let them see others' lives." But until a colleague sent this author the document "10 Quick…

Describes methods a school librarian can follow to conduct a workshop on social justice for teachers. A workshop overview is presented, steps for planning the workshop are outlined, small group dynamics are explained, suggestions for conducting the workshop are given, and a workshop evaluation form is included. (LRW)

Includes five articles that discuss digital reference in elementary and secondary education; the need to understand the technological environment of digital reference; question negotiation in digital reference; a pilot study that evaluated chat reference service quality; and collaborative digital museum and digital library reference services. (LRW)

Discusses the use of microcomputers for automating school libraries, both for entire systems and for specific library tasks. Highlights include available library management software, newsletters that evaluate software, constructing an evaluation matrix, steps to consider in library automation, and a brief discussion of computerized card catalogs.…

Reviews recent resources for assessing school library media programs and discusses the importance of program assessment. Circulation statistics and personal approaches to assessment are described, and the findings of three research reports on the effectiveness of school library media programs are discussed. (KRN)

Presents an interim report on a study that is investigating the potential application and effectiveness of selected output measurement techniques for use in the evaluation of school library media programs. Reference services and in-house use will be evaluated in the study. (LRW)

Program evaluation is about measurement, but it is also about making meaning of those things quantified. This booklet aims at providing guidance for school library media specialists in doing both. It offers brief comments about each of the following areas and provides some concrete tools for the evaluator's use when needed: Organization…

Discusses the value of professionally sanctioned guidelines for planning, implementing, and evaluating reference and information services in school libraries. A checklist is provided for assessing school library media reference services based in part on "Information Power." Results can be used for evaluating and upgrading existing…

This guide is designed to assist library media specialists in achieving the outstanding, comprehensive library media program outlined in "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning," published by the American Library Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. The guide contains the following…

With today's demands for accountability, some new methods should be evolved for evaluating the services given by the school library media center. Since circulation counts, head counts, and similar statistics have provided only an approximation of the real services provided, an opinionnaire was devised to survey the faculty about library use,…

Media services at the Des Moines Independent Community School District (Iowa) is a centrally-based department which provides a number of districtwide services in adhering to a philosophy of supporting the curriculum by providing current and sufficient materials, both print and nonprint, access to information for all students, and research skills…

This information guide is intended to assist principals and members of media committees in implementing the media policy of the Transvaal Education Department, this information guide was designed to be used in conjunction with the chapter on the education media service in the Manual for General School Organization (1986). Chapter 1 outlines…