The release of AASL's "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" and "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs" has provided school library media specialists with the opportunity to "develop new visions for learning" (AASL 2009), and to rethink what their roles are, and what skills and characteristics are required of them to…

This discussion of the new AASL/AECT (American Association of School Librarians/Association for Educational Communications and Technology) guidelines for school library media programs, covers the first three chapters. These chapters deal with objectives for school library media programs, activities characteristic of good library media programs,…

Two authors of children's books discuss the elements of a successful school visit, including how to select and contact an author; fees; choosing dates; having books available; planning collaboratively with authors, principals, teachers, and parents; organizing the schedule; the author as critic; publicity; travel plans; autographs; and follow-up.…

Briefly discusses the evolution of duties of school media specialists and describes use of an attitudinal questionnaire to survey the school community to see how well media services are being received and whether improvements or adjustments are necessary. Items to be included in such a questionnaire are listed. (MBR)

Information literacy guidelines provide all students with a process for learning that is transferable among content areas and from the academic environment to real life. The responsibility for helping students achieve information literacy resides with library media staff, teachers, administrators, and the community. The following five information…

This guide to the design and production of overhead transparencies begins with a matching test of related terminology and definitions. Introductory materials include an outline of advantages and disadvantages of using transparencies; a list of recommended uses of the overhead and transparencies; tips for overhead presentations; general…

The second of a two-part series discusses the new American Association of School Librarians/Association for Educational Communication Technology guidelines for school library media programs, focusing on the final five chapters which cover (1) personnel; (2) resources and equipment; (3) facilities; (4) planning and administration; and (5) district,…

"Information Power," the national guidelines for school library media programs, specify three roles for today's school library media specialist, i.e., information specialist, teacher, and instructional consultant. As school library media specialists plan with teachers, they are performing the instructional consultant role. The Media and…

Discusses flexible scheduling in school library media centers and describes strategies to initiate scheduling that allows library media skills to be integrated into other curriculum areas. Topics discussed include collaboration with classroom teachers, becoming familiar with the curriculum, changes in learning strategies, and changes in the media…

This guide presents a number of activities that are designed to attract students and teachers to the school library media center. Included are ideas and suggestions gleaned from various professional journals, books, and library media specialists around the state of Texas, such as: (1) games, contests, and reading clubs; (2) bulletin boards; (3)…

Aimed at consultants and those responsible for the development of school library media programs, this paper outlines the functions of school library media personnel, with emphasis on their instructional role and their role as agents of societal change. A discussion of entry-level competencies which should be required for school library media…

Suggests activities for use by school library media specialists who wish to foster the development of thinking skills by elementary students. Areas covered include analysis and evaluation in choosing books, differentiation between fact and fiction, understanding story structure, contests, categories, analogies, self-generated questions,…

This discussion of the political implications of implementing programs that develop students' critical thinking skills uses the proposals developed by Mancall, Aaron, and Walker as a model. Highlights include marketing the model, extending it to include library instruction in literature, implementing it in teaching reference and research skills,…

Developed jointly by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), these guidelines for the school library media specialist are based on the premise that teachers, principals, and library media specialists must form a partnership and must plan together to design and…

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…