A makerspace is a physical place in the library where informal, collaborative learning can happen through hands-on creation, using any combination of technology, industrial arts, and fine arts that is not readily available for home use. The underlying goal of a makerspace is to encourage innovation and creativity through the use of technology-to…

Today school library media specialists operate in an environment of daily challenges and controversies. "No Child Left Behind" established mandates that all educators are scrambling to meet. No matter how people feel about the way the legislation is being carried out, it is difficult to argue against its purpose--that all educators must…

Prepared for distribution to participants in the Pennsylvania Governor's Forums on Library and Information Services, this booklet contains the following items: letters of welcome from Governor Robert Casey and Barbara Bruno, Chair of the Steering Committee; an agenda; and descriptions of Pennsylvania's libraries, its statewide library service, and…

Intended to assist local school districts in meeting the requirements of the Pennsylvania Code, Title 22, Chapter 5, this publication provides guidelines which school districts can use to develop a flexible integrated K-12 school library media program supported by local school policies and operational procedures. Following a diagram showing the…

ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA is a statewide database that combines resources of over 500 academic, public, special, and school libraries in Pennsylvania. This article discusses the program's background and stresses the commitment its members must make to serve the state's population through resource sharing. It focuses in particular on the incentive the…

An ideal school library and its librarian are described. (PF)

Describes a study of secondary school library media specialists in Maine and Pennsylvania that was conducted to establish a baseline of data relating to the use of CD-ROM databases for reference purposes. Topics addressed include database titles; networking; staffing concerns; budget; funding; attitudes toward CD-ROMs; and training and curriculum…

The standards for school library programs in the state of Pennsylvania call for a model library stocked with a variety of media and staffed by a teacher who is a qualified librarian or media specialist. The library should complement the school instructional program and its educational philosophy; the librarian and classroom teacher should schedule…

A survey was developed in 1984 by the Pennsylvania School Library Media Service Division to evaluate the status of state mandated school library media programs. The survey instrument was mailed to 1,923 (out of a possible 3,487) schools to the attention of the 1,963 school librarians; the response rate was approximately 67% (1,336). This report on…

Through a systematic acquisition policy, the library (1) supports the objectives of the college, the course content of the curricula, and the faculty's teaching methods; (2) provides intellectual and cultural fare for faculty, students, and community; (3) instructs and encourages students in library use. It tries to supply material on all subjects…

Discusses the present status of technology use by students in Pennsylvania public school libraries, including membership in ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA, the statewide interlibrary loan network. The role of library media specialists in developing outcome-based curricula to facilitate use of technology tools is considered. (EA)

The Cheltenham Township school district (Elkins Park, Pennsylvania) has compiled a guide for library instruction. Suggested learning objectives and activities are listed for each grade level K-9, while an elective mini-course is proposed for grades 10-12. Integration of library instruction with curriculum and classroom activities is emphasized at…

Reports the results of three statewide studies in Alaska, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, which show that a school library media program with a full-time library media specialist, support staff, and a strong computer network leads to higher student achievement as evidenced on standardized achievement tests. (LRW)

This curriculum guide is intended for any librarian in Pennsylvania committed to teaching online searching and looking for guidelines to integrate the skill into the full academic curriculum. The publication will enable school librarians to assist students in developing the skills that will enable them to search and retrieve information from…

This curriculum guide is intended to meet the needs of librarians in all schools in Pennsylvania, including those lacking access to online technologies. It is recommended that the online curriculum be integrated with the teaching of library media skills in other discipline areas at appropriate elementary and secondary grade levels, and that…