The transformation of the first floor of Joyner Library into the Collaborative Learning Center produced significant changes to collection and user spaces. Collaboration, in this context, refers to students engaged in teamwork with technology and support services. A Culture War emerged when some faculty, displeased with the loss of the traditional…

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…

The fact that people now live in a world of abundant portable electronic devices is important to any organization that maintains a web presence, including libraries. No longer tied to a desktop, the patrons' netbooks, tablets, ebook readers, and, of course, cellphones all become potential tools for remote access to library content. About a year…

Stephen Krashen believes that schools can counter the effects of poverty in at least one area: access to books. However, little research has been done to determine whether students living in poverty have access to school library services comparable to those attending schools with low concentrations of students living in poverty. We examined the…

Media centers have been transformed from warehouses for books and equipment into the hub of the learning community. Media specialists keep the hub functioning properly. If school library media specialists are doing their job well, they are making a difference in the ways teachers teach and in the ways students learn. On any given day, a media…

This report presents selected findings from the Public School Library Media Center Data File of the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. School districts associated with public schools…

The Position Statement on the School Library Media Specialist's Role in Reading, adopted by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Board in February 2009, is a guide to help practitioners build library programs that support every learner's development in reading. As part of the Learning4Life (L4L) plan to implement the Standards for…

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

Five steps for setting up a library system based on a student-centered philosophy. (JW)

This article discusses BDA strategies--reading strategies that "good readers" use before, during, and after reading. These strategies are in conjunction with free reading as well as direct reading instruction by reading specialists and/or teachers. An explanation of "Before Reading Strategies," "During Reading Strategies," and "After Reading…

The need for librarianship of instructional gaming increases as the production of literature and games grows, and as gaming becomes progressively legitimatized as an instructional strategy. This paper presents guidelines for bibliographic control and reference services, collection development, cataloging and classification, circulation and…

A WELL-EQUIPPED AND ADEQUATELY STAFFED SCHOOL LIBRARY CAN HELP IMPROVE INSTRUCTION AND CAN BE THE CENTER OF LEARNING BY PROVIDING EXTENSIVE ENRICHMENT MATERIALS. THE SCHOOL LIBRARY IS A NECESSARY PART OF EVERY SCHOOL. THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ALA) RECOMMENDS STANDARDS BASED ON SCHOOL SIZE, AND THE KNAPP FOUNDATION SPONSORS SCHOOL LIBRARY…

Gives some suggestions from secondary school teachers on what the instructional media center should offer and discusses the role of the media specialist in improving services. (RK)

To the media specialist belongs that unique opportunity to be in the right place at the right time with the right materials and the right climate to attract all children - upon whom the future of our society depends. (Author)

Article condensed from a speech given at the Library Section of the Ontario Educational Association's convention in March, 1969.