Elementary school libraries are not often thought of as suitable spaces for learning commons because most elementary school libraries operate on a fixed schedule, allowing only one class at a time to use the space. Elementary school libraries are too often the drop-off location for a specific class during the classroom teacher's planning period.…

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…

Discussion of collaboration between classroom teachers and school library media specialists focuses on programs at an elementary school in the Katy Independent School District (Texas). Topics include knowing the faculty; knowing the curriculum; providing needed materials and services; cooperation with public librarians; and recognition of shared…

Discusses the alignment of resources, including textbooks, instructional materials, and school library media center resources, to the curriculum based on experiences in North Carolina. Explains resource alignment and considers assessing the library collection, discarding materials, identifying gaps in curriculum support, writing a collection…

Discusses how school nurses and school library media specialists can work together to help adolescents cope with chronic illnesses. Topics include educating other students; Web sites devoted to illness and youth; keeping material on the shelves up-to-date; and affective aspects that can be addresses in literature. (LRW)

Discussion of the responsibility of school library media specialists for collection development and management focuses on the need to include materials on women's studies. Highlights include justifying collection expenditures; collection development guidelines; identifying relevant materials by genre; and the media specialists' curricular role.…

Discusses the process of weeding, updating, and building a school library media collection that supports the state curriculum. Explains resource alignment, a process for using the shelf list as a tool to analyze and align media center resources to state curricula, and describes a five-year plan and its usefulness for additional funding. (LRW)

Discusses school librarianship in Denmark. Highlights include proposals for a joint school library/public library system; student responsibility for their own learning; teaching students to use appropriate information technology to meet information needs; critical analysis of information; cataloging and classification of library materials; and…