Mentoring is defined as a professional relationship between an experienced person and inexperienced person. When newly hired library media specialists enter their schools, they often become part of the district's mentoring program. Yet, mentoring these new professionals can be problematic for school districts. In addition, when a library media…

Many adults, even librarians who willingly add comics to their collections, often dismiss the importance of comics. Compared to reading "real" books, reading comics appears to be a simple task and compared to reading no books, reading comics might be preferable. After all, comics do have words, but the plentiful pictures seem to carry most of the…

In this article, the author talks about the International Children's Digital Library (ICDL), an online digital library which gives students an opportunity to read and learn about other cultures and countries in a different way. The library's web site (http://www.icdlbooks.org) was designed by children, with the guidance and expertise of adults.…

The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) began as a research project funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and Microsoft Research and creates a digital library of outstanding children's books from all over the world (http://www. childrenslibrary.org). The project…

Describes "CQ Researcher", a publication from the "Congressional Quarterly" publication staff that presents information on social issues suitable for middle school and high school students. Discusses the completeness of coverage, the reliable authority of the publisher, and an easy-to-understand format that is available in…

Discusses library collection development by school library media specialists and describes selection sources for new books and materials; retrospective selection sources for materials published in preceding years; and an acquisition source. Provides an overview of the selection process and includes 10 suggestions for selection. (LRW)

When a challenge gets difficult, it's hard to believe that people challenge instructional materials because they care. It's even harder to remember that educators want the general public, legislators, taxpayers, and parents to care about education. Library media specialists and administrators have the same lens of stress that all adults have,…

Provides annotated bibliographies of five sources about women and their contributions to civilization that are suitable for upper elementary and middle schools and add depth to coverage provided in traditional reference sources. (LRW)

Focuses on evaluating the school library media collection. Discusses how to figure the age of the collection; comparing the collection to a professional selection source; and how to estimate the cost of upgrading the collection. Includes a sample letter to principal and supporting fact sheet. (AEF)

While the idea of data collection is new for many library media specialists, traditional statistics such as circulation, age, value, total collection numbers, class use of the library media center, etc. have been gathered since the dawn of library time. Typically these statistics are gathered simply because it has always been done, but library…

Describes the development of a multicultural library media program based on experiences at a Virginia middle school. Highlights include the media center as a cultural and curricular resource; establishing philosophies and goals; reviewing current materials and establishing guidelines for new material selection; staff development; and an integrated…

At least once a year, teachers generally request a historical fiction assignment. Bare facts make dry reading but historical fiction, set in an actual time period with plausible dialogue and credible characters, is more palatable to youngsters. This column discusses the most widely-requested historical periods of study for intermediate and upper…

This article provides descriptions of four new science and technology encyclopedias that are appropriate for inclusion in upper elementary and/or middle school reference collections. "The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Weather" (Stern, Macmillan Reference/Gale), a one-volume encyclopedia for upper elementary and middle level students, is a…

This article describes a new five-volume series, "Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages" (Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast, Editors), that provides a broad overview of costume traditions of diverse cultures from prehistoric times to the present day. These volumes illustrate how…

Recently, an article, "Is Publishing Going to the Dogs?" (Silvey 2004, 36), focused on the children's book publishing industry and the inevitable conflicts among social issues, art forms, and the world of commerce. That title, featuring an illustrated dog drooling over the book in its teeth, echoes the concerns and fears expressed in the…