In many elementary schools across the nation the library looks like a revolving door of classes. Classroom teachers come and drop off their classes for a lesson at a set time during the week. The school librarian teaches a lesson in isolation while the classroom teacher has a planning period. There is little time for collaboration. There is even…

Family engagement is a shared responsibility among families, educators, and communities to support children's learning and development. For families, it is about the knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviors that enable children to be motivated, enthusiastic, and successful learners. For libraries, this means having respectful partnerships with…

Many librarians work in public libraries to make a difference for children, families, and communities and identify family and community engagement as a cornerstone of their responsibilities. For librarians to be successful they must be afforded strong foundations in family and community engagement that begin early in their preparation. Yet little…

J. Linda Williams was coordinator of school library services for Anne Arundel County Public Schools prior to her retirement. She served as AASL President 2005-2006 and is also a past president of the Maryland Association of School Librarians. Looking back on her 2005-2006 term as AASL President, Williams writes that she feels that particular year…

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are online classroom content that can be reused, modified, and shared freely. The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) undertook a project to redesign its undergraduate curriculum using OERs in place of traditional textbooks. UMUC librarians have played a critical role in this project, helping to find…

This report explains the key role that school librarians and libraries should play in state- and district-wide efforts to transition to digital learning, or the effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning. The report calls for district and school leaders, policymakers, and boards of education to support, encourage, and fund the…

An empirical study was conducted using methods borrowed from the psychology of religion (instead of corporate assessment techniques) to assess whether the academic library as place supports students' desire to feel connected to higher education's mission. The findings from an in-person survey of fifty-four students at three universities showed a…

In the past decade, economic development experts have moved away from traditional approaches to economic development that have relied upon recruiting or attracting large businesses with offers of tax breaks, financial incentives, and other subsidies. Increasingly, communities are focusing their economic development resources on supporting the…

In this article, the author describes how the role of school librarians has transformed. Today's school librarians do much more than stock shelves with books. They may do any or all of the following: (1) facilitate "library" classes that help students understand how to use technology to conduct research, doling out homework and…

Librarians have been working with families for years within and outside of libraries, providing access to print, motivating young children to read, and making connections with schools. Through interviews, observations, and an analysis of outreach documents from libraries in urban, suburban, and rural counties, this study sought to investigate what…

Describes the cooperation between Montgomery County, Maryland, librarians and public broadcasting station WETA to produce programs relating to books. (PF)

Describes a statewide language-development program developed among Maryland's city, county, and regional library systems to help parents prepare their preschoolers for success in school. Discusses child development, the role of libraries, storytelling training, and preschool literacy efforts by the Public Library Association; and lists Web…

This guidebook and annotated bibliography is designed to provide a basic listing of sources of state (Maryland), federal, and some general law for the non-law library community, and to offer some insight into the suggested approaches for dealing with legal reference inquiries. Listings of contributors and members of the Task Force on Improving…

An urban public library responds to an invitation from the local Fire and Rescue Services Department to make suggestions for improving communication between the library and the County Emergency Management Program. Recommendations are made for library involvement in long-term prevention, preparedness to respond, response to emergencies, and…

Future school library media specialists will serve as information consultants to students and teachers and as gatekeepers to new information technologies and resources. School information services will provide easy access to local, regional, and national collections. Two high schools in Maryland and suburban Chicago are experimenting with…