2018 was a difficult year for Washington state school librarians. The state's changes in the funding formula for school districts coupled with new regulations on how the money was spent caused many districts to react harshly and reduce certified school librarian and library support staff positions. Unfortunately, school librarians are always at…

As part of the national Future Ready Librarians initiative at the Alliance for Excellent Education, Mark Ray and Shannon McClintock Miller serve as national advocates for school library programs and librarians. Mark and Shannon began their library advocacy careers in school libraries. For eight years, Shannon was the district librarian in Van…

Libraries are learning hubs that connect families to free resources, activities, and services to cultivate children's learning about topics that excite them. Despite recent technological developments which have revolutionized how we read and access information, libraries continue to evolve in order to serve their communities, especially families…

Today's school librarians are taking the lead with legislative advocacy for education and their efforts are beginning to have an impact on legislation. Advocates for school library programs in the state of Washington made historic legislative in-roads in 2009 with the passage of Substitute House Bill 2261. Arguably, the most important factor in…

Reading advocacy is an essential aspect of school librarians' role. Using their knowledge of students, school librarians provide reader's advisory, matching books to individuals based on their interests, aptitudes, and abilities. They know that reading skills are an integral part of academic achievement and work to accelerate this important…

Libraries transform communities by providing well-organized information resources and services. Conversely, communities can also transform libraries if librarians appreciate the rich diversity of the communities' information needs, acting as bridges between communities as well as enabling and facilitating community-building. The roles of…

In this article, the author stresses that teacher-librarians must make themselves aware of a variety of aspects of the local aboriginal culture as well as the differences in interpersonal interaction. Artwork, both student and professional, can make a library more beautiful. Posters or aboriginal role models should be mixed with non-aboriginal…

Few might think there is much of a connection between acting and librarianship, but Chance Hunt says his acting career in Los Angeles provided him with skills he uses today as a youth services librarian, from programming with kids to representing the library at citywide meetings. Hunt oversees system-wide services for children and teens at the…

As institutional roles change in response to contemporary pressures on them, new opportunities arise for combining forces to achieve common objectives. With today's technological revolution in handling information, the role of the public library is both challenged and reaffirmed. Resources may be allocated from state and national levels of…

Explains the importance of grants to libraries and describes the evolution of a grant in Washington State that was written to develop and fund early childhood programs. Discusses the role of public and tribal libraries; training for library staff; steering committee; statewide partnerships; community partnerships; and planning workshops. (LRW)

Recognizing the responsibility of library staff members of maintain a pleasant environment for the public in the library, this manual discusses the library user's and library employee's rights under the law and how to protect them. It is arranged alphabetically by the type of problem or emergency that may be encountered. The procedure for handling…

Describes a survey administered by the King County Library System (Washington) that assessed the resources of school libraries and media centers in its service areas in order to determine the public library's appropriate role and level of service in supporting students. Results indicated that school libraries in King County are not well funded.…

Preferred characteristics in applicants for school library media specialist (SLMS) positions are studied in this article from three perspectives, that of the library school faculty, the library school student, and the school administrator. Surveys were sent to public high school administrators in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho;…

Discusses the process of future search conferences and describes one held to consider the future of school library media centers and information services in the state of Washington. Highlights include participation by students, librarians, teachers, administrators, and others; strategic and participatory planning; and change processes. (LRW)

Several trends have come together to intensify interest in how public libraries might best support the interests and needs of youth in their communities. This study reports on findings from the Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development (PLPYD) Initiative, a four-year, nine-site initiative funded by the Wallace Foundation to develop…