School librarians need to be proactive in identifying new ways to help students prepare for the world of the future. Students need relevant educational experiences that support emerging demands created by information and service based economies. The economies of Pacific Rim countries such as the USA, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada are…

During the 1890s, the library media specialty was established through "a School Library Section as an integral part of the National Education Association" (Cole 90). In the ensuing decades, this role has expanded and changed; it demands a balancing act between the more traditional roles surrounding books and reading, and the newer expectations and…

No Child Left Behind and state testing mandate the study of government officials, at local, state, and federal levels, in judicial, legislative, and executive branches. At Wattles Elementary School in Troy, Michigan, test scores indicated that this was a weak area--not surprising since this always has been primarily a high school subject. In this…

Describes library media specialists' efforts to implement technology in schools in Alaska, Minnesota and Florida. Discusses obstacles and challenges to implementation in other schools, including budget cuts; time pressures and responsibility overload; and friction between technology coordinators and instructional specialists, and teachers and…

Now that "everything is on the Net," what are the roles of K-12 libraries and librarians in a digital-age learning environment? School library media specialists (SLMSs) work with classroom instructors and learners throughout the educational process: from curriculum development to unit/module/lesson plan development and delivery, integrating…

Discusses how to write assessment instruments for student performance skills with computers that cannot be evaluated by standard paper and pencil tests and considers the library media specialist's role. Highlights include assessing content and the container, or format; using examples of high quality work; giving criteria; revisions; and using…

The global computing networks that are revolutionizing our society have created an opportunity for school libraries and librarians. Taking the position that librarians occupy key positions in the educational technology revolution, this book explores how technology-enhanced education improvements fit together with the library media program and how…

Explains curriculum mapping, a computerized method for use in educators' decision-making in elementary and secondary education. Topics include the role of media specialists with information literacy, collection development, and curriculum support; identifying gaps in skills and assessment; aligning assessments with standards; and timeliness.…

This book describes some of the challenges facing school library media specialists as they work with teachers and administrators in making appropriate use of computers in schools. Five chapters address the following topics: (1) the school in the context of the emerging information society; (2) the roles of school library media specialists in the…

The SNAPdragon (School Network Action Project) project investigated how elementary school children interact with the Internet by asking them to build an annotated directory of World Wide Web sites for other children. Describes instructional arrangements and development of searching skills; and discusses critical thinking skills and interschool…

This report on teachers and technology in North Carolina schools continues an earlier report based on a survey of North Carolina schools that focused on media specialists. Highlights include how teachers incorporate CD-ROM and videodisk technologies, school library media specialists as technology instructors, and teacher expectations of media…

Discusses the importance of a team of technology teachers, library and information professionals, and administrators working together to achieve technology's potential in schools. Addresses three key questions (What needs to be done?, Who will do it?, and How will it be done?) that this team must answer for successful integration of technology…

This document contains four papers that are answers to comprehensive examination questions of a doctoral student in instructional technology. The first paper, "Federal Support and Funding of School Library Media Programs into the 21st Century," includes sections on why federal support and funding are needed, how school library media…