Now more than ever school librarians need to be advocates. COVID brought to light so many things that are wrong with the education system around the country. According to the author, they learned that, although they talk about equity and access for their students, they are not even close to equity and access being a reality for all. As the…

Understanding motivation in the workforce is a crucial step toward creating a dynamic work environment that enriches and fulfills workers. This research stems from LIS management class discussions on the topic of motivation and highlights the need for radical shifts in management approaches to motivation in information organizations. Our analysis…

These days it seems like school librarians are under attack, if not already an endangered species. After eight years of the No Child Left Behind Act--which, paradoxically, chipped away at many library positions--recent state and local budget shortfalls have led to rounds and rounds of layoffs for school librarians. While things are tough in the…

What is the relative importance of current and emerging technologies in school library media programs? In order to answer this question, in Fall 2007 the authors administered a survey to 1,053 school library media specialists (SLMSs) throughout the state of Pennsylvania. As a part of the MSLS degree with Library Science K-12 certification, Clarion…

The Position Statement on the School Library Media Specialist's Role in Reading, adopted by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Board in February 2009, is a guide to help practitioners build library programs that support every learner's development in reading. As part of the Learning4Life (L4L) plan to implement the Standards for…

Defines the term media librarian as a person who is educated and knowledgeable and can work with all formats of information transfer in the context of a library. Three major concerns regarding the preparation of media librarians are also discussed. (LLS)

New library media specialists (LMS) are special people, who are eager for the world of library science. Stepping into a job of LMS requires courage and tenacity, and most of the librarians state that the most difficult in the first year are time and relationship.

Recommendations for certification requirements for the school media specialist in Texas were the concern of the conference reported here. Two papers presented were: "The Emerging Profession of Media Specialists," and "Certification for Tomorrow," chapter three of the proceedings gives a panel on "Certification" and…

The evolution of educational technology has seen a shift from hardware and software to tactics and techniques, as the 2010 edition of the "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook" makes abundantly clear. As in previous years, it offers the reader a snapshot of the moment and a look ahead to issues most likely to shape the immediate…

In this article, the author shares her experience during her practicum for her master's in library science wherein she had the opportunity to work in a school library that was moving toward combining with a local branch of a public library. Combining the public and school libraries meant integrating these two related yet distinct missions, or at…

Author believes that there is a significant amount of overlap between the areas of school library media programs and audio-visual technology, and the resultant emergence of the educational media specialist, is resulting in continued movement of these fields toward each other. (Author/HB)

Discusses the role of the media librarian in promoting media utilization and describes the major assignment of a hypothetical library school course designed to explore the nature and purpose of media. (EJS)

Winter 2007 marked an episode of high anxiety in the library science profession, when the latest Newbery winner, "The Higher Power of Lucky," triggered discussion about words and their suitability for young readers. It seems that the entire world now knows that the word "scrotum" appears on the first page of the book. School…

This document is designed to assist those who are developing, implementing, and/or evaluating a plan for coordinated area-wide continuing education for library/information/media personnel. Although it may be adapted for use by a single agency or system, its primary purpose is for use by those involved with multi-organization planning. Six criteria…

The objectives of this institute were: (1) To provide the classroom teacher with the basic knowledge of library science through introduction to reference materials which will serve as the backbone for a more effective use of the library as a learning center; (2) To provide classroom teachers with knowledge about and experiences with instructional…