In 1989 the American Library Association defined information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. While these fundamental skills are still at the heart of information literacy instruction, the nature of that…

This is Part 1 of a three part series of articles summarizing selected articles from the journals of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) over a period of thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007. Part 1 traces the evolution of the library media specialist to emphasize a greater student-centered approach to teaching and learning.…

Many schools are in the transition stage from passive learning environments into active ones. Teachers, librarians and administrators are forced to rethink the curriculum in terms of content and teaching methodology because of advancement of technology and competitions. The paper will demonstrate the need of collaborative work of…

Some of the author's most valuable experiences as a library media specialist (LMS) were not in a school library. Rather, they were on the streets of Chicago, in community gardens, and on the rooftops of buildings in Humboldt Park, where she was hired by the University of Illinois Community Informatics Initiative as a graduate assistant and LMS in…

One of the major questions that classroom teachers wrestle with is what strategy or method to use when teaching their students. This is a question that plagues school library media specialists also. One of the theories that library media specialists are finding to be effective as they teach information literacy skills is Howard Gardner's theory…

The importance and work of Library Media Specialists is discussed where they help teach students to be information literate. The Library Media Specialist also helps to find answers to questions and help find resources to support instruction in the classroom, working with students to use technology in the library media center, the computer lab, and…

This article describes the library media program at John Glenn Elementary School (San Antonio, Texas). The program's goal was to increase student involvement in the teaching/learning process through a library media program that would generate excitement, intensity, and commitment. The three strategies they employed to achieve this goal were: (1)…

The world affairs seminar is a multi-purposed instructional strategy which may be used to teach high school students to unearth information on and make information decisions about world affairs topics. This booklet describes six sample seminars to demonstrate the usefulness of the technique and to illustrate the part a library media center plays…

Describes 10 key elements of generic teaching strategies for developing student thinking and provides a rationale for the participation of school library media specialists in developing student thinking skills. The role of media specialists within the school and the importance of information-based decision making in a free society are discussed.…

The "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook" is dedicated to theoretical, empirical and practical approaches to educational media development. All chapters are invited and selected based on a variety of strategies to determine current trends and issues in the field. The 2009 edition will highlight innovative Trends and Issues in…

The school media center should be considered as the center of the curriculum wheel with librarians working together with teachers to assist in providing appropriate instructional materials. Media to be utilized in teaching-learning situations must follow accepted criteria from the psychology of learning, but school librarians have an important…

Presents four stages of learning together with teaching techniques appropriate to each stage. The role of the media specialist in meeting the needs of students and teachers at each stage is discussed, and the four stages of media library services are outlined. (5 references) (CLB)

A media program should be developed and integrated into the curriculum at the same rate as print material. Because media are a useful educational aid and should be an extension of the curriculum, the instructional specialist of the future will be a media specialist who can coordinate curriculum and media and also design instructional methods…

This collection of 38 articles, reprinted from "Emergency Librarian," addresses critical elements of school library media program development and implementation, organized by seven areas: foundations; the school context; role clarification; information literacy; collaborative program planning and teaching; program development; and…