Today school library media specialists operate in an environment of daily challenges and controversies. "No Child Left Behind" established mandates that all educators are scrambling to meet. No matter how people feel about the way the legislation is being carried out, it is difficult to argue against its purpose--that all educators must…

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…

THIS REPORT BROUGHT TOGETHER FIVE PAPERS BY VARIOUS NATIONALLY KNOWN LEADERS IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATIONAL MEDIA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PUBLICATION WAS TO REVIEW MAJOR CAREER PATHS IN THE EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FIELD. THE REPORT COVERED DEGREES OF DIFFERENCES WHICH EXIST CURRENTLY AS WELL AS THE COMMONALITY OF LEARNING REQUIREMENTS REPRESENTED AMONG THE…

Edited versions of the conference presentations are compiled. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together media specialists and other educators from throughout Pennsylvania to evaluate the basic assumptions underlying the educational use of cable television (CATV) and to share ideas about the ways in which cable could be used to change the…

A survey was developed in 1984 by the Pennsylvania School Library Media Service Division to evaluate the status of state mandated school library media programs. The survey instrument was mailed to 1,923 (out of a possible 3,487) schools to the attention of the 1,963 school librarians; the response rate was approximately 67% (1,336). This report on…

A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS AND RELATED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROBLEMS WAS CONDUCTED. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WERE (1) TO ESTABLISH A JOB CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR MEDIA SERVICES, (2) TO SUGGEST DIMENSIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES OF MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDIA SERVICES, (3) TO SPELL OUT PROCEDURES FOR OTHER…

Reports the results of three statewide studies in Alaska, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, which show that a school library media program with a full-time library media specialist, support staff, and a strong computer network leads to higher student achievement as evidenced on standardized achievement tests. (LRW)

Developed with information and guidance from a task force and interest group, as well as from two surveys of continuing education providers, this plan for improving library/media/information services in Pennsylvania proposes coordination of continuing education for their personnel, including trustees and paraprofessionals. After a description of…

The standards for school library programs in the state of Pennsylvania call for a model library stocked with a variety of media and staffed by a teacher who is a qualified librarian or media specialist. The library should complement the school instructional program and its educational philosophy; the librarian and classroom teacher should schedule…

Describes a study of secondary school library media specialists in Maine and Pennsylvania that was conducted to establish a baseline of data relating to the use of CD-ROM databases for reference purposes. Topics addressed include database titles; networking; staffing concerns; budget; funding; attitudes toward CD-ROMs; and training and curriculum…

Discusses the present status of technology use by students in Pennsylvania public school libraries, including membership in ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA, the statewide interlibrary loan network. The role of library media specialists in developing outcome-based curricula to facilitate use of technology tools is considered. (EA)

This curriculum guide was prepared as a tool for teaching students the purpose and function of the ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA database in the total concept of information literacy. The database on compact laser disc contains information about the holdings of hundreds of school, public, academic, and special use libraries. The database can be searched at…