The purpose of this case study was to discover the perceptions of the role and programs in school libraries that support academic achievement in the school community for educational professionals at National Blue Ribbon Schools in the United States. Perceptions regarding the role of school librarianship surrounding academic achievement were…

What can school librarians do about library and book censorship? First, ask questions. Find out what your principal and your district have put into policy and what your principal's expectations are for your school library. Then, communicate with your classroom teachers. For ourselves, school librarians should work with colleagues, especially other…

Established standards and guidelines promote school librarian leadership in technology integration. Despite the imperatives implicit in professional guidelines and standards, school librarians' active engagement as leaders is not pervasive practice. Technology rich 21st century school libraries present a challenge to school librarians to lead…

Catalyst: Another newspaper article ("Ranks of School Librarians Dwindle in HISD, Statewide" in the October 7, 2013, "Houston Chronicle") detailing another decision by a Houston Independent School District (HISD) campus principal to eliminate the librarian (Mellon 2013). In response to this article, Dorcas Hand, an experienced…

Children across the United States of America are maturing in a media-saturated society. Unfortunately, this often results in poor content choices and evaluative skills. North American schools have attempted to address this problem through information literacy skills. One role key to teaching these skills is the role of the school librarian.…

Adolescents who receive current, accurate, reliable, and balanced sexual-health information are more likely to express healthier sexual attitudes and engage in healthier sexual behaviors than adolescents receiving limited or no sexual-health information. High school librarians have the potential to help meet sexual-health information needs of…

Administrators are identified as key players in the success of school library programs and in the success of school librarians. Yet research has shown that administrators continue to have little understanding of what the school library program is, can be, or should be in the school setting, nor are administrators familiar with the roles a school…

This study explores Virginia elementary school principals' perceptions of the instructional role of the library media specialist and the origin of these perceptions. Principals who responded to the study strongly endorse the role of library media specialist as teacher of information literacy skills and as instructional partner. Respondents…

This article reports the results of the third and final phase of a two-year research study on the impact of New York State's school libraries on student achievement and motivation. Results of phase I and phase II are briefly reviewed to provide the context for phase III methods and findings. Phase III comprised (1) qualitative research that…

Examines the functions and relationship of school principals and librarians. Discusses the changing roll of school libraries since the 1960s. Explores problems of implementing a new school library. Discusses the librarian's position in the school's organizational structure. Notes that principals must recognize and support the school library…

In study after study, three priorities appear to make a difference to the principal's view of the teacher-librarian. First, teacher-librarians who collaborate with classroom colleagues make a difference to literacy and student achievement; those who don't, don't. Second, teacher librarians who perform leadership roles in the school and in the…

Discusses the importance of collaboration between the school library media specialists and classroom teachers from a principal's perspective. Topics include the problems with traditional scheduled library visits; media specialist as teacher; principals' expectations of teachers and media specialists; and barriers to successful collaboration. (LRW)

Discusses findings from research literature on the importance of the relationship between the teacher-librarian and the principal. Highlights include the principal's understanding of the value of information literacy, the quality of communication between the teacher-librarian and principal, principal's support and the importance of credibility,…

This study examines the meaning of the concept of "principal support" from the point of view of seven teacher-librarians in two Alberta (Canada) school districts. It also explores the different ways in which these teacher-librarians went about increasing principal support for the school library program and for their role as…

Seventy-seven principals serving grades 7-12 in Missouri schools were surveyed to determine the differences between how principals view school librarians and how school librarians view themselves. Similarities occurred in the perceptions about the importance of a library program and inadequate funding. Views diverged most noticeably in terms of…