Selecting materials for school libraries has always been a challenging task, but it has become much more complicated in the 21st Century. A school librarian at a junior high in the late 1990s could allot a certain portion of her budget for reference books, the general circulating collection, a few audiovisual materials, and newspapers and…

It is not unusual for library media specialists to experience having their staff cut. The author has experienced this scenario twice. Each time, she and her colleagues redefined and restructured their library media centers to maximize teaching and learning. In this article, the author discusses some of the things she has learned about coping with…

In 2005, the American Association of School Librarians' Independent Schools Section conducted a national survey of independent school libraries. This article analyzes the results of the survey, reporting specialized data and information regarding independent school library budgets, collections, services, facilities, and staffing. Additionally, the…

Includes eight articles that address issues related to budgeting and finances in secondary school libraries. Topics include limited budgets; budget proposals; administering grants; writing grants; using Microsoft's Excel software for budgeting; using credit cards for library purchases; offering prizes for donating books; and offering coffee and…

The U.S. Office of Education undertook this study at the request of State supervisors of school libraries for data to aid school administrators and librarians in determining the cost of operating libraries. The findings of this exploratory study have been gathered from a limited sampling of a group of selected high-school libraries. It is hoped…

Discusses elements of planning that are needed for effective school library media programs. Elements of strategic and operational planning are described; contributors to the planning process are suggested; needs assessment is discussed; planning outputs and inputs are explained; budget considerations are mentioned; and the need for evaluation is…

This guide presents practical information about planning a school library media center budget in consideration of the goals and objectives of the district, the school, and of the particular programs involved, both for the year under consideration, and for the future. Three chapters are devoted to discussions of initiating a budget, the Iowa budget…

Discusses results of a survey of school media specialists and their budgets in a group of 81 participants in Western North Carolina. Findings included: virtually all participants had site-based management teams or school improvement teams in their schools, however, only a third of the media specialists were on these teams, and there was much…

This guide to managing school libraries begins, in chapters 1 and 2, with a brief history of school library media programs and the role of the media specialist. Chapter 3 describes preparation programs and job seeking for the potential library media specialist. Chapter 4 discusses the first week on the job, and what the new librarian should find…

Focuses on effective data gathering in school libraries. Discusses the connection between program goals and statistical information; budget data; using spreadsheets to track and compare costs; circulation data and trends; copyright assessment of materials; material-quality evaluation; lab usage data; computer information; data on services and…

This guide to managing school libraries, including references to the most recent AASL guidelines, "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning," uses a format similar to the previous edition. Chapters 1 and 2 offer a brief history of school library media programs and describe the role of the media specialist in new technologies. The…

The following list of books, pamphlets, and periodicals was compiled for the use of school administrators, librarians, and teachers who are concerned with the organization and administration of the effective school library in modern education. An endeavor was made to select materials which will be of practical usefulness to educators of today,…

Since the organization of the United States Bureau of Education in 1867 statistics of public libraries have appeared periodically in the annual reports. It has been the purpose to gather such statistics every five years, but it has not been possible to carry out the plan with perfect regularity. For forty years every annual report of the bureau…