In 2005, a record breaking 26 named tropical storms including 13 hurricanes ravaged the Gulf Coast of the United States. In response to the devastation of hundreds of schools, the Laura Bush Foundation swiftly created The Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative to help school libraries become fully functional and to offer the needed print…

Describes programs developed by the Chicago School District to renovate and revitalize its school libraries. Topics include funding, other educational reforms in the district, updating library collections, updating librarians' skills, increasing budgets through grants, flexible scheduling, corporate support, relations with the Chicago Public…

This evaluation of Library Power for the international community is based on two questions: (1) What lessons can be learned from countries with different educational systems and can the international school library community utilize any part of the outcome of the Library Power project?; and (2) Are the questions that Library Power addressed…

Profiles cooperative projects developed at elementary schools in the Miami-Dade County Library Power Grant. Discusses the librarian/teacher collaborative planning process. Describes the PEACE (Plan for Excellence in a Collaborative Environment) project which revolves around a multi-leveled, pyramid design for collaborative planning. (AEF)

Describes the development of the grant-funded Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS), a project design to provide cost-effective access to online resources in school libraries across the state. Notes that online database provides offer substantial discounts for group acquisition of their products which has prompted the development of…

This document consists of 12 consecutive issues of the monthly "Centennial State Libraries" newsletter, of the Colorado Department of Education State Library and Adult Education Office. The issues cover the year 1999. Each issue--except the August issue which is an Annual Report--includes some or all of the following sections: current…

Describes the Knapp School Libraries Project that was developed in the 1960s to create model libraries in elementary and secondary schools by upgrading their materials and qualified personnel. Visits from librarians, educators, students, and community members that helped disseminate the model libraries' characteristics are discussed. (Contains 14…

Describes the National Library Program supported by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The program's national goals and guidelines and results of eight projects are presented. Brief descriptions of five new projects and nine planning sites are given. Continuation plans and the possibility of funding beyond the three-year project period are…

This five-year plan for the administration of Utah's Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) program contains the following sections: (1) principles; (2) assumptions; (3) the current scene of Utah libraries, including public libraries, academic libraries, school library media centers, and private and research libraries; (4) establishment of…

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…

This book presents the results of an evaluation of Library Power, an initiative of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund that provided support for school library development in 19 communities. Following an introductory chapter, the chapters are organized around key questions of the evaluation. Chapters 2 through 4 address the implementation of…

Addresses areas which school library collections improved during the Library Power grant years, factors contributing to collection development improvements, how the collection formed the basis for collaborations between the librarian and teachers, and contributions of the collection to teaching and learning. (AEF)

Examines the major elements present in the community and the educational context prior to and during implementation of the Library Power initiative in the Lincoln (Nebraska) Public Schools site. Describes key team members who secured the grant, the educational framework supporting the initiative, and new teams and strategies developed to ensure…

Examines the implementation of the Library Power initiative at Lakeside Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Findings indicated the program provided an opportunity to improve the library collection and to develop a process approach to library research; the development of student-centered, resource-based approaches to teaching and learning…

Librarians in Library Power schools were asked to describe meaningful student learning experiences in their libraries and to explain what made them meaningful. Responses were analyzed for the quality of the learning experience described and for the kinds of indicators cited as evidence of learning. Case studies observed how school library media…