School library media specialists are the first to witness the malaise that permeates American schools threatening the future of our society. Believing that personal lack of aspirations, our failure to encourage reading for pure enjoyment, and society's disrespect toward education has left a void in our children that is filled with apathy.

The leadership role of the library media specialist is very important because it enhances the achievement level of the students. Information Power, Building Partnerships for Learning encourages library media specialists to be members of the leadership team, organize learning opportunities for members of the learning community, develop curriculum…

Public library music provision, as a less traditional role for public libraries, has always caused contention: a vital source of cultural materials within the community though never confirmed to be a core part of library services by the Government. This article concerns itself with a detailed consideration of the decline of music services over the…

As students file into the library media center for orientation during the hectic first weeks of school, Mrs. Greene, a veteran media specialist with fifteen years experience, wonders how she can make a difference in an environment governed by No Child Left Behind and state-mandated tests. Some students are disadvantaged because they are struggling…

The author argues that the profession of librarianship is in crisis. She seeks to identify the characteristics and analyse the qualities of this phenomenon in order to draw conclusions about future trends and directions for the profession. It is argued that this crisis is an outward sign of a deeper transformation which is taking place and which…

In the most effective schools, the potential for positive impact of the school library media center and the library media specialist is recognized, and teachers and media specialists work together routinely to support teaching and learning. This "Informed Educator" examines both the elements of an effective school library media center and the…

During the summer, thousands of soon-to-be college students will read books as part of campus-wide "shared reading" programs (also referred as to common reader programs, one book programs, etc.). Such programs are designed to provide incoming students with a common experience and invite exploration of particular themes (e.g., diversity, etc.),…

Professionally, school librarians are faced with an explosion of choices--search engines, online catalogs, media types, subscription databases, and Web tools--all requiring scrutiny, evaluation, and selection. In turn, this support "stuff" forms a basis for making additional choices about how and what they teach and what they assess. Whereas once…

"When you start your new job as a school librarian, one of the first steps you must take is to ask to see the district's book selection policy. If there isn't one, write one. Right away. It protects you, the teachers, and the district." That advice was part of the author's school library administration course at the School of Library and…

School library media center scheduling, particularly the fixed versus flexible scheduling controversy, continues to be debated in spite of decades of advocacy for flexible scheduling. According to van Deusen (1999), flexible scheduling is "a plan wherein classes meet for instruction in the library resource center when they have a specific need…

This document describes a series of activities to teach 30 fifth grade students about history through fiction. Activities began with a prereading brainstorming session in which students came up with topics that they studied during the school year. Next, the school librarian introduced the children to the genre of historical fiction and instructed…

Themes of the 23rd Annual International Association of School Librarianship conference included "Traditional Literacy,""The Current Status of Libraries,""Literacy in a Technological World," and "Preserving Cultural and Historical Literacy." The following papers were presented at the conference: (1)…

This booklet is intended to help spread the word about the library and the librarian's role. It discusses the three interwoven roles of the school library media specialist--the role of information specialists (the "traditional" role); the role of library-media teachers in which they advance the goals of the school's literacy and general…

A practicum was designed for students, faculty, and administrators in an urban elementary school to acquire an increased understanding of other cultures. The practicum setting was a library media center with a student population of 1,205. Two inservice training workshops to inform staff members about the numerous cultures of their students (63%…

Noting that the urgency to break the cycle of illiteracy in the United States has been substantiated by the passing of federal acts such as the National Literacy Act of 1991, this paper presents annotations of 30 items from the ERIC database related to family literacy programs. Annotations in the paper are organized into six sections--overview,…