Discussion of ways to improve student focuses on the simple concept of letting students read whatever they choose, including comic books or so-called trashy books. Barriers to this approach are discussed, including the difficulty in breaking away from past practices and academic research that is unhelpful to practitioners. (LRW)

Describes two Treasure Mountain IV conferences. The first conference brought practitioners together with researchers Stephen Krashen and Keith Lance to discuss evidence that school library media programs make a difference in academic achievement. The second conference focused on the possibility of measuring the impact of library media programs on…

Discusses school librarians' use of telecommunications to provide access to electronic resources and information databases outside the school library. Examples are given of services provided through the Internet, including electronic mail, file transfer protocol, Gopher, Wide Area Information Server, and World Wide Web. (five references) (LRW)

Comments on the research finding that the personal convictions of the teacher-librarian about what is made available to secondary school students are more influential in the censorship of school library materials than external pressures to censor by school and community members. (six references) (MAB)

Describes the 15 rural extension centers maintained by Texas community colleges. Reports survey findings regarding the library extension services offered to the centers, including full branch libraries (five centers) and informal arrangements with public libraries for services (five centers). Indicates mileage between center and campus. (DMM)

Describes a service offered by the library at Oakton Community College (Illinois) to full-time college faculty and administrators. Faculty members register to receive the contents page from any periodical in the collection and are encouraged to borrow the periodical or request any desired articles. (DMM)

Cites court decisions in several prominent school library censorship cases and discusses the role of the library media specialist in preparing students to meet challenges to their intellectual freedom. Several teaching/learning activities that are useful for involving students in censorship and intellectual freedom issues are described. (eight…

Describes the roles of various divisions of the American Library Association (ALA) in helping to pass the youth services resolution at the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS2). A sidebar contains the text of the resolution, which is entitled The Omnibus Children and Youth Literacy through Libraries Act. (LRW)

Reports on an annual national survey of state-level school library officials. Data are presented for 1990-91 on the number of children enrolled in public schools, the number of certified school library media specialists employed, and students per media specialist. A graph compares data for selected years from 1969 to the present. (KRN)

Discusses management guidelines to follow when conducting performance appraisal conferences for clerical assistants or paraprofessionals in secondary school libraries. Topics addressed include the need for privacy during the conference; making the assistant part of the process by asking for a self-evaluation; being well prepared; and properly…

Underscores the need for international education in community colleges, considering the links between American international business competitiveness and community college education. Looks at the role of learning resources centers (LRCs) in program development and support. Considers activities that may be undertaken by LRC staff in international…

Describes Collin County Community College's commitment to an active/experiential learning philosophy and the role of the college's learning resources center (LRC) in promoting learner-centered education and lab experiences throughout the curriculum. Discusses the LRC's Alternative Learning Center, which uses computers and other technology to…

Provides a brief overview of the development of bibliographic instruction (BI) in learning resources centers (LRCs). Offers findings from a national survey of LRCs focusing on LRC size and staffing, services, collections, BI programs, use of computers in BI, and evaluation of and training for BI. (DMM)

Describes how guidelines for school library media programs have developed through the years and discusses what is required to implement the 1988 guidelines in "Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs." Highlights include the role of the school library media specialist, leadership and planning, and personnel. (LRW)

Discusses flexible scheduling in school library media centers and describes strategies to initiate scheduling that allows library media skills to be integrated into other curriculum areas. Topics discussed include collaboration with classroom teachers, becoming familiar with the curriculum, changes in learning strategies, and changes in the media…