Examines the evolution of the Whole Language curriculum, its current theory and practices, and its effect on the school library media center. The similarity between Whole Language and the Montessori approach to literacy is discussed, and the role of the media specialist in a Whole Language library media center is described. (31 references) (LRW)

Discusses the public for bibliographic instruction in libraries, what they are learning, who is not being served, and what the implications of that failure are. It is suggested that bibliographic instruction should create a public knowledgeable about the information environment, including its principles, structure, systems, and libraries as…

Discusses evaluation of the teacher-librarian and includes checklists for nine areas of competence deemed necessary by the Canadian School Library Association (CSLA). Use of the checklists to facilitate communication between the teacher-librarian and the school principal is suggested, including a discussion of priorities and degree of…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 16 bibliographic sources and journals to help school library media specialists identify multicultural books and materials for their collections. The ethnic and cultural diversity of public schools' student populations is described, and benefits of multicultural literature are discussed. (nine references) (LRW)

Summarizes 16 research reports related to school library media that were located through "Library Literature." Information in the summaries includes purpose of the study, the population that was studied, the methodology used in conducting the study and analyzing the data, and findings. Prominent topics include collections, censorship,…

Overview of the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services covers the conference setting, speakers, activities, and recommendations. Discussion of selected recommendations adopted focuses on library services to youth, the President's America 2000 plan, the National Research and Education Network, and other areas that affect…

Discusses the importance of including primary source material in school library media centers and points out that many are probably already in collection, e.g., the texts of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, videotapes and audiotapes of actual events and voices, photographs, and paintings. Some basic primary materials are recommended. (LAE)

Describes the history of tangrams and their use as mathematical puzzles and explains how they can be adapted for library media specialists to use for developing subject headings on a particular topic. An example is given; and 28 resources on tangrams are listed, including books, nonprint materials, and addresses. (LRW)

Describes a study of secondary school library media specialists that was conducted to investigate the potential use of reference transaction measures. The use of the Reference Transaction Module is explained which used three different output measures: Transaction Analysis, Reference Completion Rate, and Transactions per Student. (LRW)

Discusses the value of professionally sanctioned guidelines for planning, implementing, and evaluating reference and information services in school libraries. A checklist is provided for assessing school library media reference services based in part on "Information Power." Results can be used for evaluating and upgrading existing…

Discusses sampling of circulation data as a technique for library media program management. Highlights include random and purposive sampling techniques; studies of circulation samples; factors affecting circulation patterns; guidelines for sampling circulation statistics over shorter time periods; and an example using statistics gathered from an…

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…

Contains an introduction (Jean Thibodeaux Kreamer) to this section and five articles on video in libraries: "Managing an Integrated Video Collection" (Michael Hedges); "The Video Librarian's Hide and Seek: Videotapes and Collection Development" (Merle Slyhoff); "Video in the Schools" (Charles Triche); "A Conversation with Sally Mason" (James…

Discussion of quality education focuses on two studies: one explored the impact of school library media centers on student achievements, and the other examined the value of voluntary reading. A model developed from the studies indicates that adequate media centers combined with the effective use of library resources lead to higher student…

Eight volunteers reported their experiences with a self-access center, trying out new machines and materials and producing materials about a specific area of the center. Benefits of their involvement included improving the infrastructure, providing support to other users, and publicizing the available facilities. (Contains 18 references.) (Author)