In this article, the author states that school librarians can contribute to an atmosphere that supports intellectual freedom by drawing attention to the subtle messages about community values--messages that are communicated by virtue of what is included or excluded from curricular and co-curricular offerings. The author address issues with…

The purpose of this article is to share findings from a qualitative study showing the positive influences the local public library and the school library had on the personal and academic lives of 18 low-income English language learners of Mexican descent while they were adjusting to the numerous demands of school in the US. For these students, the…

Games and other forms of play are used in today's libraries to attract underserved patrons, to introduce patrons to other library resources and services, and to facilitate engagement between library patrons. While many perceive gaming as a new library service, gaming services have been part of librarianship since the nineteenth century through…

In the past, this author used a generic self-assessment form designed for administrators at her school, yet administration is only a part of what she does. The administrative self-assessment tool does not give her an opportunity to reflect on other important responsibilities of a professionally trained school librarian. Therefore, the author…

If you're new to running a library or looking for a refresher, this book can serve as your first reference source for school library operation, providing overview information on a wealth of topics, lists of resources for more in-depth information, and coverage of current topics such as Web 2.0, fundraising, digital booktalks, and cybersafety.…

In the rapidly changing globalized world, school librarians cannot prepare today's students for every possible outcome, but they can give them the skills that will make them adaptable in 21st-century learning and work settings. The mission for school library programs is to ensure that students are effective users of ideas and information by being…

Each year the State Library sends annual report forms to California's public, academic, special, state agency, and county law libraries. Statistical data from those reports are tabulated in this publication, with directory listings published in the companion volume, "California Library Directory." For this fiscal year, 389 libraries of…

An honor system library can be created inside the library media center (LMC). Where students can access free books and magazines that require no formal checkouts. The honor library system at Washington High School, Fremont, California, has become self-sustaining. As many students, parents and teachers donate quality material. No student is ever…

Designing curricula around the standards, with clearly delineated strategies, expectations, and evaluative procedures, is thought to assure that growth in student achievement may be tracked. While this process can sometimes be nebulous, one thing is certain: clearly understanding what is involved in reaching a degree of excellence and determining…

This study examines possible factors related to school library programs that correlate with student academic achievement. Analyzing library programs as a system, the investigator adapted the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) principles for library media programs in conjunction with standardized tests. For the population examined (60…

Numerous state impact studies show that school libraries improve student achievement and standardized test scores, yet that fact is insufficient to keep financially strapped districts from closing their libraries. Teacher-librarians must be proactive and gather data at the school-site level to demonstrate how valuable they are to students and…

Many students who enroll in a community college "Information Research" course come from three local school districts. Of those three districts, only one has librarians. Through examining grade rosters, this study demonstrates that student achievement is substantially higher for students who come from high schools that have librarians and…

This conference was held to bring librarians and users from academic, public, school, and special libraries together to discuss how resource sharing among all types of libraries, for the benefit of all types of users, might be enhanced through formal multitype networking. A conference workbook was provided for participants to read ahead of time,…

A proposal is made for an exchange of cassette tapes from librarians, teachers, and students between Palo Alto, California, and Queensland, Australia. The objectives of the project are to help children and adults from both countries to form a closer understanding, and to stimulate and share thoughts and ideas. Suggested activities include singing,…

Discusses the lack of library services in California, which has the lowest librarian to student ratio of any state in the nation. The need for standards for library accreditation, strategies for publicizing the conditions in California, and the effort to pass new legislation to generate support for California's school libraries are described. (KRN)