The publication in 2015 of new international school library guidelines was the culmination of a two-year process involving a wide network of contributors. The process was guided by the Joint Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) School Libraries Section and the International Association of School Librarianship…

Schools and school libraries are becoming more diverse. What cultural barriers do you face in your position? Have you come across challenges in how you handle cultural situations with students, teachers, or administrators? If so, have you considered skills that can help you facilitate conversations more effectively? How would you rate your…

The National School Library Standards require school librarians to make equity a value that permeates the entire school library community. Creating displays to celebrate diversity is not enough. We cannot allow ourselves to approach diversity as a "social good," in which isolated programs serve marginalized students without challenging…

School librarians regularly face difficult intellectual freedom questions. Is it a good idea to put grade- or reading-level labels on the outside of books or use labels to determine what students should read? Do children have First Amendment rights? The ALA "Intellectual Freedom Manual" provides answers and guidance. The…

2016 marks an important milestone for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). Despite the ever-changing and always-challenging economic, political, and societal landscape, for nearly sixty-five years the association has grown and prospered within the structure of the American Library Association (ALA) and remains "the only…

School librarians throughout the country struggle to determine how to enact meaningful change that will strengthen their programs. They seek ways to increase collaboration with classroom teachers, to prepare their collections to meet the needs of the new Common Core State Standards, and to offer highly effective programs that prepare students to…

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Literacy and Reading Section is trying to help librarians address the question: "How can librarians effectively promote literacy and reading?" This guide is IFLA's second publication aimed specifically at librarians and related organizations who want to find ways to…

No doubt most school librarians have heard of the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) new "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner." The four standards with their accompanying skills, dispositions, responsibilities, and self-assessment strategies form a defining new vision for the direction of school library programs. AASL named the…

Whether a school library program is the picture of good health in a state that mandates a professionally staffed library media center in every building or is suffering in a low-wealth district that is facing drastic cuts, the recently launched toolkits by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) are stocked with useful strategies and…

The new "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner IN ACTION", presented like a colorful flowchart, was previewed without fanfare at the annual Midwinter meeting of the American Library Association in Denver, Colorado, in January (American Library Association 2009). This new publication does a good job in further defining the student…

In this article, the author provides an overview of and her reflections on the new American Association of School Librarians (AASL) program guidelines, "Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs" (2009). At just sixty-four pages, this publication is easy to browse and ready for investigation. As to be expected from…

The American Association for School Librarians (AASL) convened a task force to study the need for standards and developed guidelines for the 21st century called "Learning for Life" (L4L). These guidelines were ardently discussed, and experts were called in to address concerns about how the standards would cover all areas critical for 21st-century…

Several comprehensive information literacy (IL) standards have been developed worldwide for use in the education sector, specifically for students and teachers. Apart from the more generic International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) IL standards, such standards are more appropriate for their countries of origins. If these standards are…

This paper discusses the work of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) working group. The first section provides background on ISBDs and the revision process. Reasons for the current need for an ISBD working group are summarized in the second section, including the…

Examines rules affected by revisions approved by American Library Association's Joint Steering Committee for Revision of Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2) and those covered in the new "Guidelines for Using AACR2 Chapter 9 for Cataloging Microcomputer Software." Changes still needed to provide adequate bibliographic control are…