Libraries serve our nation and its citizens in two primary ways: by preserving our common culture, and by nurturing and sustaining democracy itself. A particular democratic function of libraries is fostering reading. As noted in two reports recently issued by the U.S. Department of Education, "What Works" and "First Lessons," it is imperative to…

This document presents papers from a conference held in November 1995 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, convened by the Education Policy Unit (EPU) of the University of Natal as part of research concerning the provision of library-based resources for school learners. Following an introduction are two chapters: "Identifying the Inherited Problems in…

The benefits for students, teachers, administrators, and library media specialists of telefacsimile use in high school library media centers are outlined. It is noted that students, including those with special needs, would benefit from the expanded information searches made possible by telefacsimile-facilitated interlibrary cooperation. The…

Reports on the IFLA Pre-Session Seminar on international issues in school librarianship (Caldes de Montbui, Spain, August 1993). Summarizes papers dealing with the role of school libraries in developing countries; selection and acquisitions; management and financial support; and country reports on the school library situation. Also includes…

Contains part of a speech given at the workshop "Student Access to New Information Technology in the Library Media Center." Suggestions for technological change are offered, including carrying out existing functions more effectively, changing work roles and organizational structure, developing new functions, and goals; and implications…

This paper discusses the need for developing provincial/state, regional, and district partnerships to provide critical support for library media programs at the building level. It maintains that the experts who provide leadership at each level must be strong advocates for the integration of the library media program into all aspects of the…

Excerpts from testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the proposed Technology for Education Act highlights the need for strong school library media collections and programs in addition to the latest technology. Highlights include funding, expenditures, media centers and student achievement, librarians'…

This paper examines the process of selecting, evaluating, integrating, and cataloging multicultural texts for school libraries. the first part examines the selection and evaluation of culturally authentic texts. Seven sources for locating multicultural literature and several reviewing sources are listed. The following criteria for evaluating…

Presents summaries of 12 papers presented at the 1990 Computers in Libraries Conference. Topics discussed include online searching; microcomputer-based serials management; microcomputer-based workstations; online public access catalogs (OPACs); multitype library networking; CD-ROM searches; locally mounted online databases; collection evaluation;…