Unlike the static, set-in-stone research project, the inquiry process is an interactive cycle used to teach research in any content area. The inquiry process engages students in a way that promotes critical thinking, higher-level processing, and the use of more varied and appropriate resources. This article introduces the inquiry process and…

When the authors met through a mutual colleague, Gail Dickinson at Old Dominion University, Karen and Shana set about to examine issues that do not normally interest sociologists--the number of days school libraries are closed and whether or not library schedules (fixed or flexed) impact student achievement. However, Shana, a sociologist who…

The state of Virginia is in danger of cutting library resources to meet the state's Standards of Quality (SOQs), which assigns a minimum requirement for staffing a library. There is no greater time to advocate for school libraries. The author argues that now, more than ever, is the time to continue advocacy efforts to provide quality staffing for…

Norfolk Detention School is an alternative school for juveniles under the age of 18 who are awaiting adjudication by the court and those who are awaiting transfer to another facility. This article describes the author's experience as a library media specialist in this juvenile detention school. She describes how she has promoted and encouraged…