The author reveals in this article that her action research journey in the land of evidence-based practice was not her own idea. She writes that she was lured by the profession's finest scholars who advocated for reflective dispositions for practitioners to improve their practice and demonstrate the school librarian's critical role in teaching and…

School librarians, professional library literature, and scholarly library literature tout the benefits of schools staffed with certified school librarians. However, recent reductions in library funding and elimination of school library positions suggest stakeholders do not connect the school library program to positive student learning outcomes.…

Fixed scheduling is well-researched in the school library literature. We know from this research that information skills taught in isolation from curriculum content are not as relevant to students as skills taught in the context of what they already know (McGregor 2006). Constructivism is an approach to learning that posits individuals construct…

Over the last century, school library standards have gone through a number of iterations, and expectations for student learning have evolved. While the school library of today looks and functions differently from the school library of the early 1900s, the vision surprisingly is still very similar. The goal of today's school library is to provide…

School libraries have been in existence since at least the eighth century. However, it wasn't until the twentieth century that the school library was seen primarily as "a source of enrichment for the curriculum, and a means of developing reading and study habits in the pupils" (Clyde 1981, 263). While the formats available and tools for…

Describes programs developed by the Chicago School District to renovate and revitalize its school libraries. Topics include funding, other educational reforms in the district, updating library collections, updating librarians' skills, increasing budgets through grants, flexible scheduling, corporate support, relations with the Chicago Public…

This article is the first of two that present a six-part conceptual framework for the design and evaluation of digital libraries meant to support mathematics education in K-12 settings (see also pt. 2). This first article concentrates on (1) information organization, (2) information literacy, and (3) integrated learning with multimedia materials.…

The new edition of "Information Power, National Guidelines for School Libraries" has a focus on change as reflected in technology, educational philosophy, role of the library media specialists, and importance of information literacy across the curriculum. These changes are explored, new trends are related to practice, and the impact on…

The Ontario Ministry of Education directive, Partners in Education, describes the purpose and the process for integrating the library resource center program with the school curriculum. It also provides implementation direction in the form of role descriptions for the teacher, teacher-librarian, principal, and board/system support staff. In this…

A symposium explored recent public policy trends related to Canadian school libraries; the position of the school library as part of the educational process; and the school library's current and future roles in using old and new technologies to enable students to develop their information skills, ability to conduct research, problem-solving…

Focuses on findings from studies investigating leadership for change in schools and districts which indicate that teacher- librarians must be mirror-images of other teachers if they are to have credibility with teachers and principals. Discusses the essential characteristics of knowledge base; technical skills; personal, interpersonal and team…

Presents a case study of how educational reform can improve the library media program, based on experiences at one high school that was assisted by the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC) project and its spin-off project, the Bay Area National Digital Library (BANDL). Discusses methods for increasing schoolwide information literacy,…

This paper examines the purpose and history of the school library in the United States, and specifically in California, and discusses concerns and issues that need to be addressed to ensure that school libraries have a place in the future. The paper concludes that excellent school librarians are essential in ensuring that all young people have…

Discusses why school administrators have not heard about the difference libraries make in student achievement (e.g., stereotypes of libraries and librarians, lack of attention to library programs in teacher/administrator training, the absorbability and invisibility of library work) and how to make changes in order to draw benefits from school…

The many changes in the world's social structure require corresponding changes in education. One across-the-system change that needs to be given emphasis is the development of school libraries. The current state of the world's school libraries is generally unsatisfactory. This view is based on the results of an international comparative study of…