The idea of "reading the room" borrowed from the business world applies to how school library professionals can identify and responsively meet the needs of users. By stepping up to do work even when it is not requested, and yet in alignment with our mission, we can help sustain our library programs.

In 2010 the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) responded to rapid changes in school libraries by convening the "Wisconsin School Library Summit: Envisioning 21st Century Learners and School Library Media Programs." Summit participants discussed the future of school libraries in Wisconsin. During the summit, several…

School librarians and educators have specific copyright questions that are often glossed over in larger books on the subject. Now, thanks to best-selling copyright authority Carrie Russell, there's a resource just for them, offering clear guidance for providing materials to students while carefully observing copyright law. Using whimsical…

As digital devices play a more critical role in daily life than ever, more opportunities arise for innovative learning technologies--a trend on full display in the "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook for 2012." This latest edition, volume 37, from the Association for Education, Communication, and Technology (AECT) notes the most…

Some of the author's most valuable experiences as a library media specialist (LMS) were not in a school library. Rather, they were on the streets of Chicago, in community gardens, and on the rooftops of buildings in Humboldt Park, where she was hired by the University of Illinois Community Informatics Initiative as a graduate assistant and LMS in…

Discusses the use of distance education for library education courses based on experiences at the University of Illinois. Topics include the importance of real-time interaction; the availability of technical support; requiring some on-campus time; and the suitability of distance education for youth services and school librarianship courses. (LRW)

This brief description of school library development in Ghana includes the history of the service, its present situation (facilities, stocks of books and other materials, acquisition and processing of books, finances, library staff, relationship with public library), and suggestions for improvement. (EJS)

The impact of a changing college-student population on educational programs and services is being felt throughout American higher-education circles. This book provides an overview for librarians and educators of multicultural issues in higher education and existing library programs that is related to multicultural and international students. The…

Following a discussion of the major trends in higher education, the response of academic libraries to these developments is considered, with particular attention to developments related to undergraduate libraries, community college libraries, learning resources centers, the independent study movement, the library-college movement and library…

Academic librarians report that use by increasingly large numbers of high school students is creating pressures in budgets, staff, and materials. Indications are that these demands will increase: students are increasingly sophisticated in their information needs; they are mobile; and school library media centers' collections have been weakened by…

Reviews doctoral dissertation research dealing specifically with school library media programs and resources. A comprehensive set of recommendations for future research is made and a 160-item reference list accompanies the text. (JL)

Discusses the combination of school and public library facilities. Includes six essays that relate experiences and opinions regarding public libraries that have some cooperative agreement with school or university libraries to share services and facilities. (LRW)

This directory profiles 98 science and engineering libraries in the New York City area. The libraries that have been selected are those most easily accessible to the public. The entries for the libraries are alphabetically arranged and numbered sequentially, and each entry provides the following information: the founding year; subject coverage;…

Suggests guidelines for library service to college and high school debaters: (1) learn how educational debate is structured; (2) assess the level of debate activity in the area; (3) determine appropriate levels of service; (4) evaluate and/or supplement existing resources; (5) provide services required; and (6) provide recognition. (37 references)…

This article describes a research center established by Professors Carol Kuhlthau and Ross Todd of Rutgers University in New Brunswick to promote the study of the impact of school library media centers on student learning and the dynamics of effective school library programs. The Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) is…