Despite the funding challenges nearly all school libraries face, many media specialists are optimistic about the role of technology in the school library, according to "School Library Journal's" ("SLJ") 2011 Technology Survey. But in spite of the general optimism, others point to some significant obstacles: technological innovations are often…

In this article, the author describes her new approach to collection development. To fulfill her dream of each kid walking out of the library with the book they asked for, she enlisted the help of her students. Once they realized that their suggestions were taken seriously, the more they were willing to take the time to tell her about the great…

In this article, the author discusses how to transform a down-on-its-luck library into an irresistible place for boys. She suggests to begin with vision, energy, and a lot of hard work. Based on the author's 30-plus years of experience working with students, she knows boys respond well to a scholarly environment. In fact, it is one of the ways…

For children's book lovers, the world was infinitely glorious on Monday, January 26, 2009, as the winners of the American Library Association's (ALA) awards were announced at the midwinter meeting in Denver. But two days later, a drunk driver slammed into a taxicab, killing two children's librarians as they were on their way to the Denver…

Librarians love books. They love the feel, the smell, and the look of the page. However, physical volumes have kept the author from reaching the ideas and stories that he wants. An impenetrable pile of pages in linear order, books are difficult to decode, search, and rearrange, and one of the worst information management systems he has…

The author describes how she was able to broadcast her whereabouts, her moods, and her desire to connect with friends for dinner to over 150 conference attendees simultaneously, using her mobile phone through a service called Twitter. Twitter enables social butterflies like the author to instantly publish brief messages to a network of contacts.…

Based on the findings of a recent three-year study by Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, the authors can confirm what many librarians have long suspected: students who take part in their local library's summer reading program significantly improve their reading skills. This article describes the results of…

Patrick Jones, winner of the 2006 Scholastic Library Publishing Award (formerly known as the Grolier Foundation Award), is 44--seemingly too young to receive what is, after all, a lifetime achievement award. Given annually to a librarian "who has made extraordinary contributions that promote access to books, encourage a love of reading for…

This article features Eliza Dresang, an award-winning author, and her achievements. Dresang was responsible for making a radical shift in how teachers and parents understand modern children literature when she wrote her groundbreaking book, "Radical Change." She found the motivation to write this book after realizing how teachers and parents were…

Since children's librarianship developed as a specialty, children's librarians have perpetuated beliefs and behavior patterns that may lead to the elimination, downgrading, or ostracism of children's services. New goals and workable plans are needed if children's services are to be managed wisely and avoid being trapped by these myths. (JPF)

Getting kids excited about the library isn't as difficult as media librarians think. All it takes is giving them some control. They'll be surprised at how quickly their attitudes change once they let them play a role in everything from programming and technology to book selection and design. It may take some getting used to, but listening to what…

A remarkable group of 19th Century American women removed the signs, Dogs and Children Not Allowed,'' from the public libraries and originated what has been called America's most valuable contribution to the library world--library service to children. (10 references) (Author/NH)

An ideal school library and its librarian are described. (PF)

Asserts the value of booktalks in the work of young adult librarians and gives guidelines for preparing and conducting a booktalk. (PF)

A modified Delphi study was conducted to determine the motivating goals of coordinators of children's services and children's librarians. Goals are discussed in terms of their rating on a five-point scale, and ranked according to the mean for the priority ratings assigned them by all the respondents. (JPF)