School librarians have a critical role to play in supporting the use of Ed Tech within our schools. It is an ever-changing field. Additionally, it is often the school librarian who has the unique responsibility of introducing and sharing new technology with their school community. However, school librarians also have the added responsibility of…

J. Linda Williams was coordinator of school library services for Anne Arundel County Public Schools prior to her retirement. She served as AASL President 2005-2006 and is also a past president of the Maryland Association of School Librarians. Looking back on her 2005-2006 term as AASL President, Williams writes that she feels that particular year…

Teenagers will freely give up personal information to join social networks on the Internet. However, a 2007 study by the Pew Internet and American Life project found that most of the 55 percent of teens who place their personal profiles online take steps to protect themselves from the most obvious areas of risk. Parents, teachers, and librarians…

Discusses the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the role of the school library media specialist in keeping the school district informed about the new federal education legislation and funding opportunities. Suggests seven steps to become familiar with the law; describes the ten titles within the law; and lists additional resources. (LRW)

Teacher-librarians are awash in data. Studies on the impact of school library programs on student achievement have now been replicated in 12 states (more are in the works) with amazingly consistent results, these are added to studies dating from the early 1960s that support the importance of school library programs to student achievement and the…

Calls for proper assessment of students' abilities are on the rise in the U.S. and the No Child Left Behind Act is one example of the efforts undertaken at the state and national level. The role of library media specialists in the authentic assessment of students where they perform tasks that demonstrate their grasp of essential knowledge and…

Every single young person who has grown up in America is only one major event or catastrophe away from falling over the edge into what most people would call "at-risk." The term "at-risk" refers to a wide range of factors that make it more difficult for a person to meet the developmental tasks of their age group. For students, a major…

Describes the first White House Conference on Library and Information Services and assesses its impact on youth services in school and public libraries. It is concluded that the conference had little influence on youth services and ways in which youth librarians can take a more active role in the upcoming second conference are discussed. (two…

Discusses imperatives for implementation of Omnibus Children and Youth Literacy through Libraries Act, including provision and prioritization of information about library services for youth, support from educational and community groups, improved library media education, cooperation among different types of libraries, leadership by state…

Over 5 million students aged 6 to 21 received services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)" during the 2000-2001 school year. In partial response to this growing population of diverse learners, the relatively recent and highly controversial "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)" legislation has served as a…

Reviews issues identified by the White House Conference on Library and Information Services that relate to the needs of youth and offers specific suggestions for ways in which libraries can meet those needs. Proposed federal legislation is discussed, and a checklist designed to assess gaps at the state and local levels is provided. (CLB)

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'…